October is Wine Month: make a Pennsylvania winery part of your Great American Getaway.
Harrisburg, PA – Today, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced that the Shapiro Administration has invested $1 million in eight research and marketing grants to increase sales, production, and quality of Pennsylvania wines.
“William Penn literally planted the seeds of Pennsylvania’s wine industry,” said Secretary Redding. “We’ve grown from transplanted vines in a colonial-era Philadelphia park to the fourth-ranking wine producer in the nation. Investing in research and promotion will keep that success growing. The Shapiro Administration is investing in keeping Pennsylvania agriculture a national leader in the years to come.”
Earlier this year, the Pennsylvania Wine Marketing and Research Board released findings of the study, Economic Impact of the Pennsylvania Grape & Wine Industry. The study found that the industry supports 10,756 jobs, paying wages of $518.2 million, and directly contributes $1.77 billion to the state economy annually. Pennsylvania ranks 4th in wine production in the nation, up from 5th in 2018. Grape production in PA has grown by about 970 tons per year in that period.
With now more than 400 licensed wineries across five distinct regions, Pennsylvania wineries generate $747 million in tourism revenue every year. October is Wine Month. Find an event, a winery to visit, or just learn more about Pennsylvania wines on the Pennsylvania Winery Association’s website pennsylvaniawine.com.
The PA Department of Agriculture’s Wine Marketing and Research Board selected the following projects for funding through the PA Liquor Control Board. Recipients, grant amounts, and project titles are listed below:
Pennsylvania Winery Association – $441,180
Pennsylvania Wines marketing strategy – Continued funding for comprehensive, five-year promotional strategy
Penn State University – $71,999
Development and application of a simple diagnostic test to measure latent precursors of deleterious volatile sulfur compounds in Pennsylvania wines
Penn State University – $80,922
Evaluation of grapevine nutrient levels and sufficiency ranges in Pennsylvania
Penn State University – $42,214
Measuring oxygen uptake from harvest through bottling: identifying and mitigating negative impact of dissolved oxygen on wine quality
Penn State University – $97,860
Integration of chemical aging of wine into traditional production: acetaldehyde addition impacts before and after primary malolactic fermentation
Penn State University – $84,811
Characterization of wine oxygen pickup under different scenarios common in Pennsylvania wine production
Penn State University – $91,021
Mitigating frost damage in Pennsylvania vineyards
Penn State University – $89,993
Using wine grape microbiome to control dissolved oxygen and sulfur dioxide levels in final wines
Governor Josh Shapiro’s bipartisan 2024-25 budget invests in Pennsylvania’s national legacy as a leader in agriculture. The Governor’s new Economic Development Strategy recognizes agriculture, along with manufacturing as key to Pennsylvania’s future economic success.
You can read Pennsylvania’s first economic development strategy in 20 years here. Get more information on how the Governor’s budget will create economic opportunity for all Pennsylvanians here.
Contact: Shannon Powers – 717.603.2056, shpowers@pa.gov
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