Grape treading

Arianne Caoili (left) performing grape stomping during the 3rd Annual Wine Festival in Artsakh
Grape stomping during the a traditional grape harvest festival in Spain.

Grape-treading or grape-stomping is part of the method of maceration used in traditional wine-making.[1][2][3] Rather than being crushed in a wine press or by another mechanized method, grapes are repeatedly trampled in vats by barefoot participants to release their juices and begin fermentation. Grape-treading was widespread in the history of winemaking, but with the introduction of industrial methods, it now survives mostly as a recreational or competitive activity at cultural festivals.

  1. ^ Naked Wine: Letting Grapes Do What Comes Naturally. Da Capo Press, ISBN 9780306820489
  2. ^ Clarke, Oz (2009). Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Guide 2010. Sterling Publishing Company, ISBN 9781402771248
  3. ^ Cheap, BA (2010). Mr. Cheap's Guide to Wine. Adams Media, ISBN 9781440517594