Students sink feet into pools of grapes

"It feels like walking on bubble wrap," said Holly Curia, freshman in FAA.

Robert Skirvin, the Horticulture Club's adviser and professor of natural resources and environmental sciences, said that the event was meant to give students a taste of how wine was traditionally made.

"Right at sunset the whole village comes in together," said Skirvin about the tradition surrounding wine making. "They dance and party and drink a lot of wine and beer."

While the club served up samples of juice, it was neither fermented nor stomped on. Graduate student Nate Wlodarchak operated a stainless-steel grape press so that guests could sample juice.

"The machine itself is incredibly simple," said Wlodarchak, but added that the press would likely be too costly for an individual enthusiast.

"You can tell it's natural, it's like eating a grape," said Nichole Elledge, senior in ACES and Horticulture Club's flower show chair.

Grape stomping may seem like a less-than-savory way to produce wine, but if the juice in the tubs was allowed to turn into wine, it would be safe to drink.

"It turns out that once it starts to ferment, the alcohol kills everything," Skirvin said.

Bailey Lazzari, freshman in ACES, said she heard about the event during dinner that evening and decided to stop by with a friend.

"It was awesome," Lazzari said. "But now my toes are stained."

Stompers held on to each other for support as they stepped in the pools, but Katie Lawless, senior in ACES, lost her balance and fell into the mess.

"I might as well go swimming now," said Lawless, taking advantage of the situation and sliding into the pool. "I guess it's like falling in mud, but purple."

Jennifer Burns, president of the club and senior in ACES, said that this year might have been the last grape stomp - at least for a while.

"This may be the last one because the farm is getting developed," said Burns. "We're starting a new farm, but it's going to be a while before the grapes are really producing enough that we can keep doing this."