Good Food Goes Grape Stomping

Yesterday, Evan and I drove down to Temecula to go grape stomping. At about 3 pm, we headed to Doffo Winery, a small boutique spot owned by an Argentine family. How lovely: two food lovin’ gals head down to wine country on a Thursday afternoon to stomp grapes. That is until we met the 60 freeway. About 30 minutes into our dead stop, we contemplated turning around. Being the pushy producer that I am, I persevered. “Grape stomping will be a great piece for the show,” I argued. Evan acquiesced and we pushed on to Doffo. And it was totally worth it. Doffo is a small family-run winery outside of Temecula. They sell about 1250 cases of wine a year through their on-site shop and through their wine club. Marcello, the patriarch, also has a farm in Argentina where he raises cattle and grows soybeans. So the winery, it seems, is really a labor of love.

Okay, so on to the grape stomping. This was an annual competition where wine club members from various wineries compete in a grape stomp. Several members of the food media were present as well. Evan was going to do her own stomp, after the competition. You’ll hear the story next week on Good Food. But here are some pictures for a preview.