I have always had a dream to work in at a winery in the area of growing and harvesting. This is a close as I can get for now. Some friends and I got together from work and decided to make our own wine and this school of winemaking is where it took place. This is da place where the magic happened for us! We started in September by gathering and deciding what kind of wine we were going to make. We decided to try and get as close to a Sangiovese as we could. First we received the grapes from Northern California, yes I wish they would have come from Italy too but these grapes were still ripe and ready. Now it was time to de-stem the grapes and crush them. We used a really cool Italian machine to accomplish this task. Now it was time to crush the grapes to get the juices flowing. Once this task was completed we poured the juice and placed into an industrial sized barrel. We worked closely with the Professor who is very smart and prepped and stirred our wine and then it had to sit for several months. I don't want to take you step by step because that would ruin it for those of you that want to sign up to complete this fun task. You are 100% involved in the making of your wine from start to finish. Some of the best times are gathering with your friends, bringing wine to drink and good food to share while you are working on the creation of your wine. Grape Expectations provides a fun little room with tables and chairs for everyone to sit around and be social. Then you enter the giant warehouse setting and get to work. It is a great atmosphere and I learned a great deal. All the staff that work here including Mike, The Professor, Patty and Chad are super knowledgable, friendly and helpful. Don't be afraid to ask any questions as they love to wine chat. You can also see how much they enjoy what they do, they all have a passion for the business which makes your experience even better. We ended up making a half barrel which served up approximately 12 bottles per person. You are probably wondering if the wine turned out and was it good. The answer is yes! It was surprisingly very tasty and I also gave out some bottles as gifts. Would I do it again, in a minute! A great time to share with fellow wine lovers and educate yourself on this whole process. read more

Okay so now I'm "Bougie" because I make wine! I really am enjoying this process! When you sign up to make your own wine you gotta get involved! From setting up your dates, picking your grapes variety, to actually pressing and bottling they make it all really fun! You should Seriously check into it! read more

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New and hmmmm We found out about this place from a campaign promoting stand up comedy at this venue. We came earlyer , 50 min, to enjoy the premises and to have a tasting, what else one can do here, but drink some wine... Place was packed, live music on, we where excited! The minute we entered and approached the counter, the bartender, Melissa, asked us to go in the back of the building, because we are there for the comedy show. I asked her if I can order, but she said that a server will come after we check in our tickets. The check in happends, the room is empty, but I can't order for another 20min. Finally the server is coming, no tasting allowed for this event! Just by bottle or glass. Ok, I'm here to enjoy my evening. Another 10 min for a glass to come, the guy is by himself, people are pouring, he is taking orders left and right, busy busy. I'm thirsty as well, after all the main building is not air conditioned, plenty time to kill in a tasting place. Went to see the front bar, and ask for a bottle of water. Melissa is busy, I wait , she asks what I want, I said water, please, then she ushers me rudely to the back, like I have no business to be there, and tells me to take it to my server. Now, that's not nice ! I believe that a business would accommodate a request at the bar, when you are beging the bartender with the payment card in hand, to spend money on their service. Why send away a customer? Now when your boss, and whomever owns the place is offering you a job to get a paycheck and tips... it seems counterproductive. Her rude attitude , prompted me to ask the manager for help, she apologized, what else? But I'm not sure about this place yet. The show was ok. We spend roughly on the wine and a cheese plate an average dollar amount for two people bu I would have stayed longer, or maybe considering to come back. Considering is the key word here. We're well traveled, we love to go out, and we hang out in vineyards from San Diego to Seattle along the coast, but I never met a rude bartender in a wine bar. Usually the folks working the tastings are taking pride of their vineyards or their pressing facilities , and are the major promoters of their products. Apparently, here in Henderson, the only facility of this kind in the great Las Vegas area, it dosen't seem to be the case, because of a rude employee. I'm not going to bring my guests, or recommend a place where I have been treated like I'm not welcomed to spend money here. read more

