Wine industry contributes $747 million to Virginia's economy, up from $363 million five years ago

RICHMOND — Virginia's burgeoning wine industry contributes $747 million annually to the state's economy, a newly-released economic impact study shows.

That contribution represents a 106 percent increase from figures reported in the last economic impact study, which was conducted in 2005.

Virginia was home to 193 wineries in 2010, up from 129 in 2005, according to the report, commissioned by the Virginia Wine Board. The state currently ranks fifth in the number of wineries in the nation and is the nation's fifth-largest wine grape producer.

"From beautiful new wineries starting up to more and more retail outlets and restaurants adding our wines to their shelves and menus, the growth has been very evident even to the casual observer," said Gov. Bob McDonnell in a statement.

Some local wineries include Potomac Point Winery and Hartwood Winery, both in Stafford County; Rogers Ford Farm Winery in Summerduck; and Lake Anna Winery and Mattaponi Winery, both in Spotsylvania.

Virginiawine.org also offers a list of wineries in the state and a search engine that can filter your choices by region, types of wine and by events happening at the wineries. Other filters include winery features, such as whether or not the winery is "child friendly," if there is bus/RV parking, if there is a restaurant at the winery or simply lite fare and whether they are group tours.

The link virginiawine.org/regions/Northern-Virginia helps pinpoint a vast list of local and regional vineyards and offers a list of wine trails for each region.

"I congratulate our winery owners and grape growers for these achievements, and I look forward to working with them as we continue our efforts to make Virginia the pre-eminent East Coast destination for wine and winery tourism," McDonnell said.
 
Other key findings in the economic impact study show: The number of full-time equivalent jobs at wineries and vineyards rose from 3,162 in 2005 to 4,753 in 2010.

▪ Wages at wineries and vineyards increased from $84 million to $156 million during the same time period.
▪ The number of grape growers climbed from 262 to 386, and the number of grape bearing acres increased from 2,000 to 2,700.
▪ The amount of taxes paid to the state and local governments grew from $21 million to $43 million.
▪ The number of wine-related tourists visiting Virginia increased from 1 million in 2005 to 1.62 million in 2010, a 62 percent increase. Expenditures related to winery tourism rose from $57 million in 2005 to $131 million in 2010.

"The Virginia wine industry is one of the fastest-growing segments of Virginia's diverse agricultural industry," said Todd P. Haymore, secretary of Agriculture and Forestry. "Most of the investments made, jobs created, taxes generated, and tourism driven expenditures around the wine industry are in rural areas, where they are making a big impact on local economies."

Sales of Virginia wine reached a record high in fiscal year that ended June 30 with more than 462,000 cases, or more than 5.5 million bottles, sold, an increase of more than 11 percent from the previous fiscal year.

The 2010 economic impact study was completed by Frank, Rimerman + Co., a California-based accounting and consulting firm that specializes in wine industry studies.

Stafford County Sun Managing Editor Tracy Bell contributed to this report.