Rockin and Stompin Grapes At Millner Heritage Winery

KIMBALL - On a beautiful weekend afternoon, some people were given the chance to jump, smush, mash and crush as much juice out of grapes as possible at the annual Milner Heritage Rockin Stompin Grape Stomp.

The family owned winery that sits just a few miles south of Kimball, recently added onto their facility to increase yearly production to around 90,000 bottles per year. The new addition only helps add to the fun of the yearly event giving people a chance to tour the winery, sample some wine and cider, and listen to great music.

While grape stomping is messy fun for those who visit the winery, Jon Millner says it used to have a practical function.

"The first people that go into wine making didn't have modern processing stuff and that's why grape stomping evolved. They had to get the juice out somehow."

Millner and other members of the family have gotten good at grape stomping over the years. He says even though it looks uncoordinated, there is actually some technique to getting the most out of the grapes.

"I have gotten pretty good at it too, there is really a methodology to it. You have to really hammer the feet hard and just keep the feet going as fast as possible and then work them around the barrel a little bit."

The wine tasting was reserved for adults, kids were able to take part in the grape stomping. People who visited the winery also had the opportunity to ride on a horse drawn carriage.

The Rockin Stompin Grape Stomp started Saturday morning and runs through Sunday at 6:00 p.m.