Cleveland.com./- COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio’s grape and wine industry continues to grow and now has an economic impact on the state of nearly $800 million a year, a new report says.
The report, prepared for the Ohio Grape Industries Committee, found there were 175 wineries in Ohio in 2012, an increase of 41 percent from 2008, when the previous study was released.
Those wineries accounted for a significant chunk of the annual economic impact, with employee wages, sales of wine and tourism expenditures for the year estimated at nearly $330 million.
“Ohio’s wine industry is growing and represents a significant segment of the state’s $105 billion food and agriculture industry,” said Ohio Department of Agriculture Director David T. Daniels. “Ohio grape growers and wine makers all over the state are creating quality, award-winning products.”
Here’s some of the other findings:
Ohio ranked No. 9 among the states for grape production with 5,335 tons produced on just over 1,900 acres.
Ohio ranked No. 7 for wine production at 1.2 million gallons a year, or more than a half-million cases of wine. The wine sold in 2012 brought in about $62 million.
Grapes and wine production accounted for 5,291 full-time jobs, nearly 1,200 more jobs than in 2007. Those workers earn an estimated $170 million a year.
The 2.74 million people who visited Ohio’s 175 wineries in 2012 spent about $97 million.
The Ohio Grape Industries Committee was created in 1982 to provide marketing and research opportunities to Ohio’s wineries and vineyards. It works, in part, through the Ohio Department of Agriculture.