WATCH our wine students crush it at the @niagaracollege 2019 Grape Stomp! @NCTWinery @CanadianFWI pic.twitter.com/nkG8TaYt68

— InsideNC (@InsideNC1) September 11, 2019

What was winemaking like 8,000 years ago? Niagara College wine students found out firsthand – and with both feet!

On the morning of September 11, students from the Winery and Viticulture Technician program kicked off their shoes for the annual grape stomp at the Niagara College Teaching Winery – accompanied by the festive sounds of the accordion performed by professor Tom Schultz, and a surprise guest stomper – College president Dan Patterson.

Led by wine professor Ron Giesbrecht, the activity was part of an introduction to winemaking class for the new wine students, offering them experience in an ancient winemaking practice that still has value today.

“The foot stomp is not only fun, but it offers our students – the next generation of winemakers – a valuable lesson in how winemaking began, how it has evolved over time, and how we can make it better,” said Giesbrecht.

Students began class by harvesting grapes in the on-campus college vineyards. After baskets of grapes were carried to the Teaching Winery, the students were divided into three teams for a playful competition between them – which team could yield the most juice from the stomp.

While she was nervous at first, student Catie Cheeseman noted that she had fun taking part in the foot stomp, and that it was unlike anything she had ever previously experienced. It not only proved to be fun, but a valuable experience for Cheeseman, who said it led her to gain a new appreciation for winemaking.

“I appreciate how far we’ve come in wine,” she said. “I also think it’s very cool to see the different pieces that we’ve all done and really understand how everything’s going to come together; it will be cool to see that end product knowing what exactly we did today and how up in the air and casual it was, compared to the more in-depth wine we’re going to be doing later on in the program.”

President Patterson, who initially arrived to observe the student activity, accepted a challenge from professor Giesbrecht, rolled up his pant legs, and decided to join in, along to a soundtrack of cheers and encouragement from the class.

“Thank you for letting me crash,” said Patterson to the students. “I was here 25 years ago when this was just a field and we were trying to build a wine program.”

“There’s nowhere in Canada anywhere could you get an experience like this,” said Patterson.

Juice gathered from the foot stomp will be used by the students as part of their winemaking class.

Students from the Wine Business Management program will also have an opportunity participate in the foot stomp on the afternoon of September 17.

This marks the seventh annual foot stomp held for students at the Niagara College Teaching Winery – the first and only commercial teaching winery in Canada – located at the College’s Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus.