Engine 8 Hits the Fast Track After a Long, Uphill Chug

Friends and followers of Mike and Wendi Rawson packed the tasting room and the sunny patio on Saturday at the couple’s Engine 8 Urban Winery. The Victorian Square winery may be poised for a bright future. As adjacent construction projects wrap up, the finished buildings are likely to produce a steady stream of apartment dwelling customers. Story continues below…

Opening day at the Engine 8 Urban Winery in Victorian Square, Sparks, Nevada, April 27, 2019. Photo: @GrapeBasinNews

Engine 8 is the first urban winery to open in Sparks, and the fourth in Washoe County since a 2015 change in Nevada law. The City of Sparks made an alteration last year to its zoning ordinances to allow tasting rooms to exist separately from vineyards.  Six months has elapsed since the winery’s originally scheduled fall opening, held up first by construction delays and then a licensing snafu.

Proprietor Wendi Rawson with a friend on opening day. Photo: @GrapeBasinNews

Engine 8 will host tours, blending parties, and private events, according to its website.