Isabella Geberdt never imagined her first few weeks of college would involve standing in a barrel with purple-stained bare feet as she rushed to crush fresh grapes. 🍇 But for the latest crop of students from NC’s Winery and Viticulture Technician program, the messy, high-energy grape stomp was the perfect kickoff to their applied learning journey. After picking grapes from the vines at NC’s Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus, first-year students kicked off their shoes and faced off in a relay-style competition to see which team could extract the most juice. It’s more than just a fun way to get your feet dirty. 👣 Students are learning firsthand about grape ripeness, fruit quality, fermentation and winemaking traditions as part of their Winemaking 1 class. And this is just the beginning. Students will analyze their freshly stomped juice, monitor its natural fermentation and eventually conduct finished wine and sensory analysis. #ncLife #NiagaraCollege ncwinebeerspirits #Niagara