Over the past several years, grape acreage
has grown rapidly. Virginia ranks ninth in commercial grape
production.
Current acreage is about 2360 acres, about 1900 of which is bearing
(2004);
the average yield per acre in Virginia in 2003 was 1.89 tons. The
most current (2004) acreage,
production and varietal data are available. Most of
this acreage
is planted to wine grape varieties, though some of the longer-standing
vineyards
are composed of table grapes. Vineyards are widely distributed in the
state,
though most vineyards are in the northern Piedmont. The 10 leading
counties
(with 2004 acreage
figures) are: Albemarle (476), Loudoun (268), Fauquier
(197), Orange
(161), Nelson (122), Shenandoah
(79), Westmoreland (74), Rappahannock
(64), Patrick (60), and
Essex (43). Vinifera varieties
account
for 77% of bearing acres, French-American hybrids 16%, and American
varieties
6%. The 10 leading varieties with 2004 acreage are Chardonnay
(473), Cabernet franc (279), Cabernet sauvignon (250), Merlot (246), Vidal
blanc
(157), Viognier (147), Norton (85), Chambourcin (82), and Seyval (42).
(These
are all vinifera except Vidal blanc, Chambourcin and Seyval (hybrids)
and
Norton (American). See the Crop
Profile
for Grape by Tukey et al. (2000).
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