Boordy Vineyards President Robert Deford likened the image of regional wineries years ago to that of the backyard pet: Nice to have around, but not suitable for the dinner table.
“For years, we labored in the darkness, and nobody cared,” he said.
Today, wineries have opened in every state, and the number of wineries in Maryland has doubled in the past four years.
As more shoppers consider buying local wines, more farmers look to grapes as an alternative crop, and the wine industry has boosted its marketing efforts.
“All of us here in the industry are writing the book as we go along, and that?s why it?s so exciting,” said Deford, adding the local market has gone from “novelty to steady support.”
Three new wineries are opening in Maryland this year, adding to the four that opened the previous year and bringing the total in the state to 32, said Kevin Atticks, executive director of the Maryland Wineries Association, a trade nonprofit representing Maryland?s commercial wineries.
Wine sales have jumped 20 percent in the past four years, he said.
About 228,000 gallons of wine are produced each year, totaling $12.5 million in sales.
“There is a greater interest in wine, and as the industry profile rises more people are interested in making and selling wine,” Atticks said.
The boom has come no thanks to Maryland?s restrictive alcohol laws, created after prohibition to curb organized crime and racketeering, Atticks said.
The state?s three-tiered law ensures that wine passes from the manufacturer?s hands to the a wholesaler to the retailer. Wineries must rely on a distributor if they want to delivery wine out-of-state.
Five wineries have a distributor, but most just deliver in-state, he said.
Alcohol also can?t be shipped through the mail, making Wine of the Month clubs illegal in Maryland, he said.
“Most other states have more modern wine laws than we do,” Atticks said.
Working in favor of the local vineyards over the past couple years is state grant money aimed at promoting the industry and helping vineyards with startup costs.
In fiscal 2009, $150,000 was approved for grants through the Governor?s Advisory Commission on Maryland Wine and Grape Growing, said Karen Fedor, a marketing specialist with the state Department of Agriculture.
The money subsidizes the purchase of vines for new growers who may not see a profit for a few years, Fedor said, as well as goes to the wineries association for marketing efforts.
“It?s a key component to agriculture and helps Maryland?s rural economy,” Fedor said of grape growing.
“I don?t think people recognize grapes can be grown in Maryland.”
