More wineries popping up in Franklin County area

After 30 years in the fruit orchard business, Dave Reid is ready to give grapes a try.
He had grown apples, peaches and other fruit at his Orrtanna farm but always had an interest in wine-making. Over the weekend, he turned that interest into a business with the opening of Reid's Orchard & Winery on Buchanan Valley Road.

Reid is not the only new face in the area wine business. Nearby, Hauser Estate Winery opened last summer. Knob Hall Winery in Clear Spring, Md., started two years ago.

A few area wineries also have plans to grow.

John Kramb of Adams County Winery wants to expand his market area and open another retail store, in addition to the one in downtown Gettysburg. Both Reid and Knob Hall Winery manager Richard Seibert hope to plant additional grapes this year.

Jennifer Eckinger, executive director of Pennsylvania Winery Association, said the rapid growth in the wine industry could be explained by the increasing popularity of wine.

"Americans are turning more toward wine as a drink of choice," Seibert said. "That's been happening for many years, and one of the largest wine-consuming areas is very close to us -- the Montgomery County-Washington, D.C. area."

Just a decade ago, there were 61 wineries in Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Winery Association. Today, there are 111 open and more than 130 with licenses, which means there are more on the verge of opening, Eckinger said.

She said the retiring baby boomers may also explain some of the growth in the wine business.

"I think the number one reason is a lot of people out there are retiring and they want to do something in their lives," Kramb said. "My wife and I came to see some Gettysburg activities and we stopped by here. It seemed like a good idea, a good location, and we got to live on the farm and work outdoors."

For Hauser Estate Winery and Reid's Orchard & Winery, it was a natural progression from the fruit industry to wine. The Hauser Estate Winery is owned by the family of the Musselman's apple fame and Reid's originally began as a fruit operation, beginning with hard cider and moving to wine.

"We've been in the farming business for 30 years. We had apples, peaches, small fruit, and we direct-marketed our fruit at markets in Baltimore and Washington. I've had an interest in wine-making over the years and we planted some wine grapes about seven years ago with the intention of making wine someday. And here we are, opening," Reid said.

Wine can also be a more profitable option for farmers, Seibert said. When he was determining what to do with the land, experts from the University of Maryland said the most profitable crop would be soybeans.

He asked what the net profit would be per acre.

They said: $100 per acre, in a good year.

"At that point I said, 'I'm not doing soybeans,'" Seibert said.

Seibert said the economic downturn may have actually helped the local wine industry because people are not traveling as far as they used to. With the growth in the wine industry, local wineries are becoming more of a tourist destination.

"Especially for the day traveler," Eckinger said. "If you're looking for day trips, often times wineries are located near other attractions. Especially with the concept of wine trails, people are interested in visiting several wineries."

Even though there are several wineries in close proximity, Kramb said they do not see each other as competition.

"We all have different business plans and there's more to cooperation than there is competition," Kramb said.

"That's pretty much agriculture in general," Reid said. "I'm a neophyte to the wine business, but having been to New York and seeing how the system works, the three (wineries in the Orrtanna area) can only be good for each other. It encourages people to make the trip and spend a day out there."

While area wineries are starting to become a destination and are making a name for themselves outside of the area, Eckinger said they are not trying to be Napa Valley or the Finger Lakes region of New York.

"We never like to think of ourselves that way," Eckinger said. "We like to showcase what we offer that's unique."