Using wineskin winery3/14/2023 ![]() ![]() Kids can happily smoosh grapes while their parents get a hands-on lesson in wine blending with a winemaker. Would you like a little luxury to go with your purple feet? Calistoga Ranch, a spa resort in a wooded canyon, offers a family grape stomp experience. Grape stomping with the family at Calistoga Ranch in Napa Valley Afterwards, enjoy a buffet of cheese, paté, charcuterie, red wine ( bien s û r) and a tasting of the farm's olive oil and truffle oil. The French call grape stomping pigeage - doesn’t that sound more elegant? You can take a culinary tour of a Provencal farm, where you can learn the French art of winemaking and stomp some grapes in an enormous, antique oaken barrel. ![]() Doing a stomp français in Provence, France After three days of intense competition, the grand champions win a case of Vino De Feet wine. More than 300 teams compete, each consisting of two people: the stomper and the “juicer.” In special heats, people can compete in togas, Minnesota Vikings fan costume contest, or the “Lucy Look-A-Like” contest. One of the best known is Carlos Creek Winery, which annually hosts the annual Grape Stomp and Fall Festival on the second weekend after Labor Day.Īt the festival, grape stomping is serious business. More than 40 wineries operate in the state, most of which are found south of Minneapolis. Minnesota actually has a thriving winemaking business. ![]() Competitive grape stomping at Carlos Creek Winery in Minnesota Best of all, you can pair your wine tastings with a lunch that tastes like summer in Texas: smoked brisket, jalapeno-cheddar biscuits, and strawberry shortcake. The July festival includes vineyard tours, live music and a grape stomping contest in which couples compete to produce the most juice. Rather not have purple feet? Head to Brenham, Texas for the White Grape Harvest Festival at (where else?) Enoch’s Stomp Vineyard and Winery. Stomping white grapes at Enoch’s Stomp in Brenham, Texas 2 Or, you can join a tour that includes a grape stomping experience, just for fun. If you’re traveling to Tuscany in mid- to late September, ask your hosts to let you know if your visit coincides with the local vendemmia, and if you can participate. The minute the grapes reach peak ripeness, everyone joins in to harvest them and begin the fermentation process. In Tuscany, the grape harvest is called the vendemmia, and it’s a highly anticipated event. Leery of drinking wine flavored by hundreds of tourists’ feet? Don’t worry: The stomped grapes and juice are used for compost. Afterward, you can put your winy footprints on a special T-shirt to take home and enjoy a complimentary glass of wine. The experience is offered daily from mid-August through late October just show up, take off your shoes, roll up your pant cuffs and jump into the barrel of grapes. Renowned vintner Miljenko “Mike” Grgich invites visitors to enjoy stomping grapes at his Napa vineyard. Grape stomping at Grgich Hills Estate in Napa Valley Want to feel some fruit between your toes? There are plenty of wineries and grape festivals where you can try grape stomping, both in the United States and overseas. 1 Stomping grapes is also a gentler process that avoids crushing grape seeds, resulting in a smoother flavor. "The foot crushing gets the fermentation going quicker and adds to the intensity," Gary Robinson of California’s Left Bend Winery tells Tasting Table. Stomping grapes to make wine is an ancient practice that has been replaced by machine processing, although some winemakers still say it’s the best method. You want something new: the experience of truly making wine, starting with stomping the grapes. ![]()
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