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A California vineyard is giving wine enthusiasts the chance to live out their dreams of being a farmer at the exclusive “Grape Camp.” Well-off wine lovers are shelling out $5,000 each, or $7,500 for two people, to attend the Sonoma County Grape Camp, an excursion that allows them to experience every step of a bottle of wine’s lifecycle - from picking grapes off the vine to stomping on them in giant vats, The Wall Street Journal reports. Harvest season in California’s wine country, from August to November, has farmers working through the night to pluck grapes off the vines, meaning Grape Camp participants are also carted off through the fields at all hours, regardless of the weather. “Everyone was saying it’s like a Lucy moment,” real estate investor Lisa Roth, who was doing the experience with her step-mother, told the Journal, referencing the iconic “I Love Lucy” episode where Lucy comedically got knee-deep stomping on grapes. Roth added, “I thought it was just for show, but they were like, ‘Oh no, we aren’t wasting any grapes. These grapes will be extra tasty.’” The camp’s participants were eager to get their hands on a bottle of wine they helped produce. The grapes they stomped on are set to be turned into a rosé at Limerick Lane Cellars in Healdsburg, California, next year. While they are being put to work, the three-day excursion also provides luxurious living quarters and some of the best food the region has to offer, including farm-to-table meals and curated dinners. Camp Grape also touts “behind-the-scenes” winery tours and training sessions led by sommeliers for participants to learn about aromas, flavors and textures. The program was started in 2007 by the Sonoma Wine Growers and promises attendees get to “work a little, eat a lot, meet the locals who do this for a living and drink the results of your labor.” The camp took several years off, but was revived this year thanks to persistent nagging from longtime fans of the program. Campers also get to participate in a winemaking competition, won by Roth and her stepmother. For the contest, teams were given a base wine, like a Cabernet Sauvignon, that they got to mix with other varietals to create a unique blend, according to the report. The results were then judged by a local winemaker. “We beat the Food & Wine publisher!” Roth excitedly told the outlet. “I love wine but I don’t know much about it,” she said. “Now I feel sorry for anyone who comes to my house, they’re gonna have to hear the whole story.”
