Old Mason Winery & Vineyard plans Grape Stomp on Aug 23rd
WEST MILTON- Old Mason Winery & Vineyard will host a special Grape Stomp competition on Saturday, Aug. 23, as part of a full day of activities and entertainment also featuring a cornhole tournament, food trucks, and a dance party with live DJs.
“It’s a lot of fun to watch,” winery owner Jeff Clark said. “Basically, we’re going to get people up there, and they’re going to be stomping their hearts out.” Grape Stomp participants will compete on teams, stomping grapes in a barrel for three minutes and measuring the results. “It’s just lots of smiles and laughs, because it is fun to watch,” Clark said. “We had it a couple of years ago at our ten year anniversary, so we decided to do it again just for the fun of it.”
The winery will open at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23, Clark said, and the cornhole tournament will kick-off at 3 p.m. The Grape Stomp competition will run from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. “It’s just going to be like a half-day of fun,” Clark said. “We’ve got a DJ; he’ll do the Grape Stomp, and he’ll end up playing for the rest of the night; it will turn into just a big dance.” “We’re going to have a food truck out here; at least one, if not two,” he said. “I’m going to encourage people to bring lawn chairs.” “All this is pretty much weather permitting,” he said. Registration is required for the cornhole tournament and grape stomp competition. Registration for the grape stomp is $20; registration for the cornhole tournament is $10. More information can be found online at www.oldmasonwinery.com, or by calling the winery at 937-698-1122.
Located at 4199 South Iddings Road, Old Mason Winery & Vineyard was founded in 2013 by Clark and his wife, Donna. The vineyard now includes nine acres of grapes, and the winery offers a total of 23 different wines that are available for purchase. “If you put it all in line, it would be over 5.2 miles of trellis,” Clark said. “It’s still not enough grapes; we still have to contract out to get grapes from other places, which are mostly local.” “We have a whole assortment of wines to try to fit everybody’s taste,” he said. “We’ve got some good dry reds, and semi-sweets; there’s something for everybody.” The winery is open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
In addition to hosting tastings, trivia, and other special events, the winery is also a popular local music venue. “Every Friday and Saturday this month, we have some kind of music going on,” Clark said. “Every bit of it is really good entertainment.” “On Friday, Aug. 8, we have Steve Worley, he plays rock and roll and country; he’s a good guitarist and singer,” he said. “Then on Saturday, Aug. 9, we have Amanda Livingston, and she’s a big crowd draw. On Friday, Aug. 15, we have trivia, which is really good.”
