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Veronica Garabelli// August 31, 2016//
Virginia’s wine and cider industries continue to gain momentum, according to figures released by the state’s Wine Marketing Office.
The commonwealth’s 285 wineries sold more than 556,500 cases in fiscal year 2016, an increase of 6 percent from the previous f year. Since 2010, Virginia wine sales have grown 34 percent.
The state’s 16 cideries sold 416,750 cases during the fiscal year, more than double the sales from the previous year.
Virginia wine sales at wineries also increased 7.3 percent over the previous year, up by more than 25,500 cases. Visitation to the state’s wineries also increased to more than 2.3 million in 2015, according to the Virginia Tourism Corporation.
The commonwealth is now the fifth state with the most wineries in the nation and the fifth-largest wine grape producing state in the U.S. It ranks sixth in the nation for number of cideries.
According to a 2012 economic impact study, the Virginia wine and cider industries employs more than 4,700 and contributes almost $750 million annually to the Virginia economy.
