Annual Grape Stomp creates a party out of a job

MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Grapes have arrived at wineries in California's Central Valley and it's almost time to crush. One Central California winery is inviting the community to join in.

The seasonal crush about 6-8 weeks ahead of schedule this year, mostly due to the warmer winter in California. The process starts with sorting the grapes, crushing the juice, and finally into fermentation tanks.

After the magic has happened the wine is moved to barrels for aging. Depending on the wine and the goals of the winemaker, the wine will rest in the barrels for about 9-18 months, if they actually go to a barrel.

One ton of grapes makes approximately 75 cases of wine. There are approximately 500 grapes in every bottle, 75-100 grapes in every cluster, and 1 cluster of grapes in every glass. One barrel of wine produces 24 cases of wine, on average.

Every year, the Cru Wine Company holds a grape crushing event. For $30, anyone can stomp grapes the old fashion way -- with their feet.