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I can't say enough about how friendly the staff at grape expectations are and how much fun the customers have been to meet. I learned more about wine just from the open house and tour then I probably have learned my entire life enjoying vino. Professor KJ is charming, entertaining and wicked smart. The wine was delicious. Hard to believe that I'll be making my own barrel soon and produce quality wine right here in Las Vegas. Everyone I've met has been super friendly and fun. I think the social aspect of grape expectations is probably even more appealing than the wine. I can't wait for my 1st crush which will be happening in October. Then we press, rack, and finally bottle at the end of the 9 month process. Head's up, there's a retail winery opening there in September of this year...2017. Can't wait! Cheers! read more

Grape Expectations School of Winemaking - Specialty Schools Near Me - Henderson, Nevada

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Make your own wine in Las Vegas! What a great concept this is and soooo much fun. This isn't like other wine-making places I've been to that just have you do some blending and bottling - here you actually make the wine from the crush to the bottling. Charlie is the owner here and from what I understand, he actually goes to CA and chooses the grapes to made available. I believe this year there was a choice of 16 different grapes (I could be wrong) but we had to choose our varietals the first part of Sept. Each group makes a minimum of one barrel, 20 cases/240 bottles, for $2400. Last year we made a Zinfandel blend with Barbera and Cabernet Sauvignon. It was so good we won 3rd place in the Zin category. The Zin grapes came from Suisun Valley, the others from Amador. This year we're making a Barbera blend with Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon. We had our crush yesterday - 21 crates of wine that we dump into the machine that separates the stems from the rest. The stems go on the floor and rest in a huge tub. Add the yeast and the other stuff that makes wine *I should know this but I forgot* and they explain the process in detail. If you're local, they ask you to come back and plunge the wine before it is pressed - then come for the press when they move your wine from the tub to a barrel. The wine sits in the barrel until May when we bottle, cork and label the wine ourselves and take it home! They have all kinds of events through the year as well for their clients - we went to a port party, they take part in the Henderson St Pat's day parade, and in August is the awards dinner for all of us wine-makers. Everyone brings bottles of their wine and trades - of course everyone wants the award winning wines to trade for. All in all it's a great experience, even more fun and the best part is having 20 cases of wine to drink! read more

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I'm born a raised here and had no ideal this winery was here.Great place,great people,great wine.and overall a great experience.I will definitely be visiting again. read more

Grape Expectations School of Winemaking - Specialty Schools Near Me - Henderson, Nevada

This was the second year I have done this. They have gotten so popular that they are moving to a larger location to accomandate the demands. For those who know wine will enjoy making their own wine by selecting the grapes they want, and for those that are beginners will truly enjoy the experience and the wealth of knowledge they provide. The only thing I will tell people is be prepare to either have tons of wine or get a large group together to experience this. I believe the barrel is $2400.00. read more

It has been a blast to make our own wine from start to finish. Highly recommend read more

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My 4 friends & I went - not knowing what to expect & was greeted by such a sweet, HAPPY lady by the name of PATTY PETERS !! We had such an enjoyable time ( even thought I don't drink) that we are sure to spread the word & tell our friends , relatives & Yelp readers that you'll have an enjoyable evening! You'll learn about wine making, drink some tasty wines & be waited on by such nice employees!! read more

Went wine tasting at this hidden gem. Never new the booze district even existed. Tried 2 whites(one dry, one sweet), 1 rosé, 2 reds(one sweet, one dry). Then got to tour the wine experience where you can make your own wine. read more

Grape Expectations School of Winemaking - Specialty Schools Near Me - Henderson, Nevada

Frickin awesome! For anyone that even kind of likes wine this is the place to go. Grab a brunch of friends and make a barrel of wine. I really liked how I got to select which grapes went into my barrel and got to physically do the process (with guidance and help) from start to finish. read more

Grape Expectations School of Winemaking - Wine in progress - Specialty Schools Near Me - Henderson, Nevada

