| 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.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). |