Industry, extension join to promote wines and agrotourism

University Park, Pa. -- A unique partnership of education, industry and government is turning Pennsylvania wine into a "fuel" for statewide economic development as representatives of Penn State Cooperative Extension, the Pennsylvania Wine Association and the Wine Marketing and Research Board of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture join forces to energize the state's growing winemaking industry.

Mark Chien, viticulture extension educator for Penn State Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County, says Pennsylvania is uniquely poised to follow the lead of California's Napa Valley, Ontario's Niagara Peninsula, New York's Long Island and eastern Washington as areas that have gone from depressed rural communities to trendy agrotourism hotspots.

"Agrotourism around the wine industry in those areas has generated lots of satellite industries, such as restaurants, high-quality boutique shops and hotels," he says. "In Washington, near Walla-Walla, they're opening a new winery every 13 days. That's tremendous grass-roots growth, and we can do that here in Pennsylvania.

"We have the population, the beautiful countryside and, most importantly, the soils and climates that are great for grapes. In general, the old wives' tale is true: where tree fruit crops -- and especially peaches -- thrive, wine grapes grow very well. Adams County, for instance, can be prime vineyard country."

The state's innovative marketing initiative encounters a burgeoning industry at varying stages of maturity, according to Stephen Menke, Penn State Cooperative Extension enology specialist based in Adams County. He sees different needs for the state's increasing numbers of wineries.

"The state wine industry is entering a new phase of expansion in the number of wineries, volume produced and market penetration," he says. "Existing wineries are trying to increase their volume, but there are still new wineries coming on, so the industry is growing in all directions. Pennsylvania is producing superior wines at certain times and places, so we'll try to increase the reputations of our premium wines in urban markets. To grow the market, we have to get our superior wines out to the larger market of experienced wine drinkers living in urban areas."

In rural areas, Menke says, new customers will discover the wineries as they open in their communities. Winery-related agrotourism also can become an important part of rural economies. Government, educational and industry experts agree that the state's wine industry can have significant economic impact.

Pennsylvania ranks fifth among states, producing about 700,000 gallons annually, and is the nation's fourth largest grape producer, with about 12,800 acres yielding more than 61,000 tons of grapes each year. According to a recent study, the wine industry directly contributes $50 million to the state's economy and generates another $140 million in tourism-related economic activity.

Participants in the state's wine marketing enterprise include Jenny Engle, executive director of the Pennsylvania Wine Association; Don Chapman, treasurer of the Pennsylvania Wine Marketing and Research Board of the state agriculture department, and immediate past president of the Pennsylvania Wine Association; and Kyle Nagurney, executive director of the state wine marketing board.

"We are impressed with the potential for economic development that the Pennsylvania wine industry represents," says Ted Alter, director of Penn State Cooperative Extension. "And we're thrilled with the partnership among cooperative extension, industry and government that made Menke's and Chien's positions possible. The joint effort was important for this initiative, and we expect this model to operate productively in other situations across the state."