From the LVRJ -- August 2007 / Here's a vintage idea. It's called the Grape Expectations Nevada School of Winemaking. Located at 1971 Whitney Mesa in Henderson, Grape Expectations allows students to get their hands -- or is it feet? -- wet as they experience the winemaking process and end up with bottles to take home. The school is run by Charlie Peters and Louis Sodano. Here's my update: I just spent 2 hours corking a full barrel of wine -- and it was a total blast. I was there with friends who'd gone through the whole process -- choosing their grapes, stomping them barefooted, the blend, several barrel tastings and today's bottling/corking/labeling. Ok a barrell is roughly $2300 -- but that's 40 cases of wine -- which averages about $9+ a bottle. You get to make, barrel, taste, bottle, cork , seal and label -- and it's a total blast. I'm blown away by Charlie's passion. Even more so that he's so close to our home and we knew nothing about this... people - this is a brilliant team building exercise, holiday gift, wedding favor, 21 year old gift -- and more... Charlie's expertise is in handling the full experience --but if you have more talent, talk to him -- he's phenomenal -- plus he's a whiz at magic... He did a card trick that I'm still freaked out about... This is the real deal, people. Cannot wait to get more folks involved... read more

This place is so much fun and the people that run it are so knowledgeable. The owner Patty Does an excellent job with the school. Highly recommend people try this place to make their own wine. read more

This by far is a great experience for anyone! From the wine experts to your average joe Grape Expectations is definitely where you can go and get immersed in wine culture. From wine making to touring the property to getting to taste their wine; everything was awesome. The bartenders were right on point in the tasting room to satisfy my group of over 25. Awesome atmosphere, great wine and great new place to pick up a hobby. Definitely will return and definitely telling my friends and family of this gem in town! read more

Had a total blast with our friends. Been to 2 classes. Can't wait to go back for the next steps. Now we are working on coming up with a cool label ;) read more

Grape Expectations School of Winemaking - Squeeze!!!! - Specialty Schools Near Me - Henderson, Nevada

Always a great time making and drinking your own wine! Mike, Patty and staff are amazing. The instruction and hands on experience is fun read more

Grape Expectations School of Winemaking - Specialty Schools Near Me - Henderson, Nevada

We have been coming here for almost 7 years now. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable make great wine together. We use grapes from Napa Valley and I totally satisfied with the finished product year after year. read more

Grape Expectations School of Winemaking - This is my first visit to Grape Expectations with my mommy and daddy. I have to get busy now and rack the wine - Specialty Schools Near Me - Henderson, Nevada

My husband and I have been making wine here since 2014. We've done both the California and Chilean seasons for a few years now. The wine is always really good with some blends being better than others of course. We absolutely love this place and look forward to coming back every time. Mike, Patty, KJ, and Chad are just the nicest people to deal with ever. They make the whole wine journey a wonderful experience. read more

Grape Expectations School of Winemaking is a wine lovers dream. Where else can you learn and participate in the art of winemaking with expert help and have a party at the same time? Patti, the owner of Grape Expectations, and her staff lead your group through every stage of the 8 month process which in the end will net you some great wine and a lot of wonderful memories. While some people may see that "8 month" thing and balk at the idea but trust me, you are making real wine. It takes some time. That being said, you are only at their facility about 6 times over that period. After a session of de-stemming the grapes and putting them in a vat you will return a week later to put the juice into an oak barrel for some aging. This process takes about 4 months, so there is nothing to do for a while except maybe pay a visit or two to your little bundle of joy as it ages. From February to June you will have 4 more session which will take you all the way through the bottling process. I should also mention that you pick the varietal you want to make and the grapes are ordered for you specifically. You can do a single varietal like Zinfandel or a custom blend of your choice. The grapes are high quality products which are sourced from the central valleys of California and the Sonoma region. I would be remiss in writing this review without mentioning the guys in the back that do the heavy lifting. Mike, K.J. and Steve are craftsmen and take the time to not only assist you in your winemaking endeavor, but to make sure you have a solid understanding of the process. These guys enjoy what they do and their enthusiasm will make your sessions even more enjoyable. You design a label for your wine which you can personalize most anyway you want. Some people will use a business logo and give bottles to customers for promotions, some use their family name and some just design something that comes to them along the way. At the end of the season there is a winemaker's party where awards are given for the best wines (professionally judged by local wine experts) and medals for the best label designs as well. The price of making a barrel of wine is in the $2400-$2600 range depending on the varietal. This is quite a bargain when you consider that you will end up with about 240 bottles of excellent wine. We always get a group of 6-10 friends/couples together to split the barrel which lowers our cost and allows us to party with friends at each session. At a final cost of about $10-$11 a bottle it is well worth it especially when you can tell your friends that the wine they are enjoying was made from the sweat of your brow. read more

