He had a point. Wearing a white shirt wasn’t a great idea, either. What I should have been wearing was something dark, and preferably, something I wouldn’t mind heaving in the trash at the end of the day.

In a few minutes, I was going to climb into a vat of Muscadine grapes. When the bell rang, I planned on thrashing my legs around as fast and as hard as I could. When the bell rang again, several minutes later, I would hopefully have smashed my vat of grapes into more juice than the other competitors, winning some small trinket as a prize.

The grape-stompers that were currently in the vats wore smiles, and lots of them were laughing, but they were hardly tidy. Muscadine grapes, besides being tasty and hardy, are also a vivid shade of purple.

So how did it come out?

I’m happy to report that the fun was definitely worth a few blotches on my shorts. Besides, that’s what bleach is for. The only bad part was that I got out-stomped by the kids, and they won the trinkets. I had to content myself with sipping wine, dancing to live music, and noshing on tasty food with my friends.

Lakeridge Winery and Vinyards is a 127-acre estate nestled in gently rolling countryside about 25 miles west of Orlando. It’s Florida's largest premium winery, and it is always fun to visit, because it offers free tours and wine tasting daily.

However, their “grape stomps” feature live music and food, too, making a great time for both adults and kids.

Funny you should ask – a “stomp” is coming up. Here’s the information about it:

THE AUGUST STOMP!
Live Music, Wine, Food, Grape Stomping
$2.00 Admission
August 23rd (10 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
August 24th (11 a.m. - 5 p.m.)  

By the way, what jogged my memory about Lakeridge was VISIT FLORIDA’S brochure "Been There, Haven’t Done That." Besides all the cool suggestions for off-the-beaten-track, quirky fun, adventures and activities, they also have a list of Florida wineries. Check it out here.