A Stomping Good Time in Wine Country

September 14, 2009 No comments » [ssba]

TEMECULA, CA — Ditch the sneakers, hike up those skirts and get ready to hop inside a barrel for a stomping good time. The 7th Annual Grape Stomping Festival is coming to Ponte Winery. Ponte’s biggest and most exciting event of the year has attracted hundreds every summer since 2003. Guests have come from all over the world to stomp, squish and juice their way to the final round of competition where they receive a slew of prizes.

The grape stomping competition pays homage to the early days of winemaking, when people would literally stomp grapes with their bare feet to extract the juice that would eventually become wine. Today, guests at the Ponte Grape Stomp just do it for fun and in hopes of taking home the top prize of two full cases of Ponte wine, not to mention bragging rights for an entire year. While the stomping competitions may be the highlight of the event, guests also will enjoy a live mariachi band, dancing, a Heart of the Harvest buffet dinner (below), endless Ponte wine, and portrait photography from Grins-to-Go. Special “gondola” rides will take place in the vineyards giving guests an incredible inside look of the winery during harvest season.

Food and Beverage Manager Karon Cartwright and her team are busy preparing for this exciting event. “We’re certain that this Festival will be our most exciting yet,” explains Karon. “We have wonderful prizes to give away and our Executive Chef Steve Stawinski has been planning an exquisite menu. As always, we encourage people to dress up like Lucy-the most famous grape stomper ever!”

Adults and children alike are welcome at the 2009 Grape Stomping Festival at Ponte Winery, taking place on Sunday, September 27, 2009 from 4:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Tickets are $95 per person and $86 per Ponte Wine Club member. Children’s (12 years and younger) tickets are $46 per child and $41 per Wine Club member child. Children 3 years and younger are free. For this year’s buffet menu, see below. Purchase tickets at Ponte Wineryor call (951) 694-8855.

For complimentary media tickets and grape stomp competition sign-ups please contact Linda Kissam.

~ Grape Stomp Festival Heart of the Harvest Buffet ~

Hors d’Oeuvres
Queso fresco stuffed yucca fritters
Blue corn duck tostada with latin BBQ sauce
Citrus-cured mahi mahi with pineapple salsa
Empanadas
Chicken “mole” soup
Tomato cornets with avocado-cilantro mousse

Buffet
Sazon spiced chicken breast with chorizo stuffing and saffron-tomato oil
Carved harissa-rubbed beef round
Grilled yellowtail with roasted pasilla pepper sauce
Smoked paprika rice pilaf
Chipotle cippiolini-potato hash
Nopales salad
Cucumber-melon salad with guajilla chili and jerez vinegar
Hearts of romaine with pink peppercorns, shaved manchego, croutons and avocado Caesar dressing
Artisan breads with Scallion Oil for dipping
Chocolate flan
Tres leches with blueberry wensleydale

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