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| Congressman Steve Southerland, R-Panama City, participates in the annual grape stomping contest |
The event showcased the work of the Center for Viticulture
and Small Fruit Research in the FAMU College of Agriculture and Food Sciences.
FAMU officials hosted wine tastings with selections brewed from FAMU harvests,
a 5K Vineyard Run/Walk that invited participants to get up-close-and-personal
with the grape fields, and a petting zoo with FAMU farm animals.
One of the highlights of the festival was a grape stomping
contest that introduced guests to a critical part of the wine-making process.
Congressman Steve Southerland, R-Panama City, was among the local officials who
kicked off his shoes smash the FAMU-grown grapes between his toes.
An op-ed that Robinson wrote for the Tampa Bay Times earlier
this year briefly explained the FAMU viticulture center’s history and
importance to Florida as a research program.
“In 1978, the Florida Legislature created the Center for
Viticulture Sciences and Small Fruit Research at FAMU,” Robinson wrote. “Nearly
35 years later, the viticulture center creates outreach programs for grape
farmers and wine manufacturers, explores new agricultural biotechnology, and
creates new products to bring to the marketplace. The center has helped vineyard
acreage in the state increase by more than 16 percent and has increased
production and sale of Florida wines by about 35 percent. Recently, scientists
in FAMU’s College of Agriculture and Food Sciences developed a new
disease-resistant Muscadine grape known as Majesty, which has superior berry
size and more palatable taste. This grape, which can thrive in the hot and
humid climate of North Florida, could provide an economic boom for the region.