Putting Your Best Foot Forward

One of the most memorable episodes from I Love Lucy is the grape stomping scene. In the scene Lucy and her friend, Ethel, use their feet to crush grapes in a barrel. This scene may have made you laugh hysterically, but the fact is that this was a natural process of making wine in the past. People would wash their feet, enter a barrel full of grapes and stomp around until the wine became pulp-like. The wine would undergo several more steps before being ready to serve. Although replaced by machines today, the old-fashioned way is still practiced in small wineries.

Some people believe that stomping feet the old-fashioned way results in a better tasting wine. This is because contrary to popular belief, the entire grape is not supposed to be stomped. Gentle pressure should be applied so that only the skin on the grapes is crushed, allowing the juices to flow out. It takes a skilled person to stomp grapes effectively.

There are several concerns about grape stomping. The first is time consumption. It takes a very long time to stomp all those grapes. There are also health concerns. Using your feet doesn’t sound very sanitary. Actually, the acidity of wine provides an unfriendly environment for bacteria and germs to grow. Small wineries today still engage in this method. The process is both traditional and sanitary.

Although the art of wine stomping may be lost, you can still reenact the Lucy scene by attending festivals and winery events that offer this entertainment. Casa Larga’s Purple Foot Festival takes place annually and is the largest grape stomping festival in the Eastern United States.