Learn More About Vineyards In Pa.
Mark L. Chien
Wine Grape Agent
Penn State
Cooperative Extension
I am the wine grape agent
for Penn State Cooperative
Extension. Officially, I cover a
16-county region in southeast
Pennsylvania, although my
work has taken me to every
comer of the state and the
surrounding region.
I’m guessing that a lot of
regular Lancaster Farming
readers are not aware of the
presence of a wine industry in
Pennsylvania. Most of the
wineries are small, family
owned and operated business
es that tend to be off the beat
en path, often in scenic cor
ners of the commonwealth.
Since the Farm Winery Act
of 1968 allowed for the estab
lishment of small wineries, the
numbers has grown to its cur
rent 70 wineries. Along with
those wineries are more than
100 independent vineyards
that supplement the wineries’
own vineyards. Just for the re
cord, these vineyards, in al
most all cases, are separate
from the vast sea of process
grapes that grow along the
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shores of Lake Erie, whose
juice is used to make juice and
jelly products.
The wine industry in Penn
sylvania is very small com
pared to some of the more tra
ditional ag commodities, but it
is increasing both in size, rec
ognition, and economic signif
icance. The vineyards produce
about 4,000 tons of grapes
each year that are processed
into almost 600,000 gallons of
wine. That sounds like a lot,
but in reality it’s about the
production output of a medi
um-size California winery.
Wine is a very attractive
value added product for the
agricultural community in
Pennsylvania. A ton of grapes
produces juice valued at
$l,BOO. Once that is processed
into wine, it can easily reach a
value of more than $B,OOO.
Vineyards and wineries
offer other assets to state and
localities such as agritourism,
jobs, and opportunities for as
sociated hospitality industries
such as hotels and restaurants.
One has to only consider the
billions of dollars in revenues
that wines bring to areas such
as Washington, Napa Valley,
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a no-till situation moving
through moderate plant debris
without clogging.
• Two heavy s-tines loosen soil
behind the tractor wheels.
• Many adjustments allow foi
cultivating nanow rows and
those up to a width of 48”.
• The tolling cultivatois do a
good job of coveting small
weeds along the edges of plas
tic and maintaining soil on the
edge of laised beds.
and Oregon to realize the po
tential impact that this indus
try can have on the state. Its
also a high-profile, glamour
product that brings respect
and polish to the state’s
image.
Because of their relatively
high return on investment,
vineyards can also be used as
an agricultural hedge against
unchecked urban growth.
There are a lot of good rea
sons for vineyards to prosper
in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania has a rich his
tory in grape cultivation. The
first commercial vineyard in
America was planted by
Pierre Legaux along the banks
of the Schuylkill River near
Philadelphia. Grapes thrived
in the southern counties be
fore spreading north to Lake
Erie. Of course, prohibition in
the 1930 s put an end to wine
Assembly Shines To New
ONEIDA, N.Y. The As
sembly has passed legislation
sponsored by Assembly Agri
culture Committee Chairman
Bill Magee (D-Nelson)
that clarifies the right of
tourist tasting centers op
erated by duly licensed
winners or farm wineries
to sell wine on Sundays.
This bill, which has
passed the Senate, who
also sponsored by Senator
John R. Kuhl (R-Ham
mondsport).
“This is an important
piece of legislation for
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 7, 2002-E9
production and it wasn’t until
1968 that the modem wine in
dustry began.
Pennsylvania has a variety
of features that make it
uniquely suited to high-quality
wine production. First and
most importantly are its soils.
Both along the Erie belt and
in the warmer confines of the
Piedmont Plateau in southeast
Pennsylvania, the soil types
tend to be well drained and
very suitable for the cultiva
tion of the prized vinifera
grape varieties (for example,
Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot,
Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.)
from Europe. The climate, es
pecially below the Appalachi
an ridges, appear to be moder
ate enough to sustain these
more delicate European vari
eties.
The wine industry has just
experienced two of the best
vintages in memory. These ex
citing wines will prove the
value and potential of grape
growing in Pennsylvania.
New York’s wineries as a
large and growing percentage
of the sales from these stores
are due to tourists and travel
ers on Sundays,” Magee said.
Although these satellite
stores have been selling wine
on Sundays for 16 years pur
suant to legislation that was
passed in 1984, it was just re
cently that the New York
State Liquor Authority issued
an opinion that clouded the
issue and this bill addresses
that issue.
“The wine and grape indus
try is an important and grow
ing segment of New York ag
The vineyard and winery
communities are also getting
support now from key part
ners, such as the state legisla
ture and Penn State. Re
searchers are working on
problems related to wine
grape production. And the
state government is increasing
its funding for marketing and
research. The wine industry it
self has just recently created a
commodity board that places
a program charge on wines
produced in Pennsylvania.
These funds are used to
promote our wines and for ed
ucation and research.
The wine industry is on the
move. It has so much to con
tribute to the overall welfare
of the commonwealth and the
agricultural community. As I
drive around the beautiful
hills and valleys of my 16
counties, I envision vineyards
as far as the eye can see. We
have everything we need to
make this a reality. We just
need to do it.
York Wines
riculture and we must do
everything we can to continue
to encourage its growth,”
Magee said. “Obviously, if
these stores had been forced to
close, it would have had a re
soundingly negative effect on
our wineries and grape grow
ers.”
“This legislation will safe
guard the current investment
by winery growers in promot
ing New York wines, but will
also keep the wine industry
well positioned for years to
come,” said New York Farm
Bureau President John Lin
coln.