Sister Stompers Win World Championship Grape Stomp

SANTA ROSA, CA — Grapes flew, juice flowed and crowds cheered as finalists in the 2019 KZST World Championship Grape Stomp competed Oct. 4-6 at the Sonoma County Harvest Fair in Santa Rosa. Clothing was stained and skin turned purple, but contestants were not discouraged from competing for the title of world champion and the $1,500 prize.

After two days of preliminary rounds involving 42 teams of contestants, Dee Dee Lombardi Brandt and Angela Lombardi Carvalho were invited back to the finals Sunday to defend their World Championship titles.

The Sister Stompers of Santa Rosa did it again, securing the win with 20.14 pounds of juice, taking home the $1,500 prize and trophies for the fourth year in a row, contest organizers said in a news release.

"This year's stomp benefited from a great crop of grapes and a solid crew of stompers," said Jane
Engdahl, special events coordinator and Grape Stomp emcee. "The result was heavy weights all
around, especially in the finals, with all competitors coming up with close to three pounds more
than last year."

Sonoma County Harvest Fair's grape stomp tradition dates back over four decades and attracts wine and food lovers not only from the Bay Area but as far abroad as South America, India and
Australia, Engdahl said.

A whole new record was set this year when all-woman teams took first, second and third place, organizers said.

"And all of the rest of the teams in the finals each had one woman," Engdahl said. "For years, men seemed to hold a real advantage at the World Championship Grape Stomp, but those days are clearly long gone."