Las Vegas Weekly

July 17, 2009 · 1:11 PM

Counter Intelligence: It’s a grape year to bottle your own wine in Las Vegas

By Robin Leach

Grape Expectations.

Photo: Courtesy

I have grape news, and this is certainly one story I am going to toast! I never knew that right here in Las Vegas, it was possible to literally make your own wine for less than $9 a bottle complete with your own name emblazoned on the label.

That’s the genius business of former 30-year food and beverage veteran Charlie Peters, who now runs Grape Expectations, the first Nevada School of Winemaking.

Without having to stomp barefoot, customers can crush the harvested grapes grown in a Northern California valley just east of Napa. Wine students and fans pay about $2,000 for the process from beginning to end. After a visit to the state-of-the-art facility for orientation and a Q&A, it takes four two-hour classes for the privilege of making your own -- and knowing how the experts do it!

The classes are completed over nine months that start at the end of September or beginning of October as the harvest is picked. It all gets underway with 800 pounds of grapes to start the crushing and de-stemming process, and voila! At the end of the course, your recyclable oak barrel will serve up a great self-made vintage for 240 bottles working out to just $8.70 apiece. Try to beat that bargain!

Said Charlie: “It’s the first of its kind in Nevada and sparks interest from all wine lovers. It’s great for people looking to meet new friends and embrace a new, exciting hobby. Families even start a new family tradition here. Each person produces a 53-gallon handcrafted oak barrel of wine from the grapes.”

The four hands-on sessions after the Winemaking 101 tour include crushing/de-stemming, fermentation, pressing, racking, bottling, corking and labeling. Charlie, who is a member of the American Wine Society, the International Bacchus Society and the Society of Wine Educators, added: “It really is a rewarding experience -- and some wonderful memories every time you open a new bottle at home.”

His list of grapes includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Shiraz/Syrah, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc.

One of my friends who completed the course told me: “ We were thrilled with the wine we produced. It was the real thing. None of us guessed it would be so good. We impressed ourselves, and whenever we’ve served it at dinner or a backyard barbecue, people have raved about it. The whole experience was an educational and entertaining experience, and we had the wine to prove it!”

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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