Virginia seeks to be ‘wine capital’ of the East Coast

(TheDrinksBusiness) - Virginia has set its sight’s on one day becoming the “wine capital” of the Eastern US.

Speaking to the drinks business, Todd Haymore, Virginian secretary of Agriculture and Forestry, said: “We know we’ll never be as big as California but can we be the wine capital of the East Coast? I think so, yes.”

He began by revealing the latest figures for the Virginian wine industry, which show that the state is now the fifth biggest wine producer in the country (behind California, Oregon, Washington and New York), producing six million bottles a year and generating US$750 million in income.

Winery numbers are now up to 240 as well, a rise of around 100 in the last seven years and wine tourism numbers have also risen to 1.6m in recent years.

The rise in winery numbers is perhaps partially attributable to the slight decline in the tobacco industry which is the dominant industry in the southern half of the state and where there have been many new winery openings.

The university of Virginia Tech is helping wineries do research into the most suitable varieties to plant in the red clay where tobacco was formerly.

Furthermore, Haymore was pleased to see that Virginian wine was gaining greater exposure in the international press, particularly here in the UK, where the state government has recently set up a trade office to help promote all Virginian produce.

“It’s been most gratifying for the governor and myself,” said Haymore. “Exports are growing, not only to the UK but also to China.