Nevada’s Home Winemakers Learn from Sommelier Comments; Somms “Pleasantly Surprised”

June 29, 2021

Nevada Grape Growers and Winemakers arranged for winemakers to chat one-on-one with sommeliers for a professional evaluation of their wines. The event drew 20 entries from the region’s serious home winemakers. Photo @GrapeBasinNews: Wine educator Dani G. Morris sips a Nevada-made red.

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Nevada Winery Law Revised: More Locations and Expanded Alcohol Menu Allowed

May 27, 2021

A bill boosting Nevada’s wineries passed nearly unanimously on May 21 in the state legislature. Portions of Assembly Bill 375, presumed dead after it failed in its policy committee, found new life inserted into a separate bill that regulates relationships between distributors and alcohol producers. Photo: @GrapeBasinNews

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Sunday Tour of the Dyette Family Vineyard: First in a Summer Series from NGGW

May 27, 2021

About 20 members of Nevada Grape Growers and Winemakers attended the first in a 2021 series of private Vineyard tours. Some attendees told Grape Basin News it was their first social event after the pandemic year. Photo: @GrapeBasinNews – Adrian Dyette points to vines he transplanted while NGGW members look on on Sunday, May 23, 2021.

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Legislative Committee Hears Bill to Expand Nevada’s Commercial Winery Business

April 6, 2021

Assembly Bill 375 would grant some of Nevada wineries’ fondest wishes, doubling the current case limit, allowing other beverages to be served in tasting rooms, and paving the way for custom crush facilities. Photo: Artesian Cellars winemaker and co-owner Tim Burke made a Zoom presentation to state lawmakers on March 29.

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Nevada Winemaker to Teach 4-Week Series: “A Sensory Evaluation of Wine”

March 28, 2021

Greg Ross, the award-winning proprietor of Walker River Vineyards, will teach a series of classes for the Nevada Grape Growers and Winemakers. The format is a group tasting, with plenty of time for questions and discussion, he says. Photo: Greg Ross (center) with medalists at the 2019 Nevada Vinny Awards.

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Nevada Wine One Year After the Shutdown: New Classes, Gold Medals, and a Sad Good-bye

March 9, 2021

Like everyone else, Nevada’s winemakers hope we’ll soon say good-bye to the pandemic. Grape Basin News is back after a dormant year, with news of upcoming events, competition winners, and a tribute to the late long-time Nevada Vines & Wines treasurer Lynne Keller.

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Federal Court Strikes Down In-State Grape Quota: Decision Could Have Nationwide Implications

September 3, 2020

In the first Federal ruling of its kind, U.S. District Court of Minnesota has struck down a 51 percent in-state fruit quota for Minnesota wineries, declaring the requirement an unconstitutional violation of interstate commerce. Minnesota’s winemakers are celebrating, but the finding has implications for winemakers across the nation.

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2020 Nevada Wine Competition Proceeds: Plenty of Great Wine, No Vinny Awards

July 24, 2020

Covid 19 restrictions meant a smaller team of wine judges worked for two days instead of one. The result was a more relaxed pace, with greater focus, and the opportunity for good discussions about the wines. The Vinny Awards show that had been scheduled for August had to be scrapped.

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Wineries on 4th Say “So Long,” as Stephon’s Mobile Bistro Heads Home to New York

July 24, 2020

Stephon’s Mobile Bistro will roll home to New York next month, where owner Stephon Van Dyke has family. Nevada Sunset Winery hosted a parking lot sendoff to help finance the trip. No food truck operator has stepped up to fill Stephon’s regular gig at the Wineries on 4th.

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Joe Goes Virtual! Coronavirus Caution Sends 2020 Wine Academy to Teleconference

March 22, 2020

The prospect of a dozen or more Wine Academy students mingling in a basement classroom seemed risky in the face of the coronavirus threat, and potentially hazardous to instructor Joe Bernardo. Friends and past students were concerned. Enter the Nevada Grapegrowers and Winemakers, who immediately went to work setting up a remote class via teleconference.

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