Nevada Vines & Wines announces Home Winemaking Competition

I've followed the progress of the wine industry in Northern Nevada for a while now.  Its mentor has been Grant Cramer, Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at University of Nevada - Reno.  Cramer and a few outgoing and ambitious students started holding weekly tastings in a drafty quonset hut on campus, to begin with, several years ago.  Now the advocacy has taken off from there in the form of a great and lively organization: Nevada Vines and Wines.

Now a robust organization with the clout to lead lobbying efforts to change the restrictive laws for wineries in Washoe County (where Reno is located),  there are lots of great things going on.

Monthly club meetings are held on the third Thursday of the month at the Garden Shop Nursery on Mayberry DRive.  Those meetings include a wine tasting and talk, start at 5:30 and end when the Nevada wine advocates get tired of swapping stories and tips.   There are other events too -- winery tours (most recently Churchill Vineyards in Fallon, NV) , judging events, and a yearly Backyard Vineyard Tour.

Although not strictly a Sierra Foothills wine scene, the wineries here are affected by the weather patterns and terroir from the Carson Range.  Near Fallon, the terroir is similar to eastern Washington State, and experts from there were instrumental in helping Churchill Vineyards get going.

Nevada Vines and Wines is a volunteer non-profit organization.  Its mission is to promote the wine industry in the State of Nevada.  The vision of the organization includes educating and promoting the enjoyment of fine wine through educational and social meetings, and the occasional competition.

All it takes to qualify as a member is to be passionate about wine and winemaking.  Some members make wine, but the majority do not.  They are there to increase their wine knowledge and maybe, just maybe, learn enough about wine making to try it at home.   That's why the compeition that's coming up is so exciting.

I strongly suggest you get on their newsletter list, which you can do at the website:   http://www.nvandw.com/


Questions?  Email the organization at  uncorkingnevada (at) gmail.com