Come and see what goes into wine making the old fashioned way: by stomping grapes into juice. No, you don't have to go to Tuscany or Greece to do this. Yes, it's in Brooklyn!

September means harvest time, and so without ever leaving the borough, you can attend a  family friendly grape and wine festival, complete with a stomping competition, serious wine classes, and fun for the kids.

The event is sponsored by Brooklyn Plantology at Lapide, one  Brooklyn's wonderful horticultural shops.

A staple of the Brooklyn Terminal Markets (a wholesale/retail market where your local florist likely buys the flowers they, in turn, sell to you), Lapide, which sells DIY wine making supplies, has "been catering to winemakers for 65 years," they say. In about 2011, Lapide rebranded their seasonal home and garden center as  Brooklyn Plantology by Lapide.

To get you in the mood, they invite you to "roll up your pant legs, jump in a barrel and stomp some grapes!"

What: WINE GRAPE STOMP and FREE WINE GRAPE TASTING 

Where: 26 Brooklyn Terminal Market Brooklyn, NY 11236 Cross streets: Foster and 87rd St. Please call ahead if you have any questions! Phone: (718) 763-3665 

Grape Stomper  Competition: How Many Grapes Can You Stomp in A Minute?

According to the event organizers,  there will be “barrels filled with red wine grapes and people will compete against one another stomping grapes in those barrels."  The winner will be determined by the amount of grape juice they produce in a one-minute time interval.

  A surprise prize will be awarded the most productive grape stomper.

Details:

• About 200 people are expected to  be stomping on red grapes in a wine barrel.  However, say the organizers, “For sanitary reasons, we won't use the juice."
• There’s no  age limit – it's grapes, and there’s no alcohol involved. Kids and adults can both have lots of fun stomping.
• Organizers recommend that participants wear pants that they can roll up or shorts, especially clothes that they don't mind getting dirty.
• While there, you can take a class (see below) or you can pick up the supplies to make wine at home.  You'll find wine making kits at various levels of price and sophistication here.

 
"Generations of DIY Winemakers Who Learned from Their Parents" In Brooklyn

"We haven't lost a wine customer in over 50 years, we've only gained generations of DIY winemakers who learned from their parents," says Patrick Lapide, of the original family. 

"Some carry on the tradition and some are just curious. Also, there is a whole new movement of makers coming our way who just want to try their hand at making wine. You don't need to live in California to do it. Once you try it, you're hooked for life."

About the Wine Grape Tasting ClassHere’s what the organizers told About regarding the wine tasting class:

The class will be taught by sommelier Jose Valverde, a certified Spanish Wine Educator from the Wine Academy of Spain. He works under the supervision of Gretchen Thomas, Wine & Spirit Director for Barteca, the parent company. Jose manages a wine program that consists of about 450 bottles of wine from mostly Spain and South America, with some US, France & Italy wines included.  His passion lies in teaching others about wine and in demystifying wine as a subject only for professionals. During this two-hour class, you will have the unique opportunity to taste and learn about varietals of wine grapes and their end result. This is a really special opportunity to taste the grapes before they are made into wine. Attendees will taste varieties paired with those wines. 

 
DATE: Saturday Sept. 27 and Sunday Sept. 28, 2014

CLASS TIMES: 11-1pm and 2-4pm

Reserve: (718) 763-3665 http://www.brooklynplantology.com/#!events/c5zi