#Grape stomp how to

The stomped grapes do not make it into a bottle. When you come across grape stomping nowadays, it is typically an event meant to educate and entertain tourists. Therefore, most vintners rely on modern machines to perform grape crushing. It is simply too time-consuming and thus ineffective from a business perspective. Only a few American winemakers still crush grapes by foot today.

In France, the technique is called pigéage (English: punching down) or, more precisely, pigéage à pied (English: punching down by foot).ĭO WINEMAKERS STILL CRUSH GRAPES WITH THEIR FEET TODAY?.You might also come across the term feet-crushing.Alternatively, many people use grape treading.The most common term is grape stomping.This technique is known under various names: However, some vintners still crush grapes with their feet. With better technology, wine stomping became more and more obsolete. Dated back to about 4000 BC, it is the world’s oldest mechanical device for crushing grapes. In 2011, archeologists found a winepress in Armenia. Historians discovered pictures and texts describing farmers who crush grapes with their feet.īut mankind has also known alternatives for foot-crushing grapes for millenniums. At 8000 years of age, they were not only the oldest evidence of grape stomping but also of winemaking in general.Įvidence for grape stomping is known from other ancient cultures, such as the Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans. Scientists could date the jars back to about 6000 BC. The vessels contained leftovers of wine compounds, and some were decorated with images of men dancing on grape clusters. In 2017, historians found ceramic jars near the Georgian capital Tsibili. Grape stomping has a history of thousands of years. Thus, they contribute to giving the wine a more intense color. Finally, vintners push down solids that impart color to the wine, such as grape skins and stems.So it is fair to say that stomping the grapes reduces the risk of damaging the wine. And lower temperatures prevent the growth of harmful bacteria that need heat to survive. Because they are in motion, they can cool down easier. When winemakers crush grapes with their feet, they move both the fruits and the juice.All of these factors fasten the fermentation process. They also encourage the circulation of oxygen. By moving the grapes, the vintners mix the wine must and the yeast.It benefits the winemaking process in various other aspects: Grape stomping is not only about crushing the grapes, though. Or in other words: The sugar in the grape juice transforms into alcohol. After the addition of yeast, this juice ferments. The main reason for stomping grapes is to crush them, so they release their juice. Thus, vintners who follow organic or biodynamic approaches to winemaking, tend to crush their grapes with their feet. Using their feet to crush the grapes can reduce this risk.Īdditionally, some vintners claim that the foot-crushed grapes ferment faster and thus speed up the production process.īesides the control aspect, grape stomping is considered a more natural way to make wine. Vintners avoid crushing the seeds because they release tannins that impart bitter flavors to the wine.

#Grape stomp how to

The most important aspect is the control of how to crush the grapes. In the end, this leads to higher-quality wines. They can carefully adjust the pressure on the grapes and determine how exactly they break. Winemakers crush grapes with their feet because this method gives them more control over the process. But is grape stomping still a thing in modern wineries? And why would vintners crush grapes with their feet anyway?

And as a wine lover, you might dream about performing this winemaking technique yourself someday. We encourage all the fun: team t-shirts, team names, matching hats, etc.When talking about winemaking, the first thing that comes to mind is a group of people stomping grapes with their bare feet. All teams will need to be prepared to jump, stomp, and crush until they have been eliminated from the competition or win it all!ġst place prize: Day Passes to our 46th Annual Harvest Festival in August (one for each member who participated in the Grape Stomp.)Ģnd place prize: A Gift Certificate for a Private Tour & Tasting for 10 people at Messina Hof.ģrd place prize: A $50 certificate to the Vintage House Restaurant at Messina Hof Estate Winery & Resort. The Grape Stomp Competition is a standard bracket breakdown starting at 1:30 PM, running until the last teams are done. Cross stomping grapes off your bucket list this spring! Create a team of up to 4 people for only $50 and participate in one of the oldest event traditions at Messina Hof. Spring months mean a green and luscious vineyard, roses blooming, sun shining, and our annual Wine & Roses Festival! Grab your family and friends and take part in one of our most loved events- the Grape Stomp Competition. We don’t know about you, but here at Messina Hof we can’t wait for warmer weather.