"Lucy, I'm home!" Ricky Ricardo used to call to his wife on the show, "I Love Lucy."  Few younger folk remember that show from the 50's but  they remember Lucille Ball stomping grapes. Many people have grape stomping on their bucket lists.  My winemaking partner Lucas and I produce a public grape stomping at the Hill at Muza a beer garden in Troy, NY once a year.

Just as the winemaking hobby takes on a life of its own and threatens to grow to absurd dimensions so has this event. This has grown  from grapes, some local, some donated and some bought stomped in half whiskey barrels to this year's 900 pound wine bath in a galvanized stock tank 6 feet across.  Hundred of people come and it's hard to stay serious for too long. For us, it's several hours of discussing home winemaking with people who seem fascinated with the process.

We explain many times that not only is wine acidic (you folks knew that) but it soon becomes alcoholic and is only really threatened by wild yeasts and vinegar-producing bacteria. The have a mildly sanitizing foot bath before and after stepping in to a half ton of grapes. (Our supplier, Musto Wine Grape Co. of Hartford, CT is always generous.)

I'm a big fan of the technique.  After a few hours, the grapes a smashed to a thick wet mass and yet the stems and seeds aren't damaged and can be removed without adding their tannin.

Next year, we'll add a band and there is talk of closing the street.