Pahrump Valley Winery changes hands

The Pahrump Valley Winery is set to change hands after more than 15 years of ownership under owners Bill and Gretchen Loken.

“A new chapter begins for us, we’ve sold the Pahrump Valley Winery,” the local couple announced on the winery’s Facebook page. “We want to thank our great team of employees, the friends we’ve made over the years and all the good times! Gretchen will stay on in a consulting role. A toast to 2019, and thanks again for your friendships and business.”

No details on the deal or who the new owners are going to be have been released as of yet.

Property records with Nye County didn’t have any recent transactions logged as of Wednesday.

The news comes within months of the winery’s announcement of completing its $1.7 million expansion at its 3810 E. Winery Road location.

The expansion project, which was completed in the fall of 2018, added 7,000 square feet to the overall winery.

The expansion also ushered in fully automated production and bottling. The expanded production space also increased production capacity from 9,500 cases annually to a potential 40,000 cases.

The Lokens bought the winery in 2003 from then-owner Jack Sanders, who owns and operates the Sanders Family Winery at 3780 E. Kellogg Road. Sanders opened his winery on Kellogg Road shortly after the sale of his holding on Winery Road.

The Lokens are from Arizona, where Bill was in the real estate industry and Gretchen worked as a schoolteacher.

In a June 2017 report in the Pahrump Valley Times, Bill Loken was noted saying that the property was in rough shape when the couple bought it in the early 2000s.

“The couple had to do a complete overhaul, gutting the entire building,” the report stated. “The tasting room was added onto, along with adding new wine-making equipment.”

Bill Loken was also noted saying in the report that “the restaurant has been doubled in size since the purchase. It was also renamed Symphony’s Restaurant.”

The property had gone through multiple upgrades over the years, according to the report in the Times.

A Pahrump Valley Times reporter attempted to reach the longtime owners by going to the Pahrump winery on Wednesday afternoon but were unsuccessful. Other forms of contact, in an attempt to reach Bill or Gretchen Loken, were also not successful as of the time of this writing.

Contact reporter Jeffrey Meehan at jmeehan@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes