Day Trippin’ from Henderson to Pahrump

BY ANN PARENTI

This past St. Patrick’s Day, my husband, Curtis, and I took a little trip to Henderson, Nevada, to celebrate the day in a jazzy way at the E-String and to watch Woody Woods and his Big Band perform there. The place was packed, and due to a communication error in booking a table, we were without seats. Woody graciously offered us to join another couple sitting in a large booth. We only had a few moments for a polite introduction to meet Lynn and Erik before the festivities began.

It turned out that Lynn was one of the featured vocalists, and when it was time for her to perform, she removed her jacket to reveal a stunning gown. She stepped onto the stage and belted out a beautiful song. After her performance, we discovered how many of the same musicians we both knew over the years and then Erik told me that Foster Brooks, the beloved comedian, was Lynn’s uncle! As always, with Woody on the piano, and his band filled with wonderful musicians, they gave a fantastic performance and filled the day with beautiful music.

During the break, Lynn and I chatted a bit and I found out that she is a tour guide and wine tasting hostess at the Pahrump Valley Winery, in Pahrump, Nevada. Pahrump is a little more than an hour outside Las Vegas, and it’s an easy getaway from the city. I had been hoping to do a story about the winery there, and now after meeting Lynn, it seemed like a great opportunity to do so.

A few weeks later, the day trippin’ was on! Curtis and I arrived at the winery when Lynn had just begun a tour of the vineyards with a group, and we joined them to learn the history of the winery. Ironically, it was on St. Patrick’s Day that the winery opened in 1990, and I thought it was very apropos that we’d met Lynn and Erik on St. Patrick’s Day this year. I was thinking that perhaps the leprechauns had a role in our opportunistic meeting.

The winery was created as a destination for visitors to enjoy something other than gaming. The original owner bought the property, built the original tower and restaurant, and proceeded to try growing vines. Try was the operative word because, unbeknown to him, there were a lot of four-legged neighbors, the burros and wild horses at that time who came in and destroyed the vines. As time went on, those neighbors moved to the foothills of the valley and he began to attempt to grow his vines again. Fast forward to 2009 and the vineyard had 250 Zinfandel vines. Now, in 2019, those vines are 28 years old and counting, and with the rest of the Zinfandel and the estate Syrah vines added, they now total 1200. The facility has grown to over 20,000 square feet and 20 acres.

You may wonder how they get their water for such a feat. Pahrump sits on the largest artesian wells in the valley and got its name by the Paiute Indians. The original indigenous name Pah-Rimpi meant “Water Rock.”

The winery has several other vineyards across the state and a few in California to add to their collection of wines. Some new and exciting things are happening at the property. Although it still has a charming feel and appearance when you visit, behind the scenes there is a modernization taking place. With their sister company, Moody Creek, they have taken the winery to new heights in production capabilities. There is now state-of-the-art equipment to create and house the wine, and they have plans on expanding their footprint for distribution of their wines. Moody Creek has some fun artwork on their bottles of wine—a tad cheeky, but it’s Nevada!

The winery started making Zinfandel in 2005. After the first bottling in 2008 the Zin, called “First Crush”, was entered in a blind competition and the winery won their first of 7 medals including gold. Since then, the winery has accumulated 450 medals for all the varietals of wines produced at the winery, including 100 of those awards representing the Nevada vines.

After the tour, we had a chance to feast on an elegant lunch in their Zagat rated restaurant that has an old-world charm and a very attentive and friendly staff. The food was exquisite, and the view of the vineyard as we sat there was calming. I asked about their current outdoor entertainment and discovered they still have the yearly Grape Stomp that started in 1992. This year’s celebration will be the first weekend in October and it is promised to be the biggest event yet. There will be something for everyone, costumes, live music, food, artists and of course a grape stomping competition. They are considering expanding more opportunities down the road for outdoor concerts and movie nights as they continue to grow. I’m sure to return for another day trippin’ visit when that happens. Well, I want to thank the leprechauns for bringing us together to give Curtis and me an opportunity to experience one for our neighboring towns in Nevada for a lovely afternoon of wine and dining.

You can visit Pahrump Valley Winery at www.pahrumpwinery.com or call 775-751-7800 for more information.