Wineries will join fast food joints and gas stations in getting a special shout along Virginia’s highways in an effort to attract more visitors.
Gov. Bob McDonnell announced Thursday that 17 new signs will line major and secondary thoroughfares throughout Virginia to alert motorists that they’re in a region of the state that features vineyards.
Promoting Virginia’s wine industry has been a central focus of McDonnell’s tourism agenda, traveling the country to boast the commonwealth’s offerings and tapping his wife, Maureen McDonnell, to help lead the initiative.
“In addition to having one of the fastest growing wine industries, the commonwealth is blessed with some of the country’s most beautiful wineries and wine regions,” McDonnell said. “The new signs will draw attention to the diverse wine regions and encourage travelers and tourists to see and taste what the Virginia wine industry has to offer.”
There are six American Viticultural Areas, or wine regions, in the state, as recognized by the United States Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, and four of them will get signs in the initiative’s first phase.
The signage cost $250,000 — $200,000 in federal grants and $50,000 from Virginia. The first sign was unveiled Thursday at a winery in Crozet.
With more than 200 vineyards, Virginia is the country’s fifth largest wine producer.
