Maryland's wine industry: ripe for growth
Oct. 15, 2006
By JOSEPH M. DELEON News-Post Staff
jdeleon@fredericknewspost.com
FREDERICK — A small pickup truck loaded with five workers lurched up a rocky hill in Mount Airy at Black Ankle Vineyards earlier this month, tires crunching along the pitted trail.
Wasps and hornets hovered lazily between rows of closely spaced trestles packed with Cabernet Franc and Malbec grapes.
Ed Boyce, one of the owners, kicked the base of a vine, sending several grapes to the ground, a sign of their ripeness.
He picked and placed a few in his mouth, then pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth. Sweet nectar flowed.
“There are a lot of decisions to make,” he said. “They look ready, but I'm looking for shrivel — too much water in the grape can dilute the wine.”
Mr. Boyce spat the seeds into his hand to study the hue — a light chestnut — and then chewed the skins against his cheek to test for bitter tannins. If his mouth puckered, it would mean the grapes need more time on the vine, but the skins had a mild, slightly woody taste.
It was time for harvest.
Five years ago, Ed Boyce and his wife Sarah O'Herron knew nothing about growing grapes or making wine. Next year, they expect to produce their first commercial bottle.
Mr. Boyce and Ms. O'Herron own one of several businesses that have benefited from a state program to expand Maryland's grape and wine industry.
In July 2005, the General Assembly authorized the creation of the Maryland Wine and Grape Promotion Council. With the advice of the Governor's Advisory Commission on Maryland Wine and Grape Growing, the council recommended to the state Board of Public Works that grants from the Maryland Wine and Grape Promotion Fund should be allocated to private organizations.
Maryland Board of Public Works grants totaling $98,000 were given to the Maryland Grape Growers Association and Maryland Wineries Association in September. The money is intended to help Maryland grape growers and winemakers catch up to the rest of the burgeoning industry.
The state approved Black Ankle Vineyards for a $199,553 United States Department of Agriculture rural development grant Oct. 5 to grow their business. The USDA grant was the only one of 185 issued nationwide given in Maryland.
It will allow Black Ankle Vineyards to pay for working capital expenses, such as barrels, marketing and bottles.
Slow, steady progress
The Maryland wine and grape industries are showing signs of growth, despite lagging behind the national curve in growing its wine industry, according to “Maryland Wine: The Next Vintage,” a 2005 report from the Maryland Wine and Grape Advisory Committee.
The Maryland winemaking industry grew 150 percent, from six wineries in 1979 to 15 in 2005, according to the report. The Maryland Wineries Association Web site lists 23 wineries, three of which are under construction.
The wine industry nationwide grew from 600 wineries in 34 states in 1975 to more than 3,700 in all 50 states — an increase of more than 500 percent, according to “Maryland Wine: The Next Vintage,” a 2005 report from the Maryland Wine and Grape Advisory Committee.
Businesses like Black Ankle Vineyards are the main reason for the nationwide growth — an explosion of small wineries on family farms that produce a large portion of their own fruit, according to the report.
Such wineries market their wines with direct sales to customers and many have tasting rooms.
Mr. Boyce and Ms. O'Herron bought their 146-acre farm in 2002 after years of research. They commute there from Silver Spring, where they are raising four children.
The former management consultants and longtime wine enthusiasts had grown tired of traveling the world serving clients such as Kellogg North America and Proctor & Gamble. It wasn't conducive to family life, Mr. Boyce said.
“Now, I get dirty, work hard and I feel like I'm doing something meaningful,” he said. “Selling the wine is something we do to support our farming habit.”
While the growth of wineries in Virginia and Pennsylvania has been ahead of national trends, Maryland's has been modest. The report hinted at some reasons: commercial land development, lack of investor support and scarcity of wine grapes.
Money pushes growth
State officials are hoping more money will help Maryland's wine industry be competitive with its neighbors. About $150,000 from the state will be available next year.
The state Board of Public Works grants will be used for marketing, research, advertising, festival promotions and educational seminars to promote the growing of wine grapes.
Kevin Atticks, director for the Maryland Wineries Association, said the money shows how important the wine industry is to the state economy.
“We have great conditions for growing wine grapes in Maryland, and now we're starting to get the money to support that,” he said last week.
Mr. Atticks is excited about developing a wine trail with some of the grant money. The trail, which he expects will be ready summer of 2007, will include publications, maps and signs leading people to and from the different wineries in Maryland.
“It's critical as wine regions grow that you begin to segment and cluster them to promote longer stays,” he said. “That will have a positive impact on restaurants, hotels and bed and breakfasts.”
Joseph Fiola, a University of Maryland specialist in growing grapes and small fruit, said government grants will help farmers make up the difference between what land costs and how much they can expect to make farming. The land could be worth about $20,000 an acre, but a farmer may only be able to make $3,000 an acre on the crop, he said.
A winery has one of the highest profit margins of any agricultural venture, but it takes several years for vineyards to begin to show profits, Mr. Fiola said. That's because it takes a long time for vines to grow, and there aren't enough grapes to make wine all year.
“When you have limited acreage, it's hard to make a living on corn and soy,” he said. “But with grapes, you can do a lot with a little.”
Wineries that grow their own grapes can expect to increase the value of the fruit between 700 percent and 1,300 percent, Mr. Fiola said.
“When you can take $30 of fruit and turn it into $300 of wine, that becomes a much more viable enterprise than growing fruit alone,” he said.