Valparaiso venue to host Comedy Wine Tour
Anderson’s Winery and Vineyard in Valparaiso wants people to laugh during this winter of our discontent.
That’s why it’s hosting nationally recognized standup comedians once a month. The Comedy Wine Tour comes to Anderson’s Jan. 22 for an 7 p.m. show with doors opening at 6 p.m. Other shows will be Feb. 19 and March 26.
Owner Denna Fyock said they’ve been hosting the comedy wine nights since September.
“Our first one we did outside in our greenhouse and I think we had around 90 people for that one,” she said. “After that, we had to move inside because of the weather. We’ve been keeping them to 50 people so we can socially distance everybody but we’ve sold out the tickets for every one since then. It’s been going great.”
She works with talent agent Ron Herron of Herron Entertainment in New York to book the comedians. January’s headlining talent at Anderson’s is scheduled to be Davey Wester of Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Fyock was very clear that she didn’t want any adult-oriented or “blue” comics onstage.
“That’s just not our crowd,” she said. “He’s done a really good job of finding comedians that were funny but not vulgar.”
There is an opening act as well.
Herron created the Comedy Winery Tour in 2018 and has visited about 1,200 wineries around the country since then, he said. Initially, he created the Brewery Comedy Tour in 2017. He’s since branched out to wineries and distilleries.
“With everything going on this summer, we had the Drive-In Comedy Tour,” he said. “We’re making it work for the small businesses that have supported us.”
Wineries are places that people like to gather at anyway.
“And they don’t have to travel to a city to get quality comedy,” he said. “It’s not the same old run of the mill comedians. It’s comedy that a lot of people can relate to.”
He looks for comedians that aren’t overly political and don’t work blue, he said. He doesn’t like comedians who pick on audience members for a cheap laugh, either.
Pre-pandemic, he had 10 to 12 groups of comedians playing 1,700 venues in 48 states. That’s unfortunately dropped way off, he said.
“Some of the places we’re working in along the Brewery Tour are staying in business just from our comedy nights,” he said.
People can expect good comedy and a nice evening out, Fyock said.
“It’s a fun evening. People enjoy getting out and having a glass of wine and a flatbread and laughing,” she said. “We need to laugh right now, don’t we? We have several people who are kind of becoming regulars. They’ve been to every one.”