Only in Pahrump: Slots, a winery and an RV park

Thursday, May 16, 2002 | 10:58 a.m.

A Colorado recreational vehicle park developer has bought the 20-acre Pahrump Valley Vineyards winery and plans to apply for a gaming license.

Western Horizon Resorts, Gunnison, which owns 24 RV resorts in 10 states and a network with affiliations with 170 private-membership RV resorts, acquired the winery from Pahrump Valley Vineyards Inc. for $2.5 million.

A spokeswoman said Western Horizon would break ground on a 250-site RV park at the winery that would be open for visitors by January.

The company plans to keep Pahrump Valley Vineyards' 50-seat restaurant, gift shop and wine-tasting area.

Lynne Berry, the new general manager at Pahrump Valley, said she believes it will become the only RV park-winery in the country. She said Western Horizon Resorts plans to put $2 million in improvements into the property and will apply for a license for an undetermined number of slot machines.

Pahrump Valley, located about 45 miles west of Las Vegas, has about 3 acres of grapes grown on the property for demonstration purposes. The 70,000 bottles of wine produced each year by the company are blended with local and outside wine, bottled and labeled at the winery. The winery has about 25 employees and is a popular tourist attraction for bus tours as well as for travelers who arrive there by helicopter.

Western Horizon, which acquired the Adventure Outdoor Resorts camping network and Fantasy RV Tours in the past two years, has 150 employees at its flagship operation, the Blue Mesa Ranch, near Gunnison. The company also owns the St. George RV Resort near Quail Lake in Hurricane, Utah.

"The acquisition of a winery is in direct alignment with our diversified growth strategy within the RV industry, providing the No. 1 outdoor vacation experience for the RV traveler," said Jim Loken, Western Horizon's president and chief executive officer in a statement announcing the transaction.