BRAD HORN/Nevada Appeal Gary Cain, owner of Westwall Militaria, pours Terry August, of the Silver State Ladies Red Hat Society, a glass of wine at his store during the inaugural Wine Walk on Saturday.
Visitors to Gary Cain's shop Saturday afternoon were greeted with a dilemma: Shiraz or Zin?
Glasses in hand, guests at Westwall Militaria sampled the wines while browsing heavy artillery shells and military regalia.
The decision was a common occurrence during the afternoon, as 22 members of the Old Town Carson City Merchants Association popped corks for the inaugural Carson City Wine Walk.
"The idea is to get people into the doors of the businesses downtown and let them know what's down here," Cain said. "It's gotten very positive reactions so far."
The idea worked for Mary Lawson, who came down from Reno to take part.
"We've gotten to sample a lot of the wines, and I've ended up buying things from a couple of the stores," Lawson said.
About 300 took part in the walk, more than double the number anticipated. Tickets were $10 and included samples from all 22 businesses, snacks and the engraved wine glass.
Each of the businesses purchased wine selections, which ranged from a light Pinot Noir to a specialized almond champagne mixed with chocolate port served at The Holiday House.
"That one was the best so far, but we haven't tried them all yet," said Nichole Knowles, of Gardnerville.
Lucky Clark, co-owner of Revelations Costumes and Photo Studio, said the reaction at his shop had been positive.
"People love the variety of wines the merchants are offering," Clark said.
The association is hoping to make the Wine Walk a monthly event, taking place on the first Saturday of each month.
"The next one will be on Dec. 2, and we are looking at a holiday theme, which should be fun," said Kristy Servati, marketing director for the Carson Horseshoe Club.
All of the money raised will go toward subsidizing future wine walks and increasing the advertising for the association's events.
"Ideally we'd like to see 3,000 people down here walking around every month, but that's not likely to happen," Cain said. "We just hope the event continues to grow and these businesses get some more exposure,"
The association is also planning an expanded Christmas celebration to coincide with the city's annual tree lighting Dec. 7.
• Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.