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Grape-stomping (also known as pigeage) is part of method of maceration used in traditional winemaking. Rather than using a wine press or other mechanized method, grapes were crushed by having barefoot participants repeatedly stomp on them in vats to release their juices and begin fermentation.
History
One of the earliest extant visual representations of the practice appears on a Roman Empire sarcophagus from the 3rd century AD, which depicts an idealized pastoral scene with a group of Erotes harvesting and stomping grapes at Vindemia, a rural Roman vintage festival.
Many contemporary wineries hold grape stomping contests to attract visitors. The practice is also the subject of many depictions in contemporary media, including the 1974 Mel Tillis song "Stomp Them Grapes," the I Love Lucy episode "Lucy's Italian Movie," and a children's book by Alan Madison,