Sanders Winery: A Hidden Surprise
Fall is the best time of year to come to Pahrump and enjoy the great weather. Our trees don’t change color here, but the people do. The Pahrumpians when they come outside are no longer cherry red from the sun and resume their non-baked look.
This is the time to jump on your favorite trail to enjoy the sun setting in the valley and then stop by Sanders Winery, Pahrump’s second winery. Dust off your clothes and step into the Sanders’ Gift Shop for a chilled glass of Chardonnay or Serenity. Or perhaps you prefer a Merlot at room temperature. Whatever your palate desires, Sanders has it all for the tasting.
If you are lucky to catch Jack Sanders, the owner, you can engage him in a conversation about wine. He is always willing to talk about Pahrump and how he and his wines came to this town.
Jack brought the valley its first winery back in 1988. He actually owned the Pahrump Winery off of Highway 160. He then moved his operation down to his current location at 3780 E. Kellogg Rd. The new winery has been operating for the past nine years. The architecture is of a Renaissance-era Tuscan Villa.
The winery sits between the Spring Mountains to the east and the Nopah Mountain Range to the west.
Sanders’ Winery is an excellent place to take a picnic lunch and do some wine tasting afterward. Julie, a wine taster hostess, says that Sanders does not serve food, but welcomes people to bring their own, where they can eat inside in the gift shop and wine tasting area or outside.
“People can picnic outside, or we have two large tables inside where they can spread out their food and eat, and I will personally bring the wine for them to taste. And the best thing about this deal is it is all free.”
After the wine tasting, wine aficionados are welcome to ask more questions about the wine making process or peruse the gift shop to look for a souvenir. If you are looking for that custom gift, the shop will make beautiful gift baskets and affix custom wine labels to the bottles.
From October until the end of April is the busiest time of the year for the small winery. Julie said the winter months bring in the snowbirds, who come to Pahrump to escape the colder northern regions of the country, and with them come more wine tasters. She says some people are regulars and they like to bring their friends and large groups and just eat and taste wine all day long.
“We also have large groups of European tourists drive out here when they find out there is a winery out here,” Julie says. “The French love to come out here and argue during my presentation of Champagne. They always say anything not from the Champagne region in France shouldn’t be referred to as champagne.”
In addition to the wine tasting, during the spring when it becomes warmer, the winery is host to outdoor musical shows where people can sit outside at a table, sip some wine and eat a picnic lunch while listening to some great tunes.
The winery is also host to numerous weddings. The Renaissance architecture provides a fine setting to get married in. The main conference room can hold up to 150 people. The winery also hosts conferences, business meetings and parties.
To contact Sanders, call 775-727-1776. The winery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
— Vernon Hee