Mj and KJ passed on a lot of very useful and informative wine knowledge. I highly recommend doing a tasting!

Came here with friends that made two barrels of wine. The wine came out great and brought in food to eat and relax. Staff were great and the atmosphere was relaxing. read more

Last year we made an Old Vine Zin which won a gold medal from the Wine Society. This time, a GSM (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre). Always a great time with old & new friends and it never gets old. Mike, KJ, & Patty are the best. read more

This place is great. I am not a wine expert by any means but this place makes you feel like you are. Very knowledgeable and friendly. We had a great time learning and drinking wine. Highly recommend this place. You not only learn the process but you get to do some of it and drink wine while you are. The Professor rocks! The price was also good and you get to bring home wine when its all done. read more

Really friendly staff is a pleasure to work with and learn from while making wine. They teach the science side while showing you the basics needed to get your delicious vino going. read more

Pretty fun way to spend an afternoon, take a class over quite a few months, and drink... and then when it's all said and done, you get to drink some more because you have wine that you made yourself! What more could you want? read more

I have heard great things about this place, but I cannot take advantage of it as we only live here 6 months a year. Not enough time to complete a batch. read more

Grape Expectations School of Winemaking - Specialty Schools Near Me - Henderson, Nevada

If you're looking for a new hobby, this is the place. I have been in a wine making group for a few years and have a much better appreciation for wine! The staff is super knowledgeable and friendly. I always feel like part of the family when I meet up with my wine group. And, it's such an unique experience to make wine, from crushing to bottling. Pricing is super reasonable, too. And, it's pretty awesome to gift award winning wines to friends (when I have a bottle or two to spare)!! read more

This is a get together function with your friends to socialize and learn how to make your own wine throughout the months. Cost is $2400 for 240 bottles at $10 a bottle. It's better to get a lot of people involved because 3-4 cases are a waste since the wine that you're making will taste horrible! You can let your wine age for 5 years and it will still taste horrible. Reason is, the grapes that the owners buy from Napa or wherever he says he gets them, are cheap grade grapes. My guess is that they are C- to D grade grapes. At the end of the process of bottling your wine, you also have to design your own label. Your wine and label will be entered in a category to compete against other groups. A banquet is held at the top of the World Market, along with a buffet dinner which is nothing to brag about for $65. The medal awards that were given out was definitely fixed ! Groups that bought 2 -3 barrels at $2400 a pop were given awards for their godly horrible labels or disgusting wine. I compared their wine to ours and couldn't understand why they won! Better yet, people were coming up to us and saying how they loved our label and would have voted ours as the best label overall. Out of ten label awards, we got nothing! I guess the judges were already drunk or the owners prejudged ahead to make sure his friends won something. My point is, don't waste your money on this sham. Buy your wine that you know you'll like to drink. Don't get caught with 2400 bottles of wine that you made here and know later that you'll only give them away because it taste disgusting. read more

This is just so much fun! Get in on a group, learn how to make wine, make new friends, taste wine and then take your wine home. And it is YOUR wine! read more