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Shipments OK boosts
state wine
by Virginia
Business Staff
July 2003
As
guests mill about the private walled garden of the governor’s
executive mansion with its gurgling fountains a new
era for Virginia wines is ushered in. At a center table
flanked by rows of bottled wine, Gov. Mark R. Warner
signs into law a measure authorizing the direct shipping
of wine for the first time since Prohibition’s
end 69 years ago.
The law, which takes effect July 1, is a big boost for
Virginia’s wine industry. The state’s 80 wineries
are a popular destination, attracting 300,000 out-of-state
tourists. Before the new law took effect this month,
Virginia wines were distributed through wholesalers
primarily in the eastern U.S. Direct shipping will let
wineries sell to customers in 13 states with similar
reciprocal laws. California, the country’s leading
wine producer, is on the list along with Washington,
another big wine-growing state.
Virginia
vintners are already thinking of new ways to market
wines, including Internet sales. “It will benefit
my winery, because we have friends in California and
Colorado and destinations where our shipments have been
limited, and they will be permitted with the change,”
says Larry Christensen, proprietor of Christensen Ridge
Winery in Madison County.
Direct
shipping may create some buzz about Virginia wines.
“When you have a bottle of good wine, you want
to call your friends and have a dinner party so you
can share it,” says Barboursville winemaker Luca
Paschinaies. “This is an important way to boost
the industry.”
In
the past decade, the number of farm wineries in Virginia,
including one owned by the governor, has nearly doubled
to 80. Last year, they produced 4,600 tons of grapes,
319,239 cases of wine and contributed $95 million to
the state’s economy.
Virginia
Business - July 2003
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