Stomp the Stomp at the 2026 Italian Fest Grape Stomping Contest
*Information on this page will be updated closer to the 2026 event
Friday, September 18, 2025 at 12:00 pm, following Opening Ceremonies in Collinsville, IL.
For centuries grapes were picked by hand and stomping was the method used to extract juice from the grapes which were then used to make wine.
It is believed that grape stomping goes back as far as Rome in 200 BC. For centuries grapes were picked by hand and stomping was the method used to extract juice from the grapes which were then used to make wine. This was done in every country that made wine.
Eventually, concern for public health outweighed the stomping tradition. In most countries, stomping has been replaced with mechanical processing. Italy is one of the few countries where stomping still takes place.
