Approximately 1000 people showed up to FAMU Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research on a recent weekend to celebrate the annual Grape Harvest Festival. Located on Mahan Road in Tallahassee, the center is run by Florida A & M University’s College of Agriculture and Food Sciences.
As part of the center’s focus on the study of grapes, it is the home of a large vineyard. “The purpose of the festival is to invite the community out to see all the things happening at the center,” said Dale Wesson, Dean of the CAFS. The scientists at the center not only look at best methods to grow the grapes but also research the cancer-fighting chemicals found in the skin and seed of the Muscadine grape.
While there were vendors and exhibitors from the area as well as the different colleges at FAMU, many of the bigger festival activities focused on grapes. There were grape tastings and tours of the center’s vineyards plus grape tossing activities for kids. There was even an opportunity for people to pick their own grapes right off the vines. Wesson recalled a memory of one of the early years of the festival. He said people brought their own containers to the event, including pillowcases. “That was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen,” he laughed. “So now we are regulating the bags, so everyone gets the same amount”.
One of the highlights of the event was the annual stomping of the grapes. It’s made up of ten teams with 4 people each. Each individual takes their turn in a half-barrel filled with red Muscadine grapes for one minute. At the end of the event, the grape juice is poured, measured, and compared. “I enjoy watching the kids and watching the parents and watch everyone try to stomp.” Wesson says everyone can “see how difficult it really is.”
