Virginia's Wineries Bearing Fruit

The wine industry in Virginia has seen "tremendous growth" in the last few years, Gov. Bob McDonnell said recently, and an example of that trend can be seen no further then the blossoming Paradise Springs Winery right in Clifton. 

“The wine industry has gotten better and better,” said Kirk Wiles, owner of on Yates Ford Road.

The industry contributes $747 million annually to the state’s economy, an increase of 106 percent since 2005, according to an economic impact study released recently. Frank, Rimmerman + Co., an accounting and consulting firm that specializes in the wine industry studies, conducted the study.

Though California's Napa Valley traditionally has been one of the nation's most popular wine producers, in December, Wine Enthusiast magazine named Virginia one of the top 10 wine destinations for 2012, saying that "able winemakers set Virginia apart as an excellent wine destination on the East Coast."

Wine-making ventures in the state are not new. The British Empire encouraged Jamestown settlers in 1619 to plant and tend at least 10 grape vines. According to the Virginia Wine Board's marketing office, the state's initial efforts at wine production failed, but advances in technology since then have allowed wineries to bear fruit. The industry took root, and the marketing office was created in 2007 to help promote the industry.

The number of wineries increased from 129 in 2005 to 193 in 2010, a 49 percent increase. 

One of those additions was Paradise Springs, a 36-acre vineyard which opened in 2010. Since they opened, they have doubled their production year over year, Wiles said.

“We’ve doubled production based on trying to meet demand,” he said. “We just and that has been our big expansion.”

Wiles said that the industry’s growth can partially be attributed to the state’s focus on marketing.

“People are learning that the state has a growing industry,” Wiles said. “People are also starting to go more local with their shopping and that plays to our benefit.”

Have you visited Paradise Springs Winery? What do you think? Tell us in the comments.