TURNER — Christine Clair stomped zealously on clusters of green Muscat wine grapes in a vat, trying not to fall in the cold, slippery fruit.

Juice dripped down her ankles.

“It’s a heck of a workout,” said Clair.

She laughed.

Clair, winery director at Willamette Valley Vineyards, was gearing up for the Annual Oregon Grape Stomp Championship and Harvest Celebration. The event, which drew more than 1,500 people in 2019, was canceled in 2020. Now, with social distancing, the stomp returned for its 30th anniversary Saturday and Sunday.

“It’s exciting to bring it back,” said Clair.

Contestants competed in pairs, the “stomper” crushed grapes under foot while the “swabbie” guided the juice into a jug. The pair to make the most juice the fastest won a $500 gift card and an overnight stay in a Winery Suite.

Many contestants each year dress in costume, including dozens of Lucy and Ethel pairs, a nod to Italian grape stomping in an iconic “I Love Lucy” episode.

In past years, stompers from Willamette Valley Vineyards have represented Oregon in the World Grape Stomp Championship.

For Willamette Valley Vineyards, the contest is purely for fun. None of these foot-treaded grapes from the contest will ever be made into wine because they’ve been exposed to open air and a large number of people. But stomping, or “treading,” as part of real winemaking is not just ancient history.

Willamette Valley Vineyards uses modern equipment to crush the vast majority of its wine grapes, as do most U.S. wineries.

Foot treading, practiced across the world for millennia, went out of vogue when modern technology arrived. Increasingly, however, more winemakers looking to history for inspiration are adopting treading as part of their process.

“Foot treading and punch-downs in general lost popularity for a while, but they started coming back in the sixties and seventies, and now we’re seeing more of a resurgence,” said Alex Fullerton, an Oregon winemaker who uses foot treading in some of his whole cluster batches.

Fullerton said treading some grape varieties with stems still attached can add herbaceous, floral and even cinnamon-like flavors.

Fullerton isn’t alone. Dozens of wineries across the West employ foot treading, including Left Bend Winery in Los Gatos, California, Thacher Winery and Vineyard in Paso Robles, California, and Troon Vineyard in Grants Pass.

Even Willamette Valley Vineyards, though relying almost exclusively on modern crushing equipment, has used treading to make some small cellar batches, said Clair.

“It’s a very traditional technique,” she said. “Foot treading can be a nice, gentle process.”

Proponents say the gentler method more slowly and thoroughly mingles the stems and skins with the fruit’s interior, resulting in wine with more spice, subtle flavors and desired texture.

Treading by foot also helps prevent seed breakage and gives winemakers more control over tannin levels, compounds that exist in skins, seeds and stems.

But what about dirty feet? Many modern wineries have moved away from foot treading precisely because the idea makes some consumers squeamish.

Advocates, however, say there’s no reason for concern. Stompers typically work indoors using iodized water or other cleaning solutions on skin. Some even use sanitized boots instead of bare feet. The fermentation process also eliminates pathogens.

Anyone who wants to experience this old-world tradition can do so at Willamette Valley Vineyards, said Clair.

30th Annual Oregon Grape Stomp Championship & Harvest Celebration

Saturday, Sept. 18, Sunday, Sept. 19

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days

Willamette Valley Vineyards, 800 Enchanted Way SE, Turner, Oregon, 97392

More information is available here.