Why Grape Basin News is producing the 2019 Nevada Vinny Awards

Wine is glamorous and seductive. Competition is invigorating. Honoring people who create something wonderful is, itself, an honor. Those are some of the reasons Grape Basin News proposed last summer to become executive producer of the annual Nevada Vines & Wines competition. We’ve added a new category for commercial wineries and we’ve dubbed it “The Nevada Vinny Awards.” The awards show will be a new and exciting celebration of Nevada wine.

The partnership arose after Grape Basin News reported on two home winemaker award ceremonies, in 2017 and 2018. Last year, the competitors gathered in a retail garden shop.

The venue was a lovely and pleasant place to shop for hummingbird feeders and patio decor, but the layout was challenging. Audience and competitors navigated a maze of garden merchandise. Wine judge Bill Staehlin dodged a swaying wind chime that dangled in his face as he awarded the ribbons.

It was clear to GBN that the winemakers deserved more. What was missing? Glamour and pageantry. Showmanship and sparkle. Ooohs, ahs, and applause. More important, the event was a well-kept secret. What an opportunity to raise the profile for Nevada wines! And hardly anyone knew about it.

All of us in the Nevada wine community have an interest in spotlighting our accomplishments to the larger community. We need to be noticed by Nevada’s business leaders, elected officials, and yes! – the large market of Nevada oenophiles who haven’t discovered the fabulous wines made right here at home. They should see us during our best moments.

That brings us to a major goal of the 2019 Nevada Vinny Awards show. It’s the first opportunity for Nevada’s commercial winemakers to be formally recognized as pioneers in a new Nevada industry.

In the two years since its founding, Grape Basin News has brought you stories about the Nevada wine community, its accomplishments, and its challenges. GBN ramped up with the birth of the state’s first urban wineries – north and south – and the people who made them happen. There were laws affecting wine production. There were milestones in retail and distribution, and new venues for wine education in the Silver State. GBN has covered the arrival of an industry, but has never forgotten that it all started with home and hobbyist winemakers.

On April 25 Grape Basin News will present the 2019 Nevada Vinny Awards show. Please attend. You’ll get some surprises, some laughs, and you’ll have the honor of honoring Nevadans who’ve invested their time, effort, and money to bring us one of God’s greatest gifts – good wine.

Ticket information here: http://www.nvandw.com/vinny_tickets/
Want to sponsor? News [at] GrapeBasinNews.com
Want to compete? Nevada Vines & Wines runs the competition. Rules and deadlines here:
http://www.nvandw.com/2019-winemakers-competition/