ROMULUS - Few people will ever forget the brilliant “I Love Lucy” grape-stomping episode.
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
Mike Rann, of Syracuse, stomps grapes in a barrel at Cobblestone Vineyard's second annual Grape Stomping Festival in Romulus on Sunday afternoon. Above right, Jackie Rozzano strains the juice produced by stomping grapes into a bucket during the festival. Those who stomped grapes were given a bottle of the resulting juice and a warning not to consume it.
Mike Rann, of Syracuse, stomps grapes in a barrel at Cobblestone Vineyard's second annual Grape Stomping Festival in Romulus on Sunday afternoon. Above right, Jackie Rozzano strains the juice produced by stomping grapes into a bucket during the festival. Those who stomped grapes were given a bottle of the resulting juice and a warning not to consume it.
In the 1956 show, Lucy, while on a trip to Italy, decides to partake of some “local color” by visiting a nearby wine vineyard. Because of her shenanigans, Lucy ends up cavorting in a huge vat of red grapes, and the scene is one of the most memorable in sitcom history.
According to legend, Bacchus, the Greek god of wine, first practiced stomping on grapes to make wine during drunken celebrations.
In the thousands of years since, revelers the world over have clomped around in vats of the fruit; though little documented evidence exists, winemakers in smaller countries reportedly use the technique even today.
In keeping with Bacchus' tradition, last weekend the Cobblestone Farm Winery on the Cayuga Wine Trail held its second annual Grape Stomping Festival at its vineyard on the western shore of Cayuga Lake.
The stomping festivities consisted of two days worth of guests, in teams of two, competing to see who could produce the most “wine” (though only table grapes were used) in a four-minute span.
An extension of the competition was the “I Love Lucy Look and Stomp Alike Contest,” which saw ladies dressed as Lucille Ball's character attempt to recreate the famous scene.
Since most wine is made using complex machinery like presses and filters, the actual process of squashing grapes with one's feet is rarely practiced, though some believe it still occurs.
“Rumor has it that the (technique) is still used to make port wine in Portugal,” said Cal Blitman, Cobblestone Road's co-owner and chief winemaker, during Sunday's festivities. “(The Portugese) believe they make the best port, with the softest, smoothest tannins, so ... who knows?”
“I actually have no idea whether wine is still made that way,” added Jennifer Clark, another Cobblestone employee whose husband, Bob Roggano, is also co-owner. “The thing is, I don't know how you would sanitize it and make it drinkable.”
Even so, people stomp grapes at festivals across the globe. Cobblestone Farms' celebration was set up in a field adjacent to the winery and included wine tastings, various crafts and performances by local bands. Sunday's attendance was sparse due to inclement weather, but more than 700 people turned out for Saturday's festivities.
The stomping area was set up under a tent in the center of the field, and consisted of several large oak half-barrels. Contestants were given 20 pounds of table grapes, and one team member stomped while the other collected the juice.
After four minutes, the juice was weighed, and at the end of the day, a winner was declared and awarded with a case of wine compliments of the vineyard.
On Sunday, the sole “I Love Lucy” competitor was Brenda Swidergal, who was visiting the wine trail from Grand Island, N.Y. Other guests crowded around her barrel to cheer Swidergal on as, dressed like Lucy Ricardo, she happily cavorted around the barrel.
“I think people have been having a great time. They just hop in the barrel and get after it,” Blitman said Sunday. “Once they get used to it, they start dancing to the music ... they really enjoy themselves.”
According to legend, Bacchus, the Greek god of wine, first practiced stomping on grapes to make wine during drunken celebrations.
In the thousands of years since, revelers the world over have clomped around in vats of the fruit; though little documented evidence exists, winemakers in smaller countries reportedly use the technique even today.
In keeping with Bacchus' tradition, last weekend the Cobblestone Farm Winery on the Cayuga Wine Trail held its second annual Grape Stomping Festival at its vineyard on the western shore of Cayuga Lake.
The stomping festivities consisted of two days worth of guests, in teams of two, competing to see who could produce the most “wine” (though only table grapes were used) in a four-minute span.
An extension of the competition was the “I Love Lucy Look and Stomp Alike Contest,” which saw ladies dressed as Lucille Ball's character attempt to recreate the famous scene.
Since most wine is made using complex machinery like presses and filters, the actual process of squashing grapes with one's feet is rarely practiced, though some believe it still occurs.
“Rumor has it that the (technique) is still used to make port wine in Portugal,” said Cal Blitman, Cobblestone Road's co-owner and chief winemaker, during Sunday's festivities. “(The Portugese) believe they make the best port, with the softest, smoothest tannins, so ... who knows?”
“I actually have no idea whether wine is still made that way,” added Jennifer Clark, another Cobblestone employee whose husband, Bob Roggano, is also co-owner. “The thing is, I don't know how you would sanitize it and make it drinkable.”
Even so, people stomp grapes at festivals across the globe. Cobblestone Farms' celebration was set up in a field adjacent to the winery and included wine tastings, various crafts and performances by local bands. Sunday's attendance was sparse due to inclement weather, but more than 700 people turned out for Saturday's festivities.
The stomping area was set up under a tent in the center of the field, and consisted of several large oak half-barrels. Contestants were given 20 pounds of table grapes, and one team member stomped while the other collected the juice.
After four minutes, the juice was weighed, and at the end of the day, a winner was declared and awarded with a case of wine compliments of the vineyard.
On Sunday, the sole “I Love Lucy” competitor was Brenda Swidergal, who was visiting the wine trail from Grand Island, N.Y. Other guests crowded around her barrel to cheer Swidergal on as, dressed like Lucy Ricardo, she happily cavorted around the barrel.
“I think people have been having a great time. They just hop in the barrel and get after it,” Blitman said Sunday. “Once they get used to it, they start dancing to the music ... they really enjoy themselves.”
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