THE PENNSYLVANIA WINE INDUSTRY

Mark Chien
Pennsylvania State University

Pennsylvania is the geographic center of viticulture in the Eastern U.S. Region, which extends from the Niagara Peninsula and Ontario south to Georgia and from the Appalachian Mountains east. With its moderate continental climate, fertile but well-drained soils and good marketplace for locally grown grapes and wines, the state is particularly suitable for growing all types of grape varieties — in specific areas with the proper conditions.

Well-drained soils are essential for growing grapes. While fertility is important, care must be taken not to grow the vines too big. It is desirable to restrict vine growth to produce high-quality grapes. There are ample sites in the state for new vineyards — particularly as one goes west from the more developed areas such as Bucks County to York and Adams counties.

William Penn brought the first wine grapes to the state in the 1680’s. The first commercially successful vineyard in the U.S. was owned by Pierre LaGaux, who planted his vineyard at what is now Fairmount Park in Philadelphia in the mid-1700’s. That vineyard thrived for 25 years. But the agriculturists in the colonial era had difficulty successfully growing grapes because of the root louse, Phylloxora, which feeds on the root systems, eventually killing the plants. Phylloxora killed European varieties planted in the U.S. and eventually found its way to Europe, wreaking havoc on vineyards there. The answer throughout the world was to plant native American root stocks and grafting European varieties on them, which is now standard practice.

The wine grape industry had a rocky start in Pennsylvania, falling victim to Phylloxora, and then Prohibition in the 1930’s, which decimated the industry. It received a big boost with the passage of the Limited Farm Winery Act in 1968, thanks largely to the efforts of Douglas Moorehead of Presque Isle Wine Cellars in Erie, Pennsylvania. For decades, the number of wineries vacillated between 20 and 40 operations in the state. At present, the state has 85 wineries, and the industry is growing, thanks to a positive economic outlook and our now-proven ability to grow fine wine in the state.

There is plenty of growing room for the state wine grape industry, since only two to three percent of the wine consumed in the state comes from locally grown grapes. Looking at a map of Pennsylvania, one sees seven regions where the wine industry has grown. The regions are: Lake Erie, Pittsburgh Countryside, Ground Hog Trail, Upper Susquehanna, Lower Susquehanna, Lehigh Valley/ Berks, and Philadelphia Countryside.

The Pennsylvania wine community currently produces 700,000 gallons of wine. The total production of wine in Pennsylvania is about the equivalent of a Robert Mondavi’s smallest winery in California’s Napa Valley. Policymakers are now funding the Pennsylvania wine industry more aggressively as they learn of the multi-billion-dollar economic impact the wine industry has had on the economy in places like Long Island and Oregon. That impact includes not only the value of the grapes and wine, but also the agri-tourism industry that grows alongside the wine grape industry. In Pennsylvania, the total economic impact of the wine industry is currently $190,000

Biographical Sketch

DISCLAIMER
In an effort to provide wide-ranging views and perspectives regarding the practice of and issues surrounding agriculture, the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture (PSPA) seeks speakers representing a variety of perspectives. The statements and opinions they present are strictly their own and do not necessarily represent the views of PSPA.