Printer-friendly version
By Jeremy Los
Aug. 28, 2011- Sweltering heat couldn’t keep East County wine lovers from kicking off this year’s grape harvest at San Diego’s award winning Orfila Vineyards and Winery’s 18th annual grape stomp in Escondido’s San Pasqual Valley yesterday.
Roughly 420 people channeled their inner vintner by stomping freshly picked grapes with their bare feet, leaving many astounded with the sheer gooey nature of the after product.
For those wondering, ECM was assured that the grapes stomped at the event were not used for actual wine making but thrown out following the event.
The numerous tubs of grapes, which were refilled periodically, allowed for everyone to get a chance to partake in the classic art of stomping grapes, while also posing for countless photo ops.
The sold-out event – held on the last Saturday of August – gave patrons a chance to taste and buy the best local wines Orfila had to offer as well as take a tractor ride around Orfila’s beautiful property and through the vineyards that sit along the rolling hills of San Pasqual Valley.
“The event has grown every year that I have been here, there is a lot more buzz around it,” said Winery Representative Josh Sarver. “This year we went over capacity, normally we have a cut off of 400 people.”
The crowd, a healthy mixture of young and old individuals, was in good spirits as they were treated to live music from Java Sounds, as well as dinner and desert buffets. Aside from the brutal August sun, the event went off largely without a hitch.
If you missed the grape stomp and you’re looking to attend an event at Orfila, you need not wait much longer, since the “End of Summer Luau” will take place on Sunday, September 11, at 2:30 p.m.
View a video of the grape-stompin' action:
Recent comments