TRURO — The annual Truro Vineyards Grape Stomp celebrates traditional winemaking. And even though that might not figure as a big part of the town’s history, for a lot of people it’s a favorite part of the annual Truro Treasures weekend.
A crowd turned out on Sept. 22 for this year’s stomp, where people used their bare feet to juice grapes inside a kiddie pool-size cedar barrel. Grape stomping, also known as pigeage, started in ancient Rome around the 3rd century. The purpose is to punch the thick layer of grape skins back down into their fermenting juice, and it is still used today in a few European wineries (though it is rarely done à pied).
Though the air was chilly on Sunday, and Saturday’s rain threatened to return, people, mostly kids, braved the sticky, clumpy, chilly pit of grapes to try out the method. “It was a little bit cold and slippery, but it was an experience,” said Peggy Bryant as she stepped across a puddle of purple grape juice just outside the barrel. “It feels nice, like cold slime with chunks in it,” added Mila Stojiljkovic over the sound of grapes sloshing under her feet. As the music blared from the live band and the wind blew the strong aroma of grapes into my face, I understood why wine tastes like feet. Now, my friends and I call it “foot juice.”
Lola Schiffer-Kehou is in 6th grade at the Provincetown IB Schools.
