Despite the heat and fewer grapes this year, hundreds of people came out to the 29th Annual Grape Festival in Altus this weekend. The grapes tasted a little different this year. That’s because they’re frozen.
James Dahlem of Dahlem Vineyard in Altus said an early crop meant he had to re-think the way he sold grapes at the festival.
“Normally we do fresh grapes,” Dahlem said. “And I’ve got my refrigerated truck here, but this year the crop came early, so we had to put them in the freezer to be able to have some [at the festival].”
The festival had grapes to buy, grapes to eat and even grapes to stomp into wine.
Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel and Franklin County Sheriff Anthony Boen got in on some of the feet-stomping fun Saturday. They pulled off their shoes and showed their skills in a large barrel full of grapes.
“It was a lot of fun,” Boen said. “It was my first time stomping grapes, and even though I came in last place it was a lot of fun.”