Calaveras Grape Stomp & Gold Rush Street Faire 2023 Date, Information & All You Need To Know

Not only do frogs jump to mythical lengths in Calaveras County, CA, but grapes grow there as well. Grapes that produce wines. In fact, there are 52 grape varietals that include Zinfandel, Barbara, Tempranillo, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier. There are approximately 30 wineries in Calaveras Countym including Hatcher Winery, Newsome Harlow, Indian Rock and Stevenot.

And to kick off – almost quite literally – harvest season, the public is invited to the
Calaveras Grape Stomp & Gold Rush Street Faire. The annual event has been held since 1993 making it the oldest and largest grape stomp in the Golden State.

Here is date, Information and all you need to know about the 2023 stomp.

The 2023 Calaveras Grape Stomp & Gold Rush Street Faire is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 7. The grape stomp competition goes from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m., with the street faire’s hours being from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

There are 120 grape stomper teams of two people, a “stomper” and a “mucker.” The “stomper” is the one in the barrel stomping the grapes into juice and the “mucker” mucks the skins, juice, and remnants. There are 10 barrels/teams in each heat, which is timed at three minutes for the first and second round of heats. In the final (third) championship heat, winners have been able to stomp out over 18 pounds of juice from 25 pounds of grapes, in only five minutes.

Teams must register in advance and the cost is $80. A link to registration can be found on the event’s official website, Calaveras Grape Stomp (gocalaveras.com).

The Annual Calaveras Grape Stomp is produced by the Calaveras Winegrape Alliance, which, according to the new Executive Director Jody Garcia, “Supports Calaveras County wine grape growers and promotes wine tourism within Calaveras County, since 1989, and also supports the local community with this annual fundraiser.”