By the time I had arrived to Peju to partake in their annual Harvest Party, complete with grape stomping, the event was well under way. There, aligned in a row were about 10-12 half-cut barrels of grapes, awaiting the next participant to toss their shoes aside, roll-up their sleeves and start stomping those little purple icons.

The organizers would call out the next wave of people and they’d hop in the barrel and for a pre-determined amount of time would do whatever it took to squeeze the most juice out of the grapes. The one with the most juiced squeezed out one a small prize.

At first, the competetive nature was high. Being the gambler, I instinctively started putting odds on who would win, quite simply from general obersvation, as I had no idea who these people were (there could have been a world-record-setting grape stomper in the mix yet I would have no idea). We’d size up the competetion and make a verbal wager and who we thought would take the crown for that heat.

Often times, people whom we thought were destined to win faltered right out of the starting gate, and my odds would, in reality, mean little to nothing. Early on the competition was fierce, with individuals and couples sprinting for the 3-5 minutes they had to complete their task.

Yet as the event continued, the seriousness and competitiveness slowed and was replaced with more laughter and giggles. By the time the last group rolled in nearly two hours after the event had begun, the giddiness was at it’s peak. Which it was at that time that I realized that grape stomping at a winery is much like karaoke at a bar.

As the event neared it second hour, most guests had consumed at least a glass or two of the wines being poured: the Sauvignon Blanc, the Provence, or the Cab and what at first looked competive soon turned comical. The last race that was run was pure hilariousness with at least one participant attempting to stomp grapes while not trying to spill his wine he had in hand. Tense moments of before tuned to cheers and laughter.

I wondered what it would have looked like had the stomping continued into it’s 3rd hour. Would couples be slipping and sliding in the barrels and inevidably be using more than just their feet to crush the grapes? One can only wonder. But one thing is for certain. Mix a pseudo-competive sport with alcohol and you’re bound to get more smiles and laughs than the agony of not coming in first. For the thrilling part is not coming in first, but how many laughs you can accomplish in the time provided.

Cheers,
Haydn

A big thank you to Peju for putting on such a successful grape stomping event. I couldn’t have asked for a better first-time experience than what your winery did.

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com