Coastal rains could not prevent the NC Grape Festival

DUBLIN – People that had gathered in Dublin on an overcast Saturday kicked off their shoes to stomp grapes and then put them back on to dance the day away.

It was that time of year, hoping for that last great bastion of summer to be stubborn for a few more days and also flirting with a North Carolina autumn that fully lived up to its season last Saturday.

The North Carolina Grape Festival took place in Dublin at Lu Mil Vineyard as an end of the grape harvest “thank you” to the community and surrounding area population of the region that have faithfully supported the vineyard and founding family that have been around Dublin since the 1930s.

It was their 19^th annual festival that started at 10 a.m. and ran until 3 p.m. at Lu Mil Vineyard, located at 438 Suggs Taylor Road.

With other fairs and festivals closing for the day due to inclement weather, the family of Lu Mil did not opt for a rain date, but did work overtime to ensure that even an October squall off the Atlantic Ocean could not dampen the spirits of those who braved the elements and came out for the anniversary.

Logistically, events and vendors had to be laid out a bit differently this year, but the festival feng shui developed by Denise Bridgers and her organizers worked well and things like the famous “Grape Stomp” and the Blackwater Band who played from noon until 3 p.m. were placed indoors without missing a beat or a dance step.

The day kicked off with the festival pancake breakfast hosted by Emereau Bladen Charter School which was held at Lu Mil Vineyard’s general store and breakfast people and those who needed to start their day with a cup of coffee were filled with the java, pancakes and sausages. The charter school was also selling a hot dog lunch outside the wine tasting and bar area. The proceeds went toward the Emereau Bladen Charter School’s new athletic/performing arts center.

“Two years ago they set up a booth,” Kayla Bridgers, event co-organizer said. “My sister, Aleigh King does the marketing at Emereau so that’s kind of where the connection came. I told her that I thought it would be a great way for them to raise money. They are going to have parents volunteer to do the cooking.”

From breakfast people toured the grounds with the skies threatening, but not bringing the rain until much later. Rain gear was at the ready, but not needed and the temperature was nearing 70-degrees.

The craft and yard sale vendors and the food trucks began setting up for the Grape Festival at 8 a.m.

One of the more popular activities of the day is the “Grape Stomp.”

“Our annual grape stomp is what brings everybody, besides the food and the wine,” Bridgers said. “People take their shoes off and the competition has an adult category and a child’s category and they stomp grapes. They have a certain amount of time when the music plays and they stomp the grapes as fast as they can. We weigh how much juice comes out and whoever has the most, they have first and second place cash prize awards. It started at 11 a.m. and registration began at 10 a.m.”

After the competitors stomp, there are hoses and clean-off stations.

“They actually do not use the juice that is stomped in our production although many were teasing about how it could be called the ‘toe-jam vintage,’” she said.

It took approximately an hour to get all the stompers who participated this year under cover in one of the vineyard’s outbuildings and there were many volunteers who helped out by refilling the grape buckets with fresh grapes and then did the mop-up/clean up operation of the floor after each participant finished to make sure the floor was not slippery.

In the children’s division this year, the overall winner was Scarlett Caine who stomped out 3.3 oz. of Muscadine grape juice and second place went to Josiah Johnson whose stomp yielded 3.1 oz. In the adult division, first place went to Laura Selisa who recorded 5 oz. of juice, and Abigail Lunsford who ended up producing 4.9 oz.

All stompers were timed for their individual stomps while the music was played while they stomped. Kind of like a twist on musical chairs, the DJ coordinates with the MC. It was one of the most popular entertainments for the day.

According to Wine & Spirit Education Trust, “The image of winemakers stomping grapes with their bare feet might seem like a charming relic of the past. However, foot treading, an ancient technique dating back thousands of years, still holds a special place in the hearts (and practices) of some of the world’s most discerning winemakers. But why do they continue to embrace this traditional method? At the core of winemaking is the process of crushing grapes, a critical step that releases the juice needed for fermentation. This process requires just the right amount of pressure—enough to break the skins without crushing the seeds, which can introduce unwanted bitterness. In regions like the Douro Valley of Portugal, foot treading has always been the gold standard in the production of premium Port wines. Historically, large teams of workers would tread grapes in shallow granite troughs called lagares, a practice that could last for hours. While modern methods have largely taken over, some high-end Port producers continue to use foot treading for their top-quality offerings. This continued use in such a prestigious wine category underscores the enduring value of the technique. Boutique wineries around the world also embrace foot treading, particularly those focused on small-batch production. These producers see foot treading as a way of enhancing the quality of their wines, allowing for gentle extraction and more nuanced control over the fermentation process.”

The gift shop and wine tasting room was wall-to-wall people and was open during the festival and in addition there was an outside wine tasting booth that was cranking out the wine and slushies. The slushies were either wine or regular.

People who had advised others to learn to dance in the rain came and showed how that was done. It was truly another memorable event and although the atmosphere was damp and the skies finally busted out with a steady rain in the afternoon, the spirit of the people were not dampened.

More photos can be seen on this week’s Bladen Journal photo page and also posted at the Bladen Journal Facebook page.