A32-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 16, 1999
Precise Variety, Exact Location Components To Successful Pa. Wineries
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.)
New Peon State Wine Grape
Agent Mark Chien wants to see
more grapes being grown in
Pennsylvania.
But first, potential growers have
to get beyond the “myths” about
grape growing for die table or the
winery.
“There’s a sort of ‘romantic’
notion about vineyards and wine
ries that they attract an inordinate
amount of attention,” said Chien.
“Not only from politicians in
terms of legislation and funding
but also from consumers, tourists,
and others.”
Chien knows that there ate
many areas that can be found in the
southeast part of the state suitable
for growing. But traditionally, at
least from his experience as viney
ard manager in Oregon, growers
have been successful in other
fields first, as doctors, lawyers,
and even movie stars.
But the southeast can be particu
larly successful, according to
Chicn, the new wine grape agent
appointed by Petm State Coopera
tive Extension in the past week to
serve Lancaster and the southeast
and southcentral counties. It's
home to one of the largest tourism
industries in the country per
haps the largest on the East Coast.
And “wine districts” become desti
nation areas for the metropolitan
tourists they spend money and
go to tasting rooms and “usually
huv quite a hit of wine,” he said.
When Chicn began working in
Oregon in 1985, there were about
3.000 acres in vineyards. He work
ed in the Willamette Valley on the
west side of the slate, in Salem,
Ore. There were no cooperative
extension agents serving the wine
making or grape growing indus
tries. When he left a few weeks
ago, the industry grew to encom
pass 10,000 acres in a rich, fertile
region settled by farmers who
traveled the Oregon Trail.
Southeast Pennsylvania is home
to only about 1,000 acres of grapes
for winemaking. In the state, about
11.000 acres are dedicated to pro
cess grapes, mostly in Erie County.
New Multicounty Agent To Focus On Gra\
But the Southeast Growers Associ
ation (SEGA) recognized the
marketability of the area to viney
ards and called on Penn State.
Penn State quickly responded
and hired Chien to serve what is
perceived as a potentially huge
growth industry.
hi Salem, Ore., Chien managed
a 220-acre farm with 100 acres
devoted to wine grapes. The for
mer walnut farm also was home to
Christmas trees and timber
products.
For some time, Chien studied
viticulture at the University of
California at Davis, in the graduate
horticulture program. But an
opportunity opened up on a farm in
the northern fork of Long Island,
N.Y., Pindar Vineyards (named
after a Greek poet), a 220-acre
farm that also housed a winery.
Pindar, owned by a Dr. Dan
Damianos, is a family-owned and
operated farm, the most success
ful, according to Chien, on the
island. They grow 16 different var
ieties of grapes.
To entice potential grape grow
ers in southeast Pennsylvania,
Chien noted that there is potential.
‘The reason I’m here is because
the Pennsylvania wine industry
really wants to grow top-quality
grapes,” he said.
The varieties that can be grown
arc the French hybrids and Vinifer
a varieties that are suitable to
environmental and soil conditions
on the East Coast v
"The trouble with vineyards,"
said Chien, "is that they don’t easi
ly translate to what’s usually per
ceived as good agricultural farm
land. The best vineyards tend to be
up in the hills, basically on ground
that nobody else will hum. The
soils that grapes grow in ate gener
ally considered inhospitable to
most other crops, certainly Geld
crops and most tow crops."
What growers should lode for
are locations that are on a hillsiA» t
with south facing positions, shal
low soil, in a pocket to protect the
vines from severe winter tempera
tures. The soil should be porous,
well drained, and could even be
rocky with low clay content. San
dy soils can work well far grape
ilion.
Most growers don’t know exact
ly what kind of varieties on what
types of rootstocks will do, and
what kinds of wines can be made,
until the vines mature which
usually take about 10 years.
And growers need to rethink the
mentality that high production is
essential, because it’s not
“Grapes are very unique in that
you have to find a balance between
production and the quality of the
fruit,” said Chien. “There is a kind
of inverse relationship. The lower
your production, the higher quality
the fruit will be. You are not trying
to maximize production it’s a
different mentality from what a lot
of fanners have."
Said Chien, “I wouldn’t say you
could just take a tobacco field and
put wine grapes in, even though
it's considered a high-value cash
crop, and expect to grow really
high-quality grapes. It’s a tittle bit
more complicated than that, as far
as site selection, which is some
what of a problem.”
But Chicn welcomes farmers to
consider growing grapes.
“I would wish that other farmers
would take an interest in planting
grapes,” he stud, “because Pen
nsylvania needs more grape
acreage. There are hundreds of
excellent sites out there to grow
grapes and make high-quality
wine. It’s out there just about
everywhere if you have climate
boundaries that you can operate
within. The sites are out there
you just have to find them.
“The potential Is huge for this
young industry.”
hi fact, it took Oregon 25 years
to get an extension agent for the
number of acres they had. Pcrmsyl-
e Production
vania has one with even less
acreage, but with more
opportunity.
Here, said Chien, “you have
these huge metropolitan areas with
fairly sophisticated people who
like wine and who have quite a bit
of disposable income. And if they
can be persuaded that Pennsylva
nia wine is of relative high quality
and is worth visiting the wineries
and tilings like dial, then die sky’s
the limit.”
The challenge is coming up with
climate and pest control strategies
to help grape crops normally
suited for cooler, less humid con
ditions— adopt tb the hot, humid,
and winter variable conditions in
die state.
When Chien began producing
grapes in Oregon, the goal was to
harvest about 4-5 tons per acre.
But good quality red wine requires
grapes at 2 to 2'/i tons pa acre. The
wineries can afford to pay $2,000
per ton for grapes because they
charge consumers S2S-$35 for a
bottle of wine.
Wineries in the county, particu
larly Nisslcy Vineyards, Bain
bridge, reflect the European
Lancaster Farming
✓Check Out Our
Web site
www.lancasterfarming.com
beliefs. The avenge European
winemaker is “appalled" at the
American system of grape growers
from winemakers. For
most growers in Europe, the grape
grower is the winemaker.
For some, the dry, sunny condi
tions have produced a good crop
this year though drought condi
tions mb be deadly to every crop,
winding grapes. And hurricanes
can also devastate craps.
Grape vines prefer weather con
ditions to be 77 degrees Fahrenheit
with low humidity. If too hot,
growing shuts down. The heat, if
stressful for people, is bad for
plants too, noted Chien.
But those interested in growing
grapes, in Chien’s experience,
MBiii from diverse backgrounds.
Frequently they have an “overtly
romanticized notion of what grow
ing grapes and making wine arc all
about"
U's important to get the facts
straight before starting a grape
growing enterprise. Growers who
are interested in finding out more
can contact Chico at the Lancaster
extendon office, (717) 394-6851.