I have the good fortune of being friendly with a couple of vintners who own a nearby winery. These men, their families and employees tend about 30 acres of vines and produce about 5,000 cases of wine a year. That may sound like a lot but compared with the big domestic wineries in California and New York,  it's a small amount of wine. A boutique winery, if you will; as are most Pennsylvania wineries. The owners live in the vineyard, literally and figuratively. They have day jobs but ones that allow them to devote ample time to their passion. Of course they want their farm and winery to be financially sound (it's not there yet) however they are in it not to become rich. These guys are in it because they love the land, they love growing grapes and they love making wine. They make about 10 different varieties depending on the season. I've tried them all; I have my favorites and some I'm not so crazy about. The ones I don't care for say far more about my crude palate than the quality of the wine. I'm no connoisseur, I just know what I like and I tend to favor the reds. Yes, I will be drinking the fucking merlot (thank you, Paul Giamatti). Unfortunately my grape growing buddies are having a spot of trouble with the the local governing body responsible for regulating land use in their municipality. But first, a little background:

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is home to over 100 wineries, most having their own vineyards (some wineries purchase their grapes from other vinyards). It's a growing segment of the agricultural landscape of the state. Grapes are a cash crop like corn and soybeans and in 2007 were responsible for about $21,000,000 in receipts (this does not include wine sales), putting them 16th in the list of the state's top 25 commoditites.*  Pennsylvania has a long history of vineyards and wine making. William Penn maintained a vineyard along the banks of the Schuylkill River in the 1600's.

I can't speak for the whole state but the nature of agricultural business in my neck of the woods is changing. Development pressure has eliminated many farms formerly located in areas that are fast becoming suburbs. Because of this expansion of suburban areas, farmland has become segmented and the business model of the small farm is changing so as to remain financially viable. Emphasis is being placed on "value-added products" sold at the source rather than through a distribution network. This enables the farmer to benefit more fully from the financial potential of his or her product by retailing it themselves rather than selling it at a slim profit margin to a distributor or some other retail outlet. Christmas trees, pumpkins and other vegetables and fruits are along the lines of what most people think of as products sold at the farm. Sometimes, the farmer might do more than just sell a commodity produced at the farm to increase the visibility of the value added product . Corn mazes, petting zoos, face painters, carny games and the like are all designed to bring attention to farm's raison d'être, the sale of farm-produced items.

Wine is the value-added product of a grape farm, otherwise known as a vineyard. Just like the farmer who provides free hot chocolate and has hay rides through the field for the kids so he can sell their parents those $10 pumpkins, the vintner strives to promote his product with activities and events designed to bring a thirsty yet discerning public to his door. The powers that be in Harrisburg have thankfully seen fit to legislate that wine, even with it's alcoholic content, is a an agricultural product and therefore permitted to be sold on the site where it's constituent ingredients are grown. In the years since the legislation was passed, the small, family run vineyard has become increasingly popular in PA and their numbers have grown. But for this law it would be difficult if not impossible for the small winery to be profitable by only selling wine through distributors. As anyone who has been to a liquor store can attest the number of wineries represented is bewildering. Chances are you have a few favorites and when you do your booze shopping, you stick to the ones you know. But how different is the experience when you go to where the wine is made? Where for a small fee you get to taste the varieties that are produced right there. If you like what you taste, it enters your consciousness. You will remember it and chances are, you'll go back or at least look for it at the store next time you have the need for a bottle of wine.

The small farmer, in this case the vintner, needs to promote his product. As we've established this is often done, as with other types of farms, through promotional events with the vineyard as the venue. While I'm not going to say that wineries cater to a more sophisticated crowd than, for example, a pumpkin patch might, the path taken in the name of promotion is a bit different. Wineries will have events where wine plays a central role. The most basic is of course wine tasting. Beyond that, there are themed musical events, food events that are catered by local restaurants, food pairing events where an expert will help the novice pair certain wines with certain foods. Then there are tours of the winery and grounds and lectures about wine making. There are also wine trail events where a number of different wineries that are within fairly close proximity to each other will band together for a group promotion over a series of weekends, encouraging patrons to try all that an area may have to offer in wine. I think of trail events as a kind of grown up bar crawl but with better smelling companions and very little vomitting.

In a nutshell, the problems some municipalities are having stem from not understanding what constitutes an accepted or accessory use on some farms and what has become a logical extension of the primary agricultural use, specifically with regard to the product. Not seeing the vineyard for the grapes, to mangle a well known idiom. Most vineyards and their associated wineries are typically located in agricultural or rural residential zoning districts. But sometimes it's easy to forget that agriculture is a lot more than pretty scenery and open space. Agriculture is a business. Like any other business, it must make money to survive. Most rural zoning catagories permit most agricultural activities as a use by right. Short of hog farms and mushroom soil composting, agriculture is typically thought of as a fairly benign or non-intrusive use; not noisy and not something that generates a lot of traffic. For suburbanites often there is just a bucolic rememberance involving tractors towing hay wagons, red barns, cows lowing in the meadow and boys in overalls with stalks of wheat between their teeth. You know - salt of the earth stuff.

Fortunately from the research I've done, it appears many small wineries do not have or have overcome the problem my friends are having. It seems most municipalities view the wineries in their jurisdictions as assets and treat the promotional activities no differently than they might an apple orchard's harvest festival. The events are, for the most part, accepted accessory uses to the vineyard, meaning they are complimentary and subordinate yet necessary to the primary agricultural use.

The decision makers of the municipality that my friends are in do like the vineyard, even the winery. Although through the grapevine I've heard there has been some grumbling over the fact that wine is even being sold there. Still, they love the fact that all that land, over 100 acres total, belong to the farm. They don't want to see townhouses growing there instead of vines. But they have a problem with the promotional events. They're calling it a commercial use. You're not zoned for that, they say. Oh sure, sell your wine, but you're not allowed to draw any attention to it. You can't have wedding receptions,  barbeques or musical events that might, you know, have a lot of people coming over there. That's crazy, just sell your wine.  There is a connection that's not being made. The land and vines that everyone loves provide the grapes. The grapes produce the wine. The wine makes the money. The money pays the bills. If the wine doesn't sell, the bills don't get paid and the land's not earning its keep. My friends are not rich. They don't just want this venture to be financially viable, they need it to be. If it does not become so, as much as they love the land and the joy it's brought them, they will have to recoup their investment. But things are not dire; the financials on the farm have been getting better every year. More people are becoming aware of their existence because they have been, to the chagrin of the municipality, promoting their product and quite honestly, the wine is good.

There is room in this argument to have understanding for the municipality too. They have valid concerns. Concerts? Will there be traffic? Won't neighbors be impacted by the activities at the winery? How can we let a commercial use exist in a residential/agricultural zoning district? Education is needed. Education and progressive zoning. I say zoning because what is not wanted is what I'll call use-creep. Let's say things are going great for my friends. Lots of interest in their wine and well attended events give them the confidence to expand the business. Should they be allowed to open a restaurant on their property, or a banquet hall? An amphitheater? Maybe Bruce Springsteen should play at their next wine and barbeque event. Is that in keeping with their agricultural use?

There is a nexus of agriculture and commercialism that the land owners and the municipality must reconcile. Luckily, it seems that may happen.

Recently the municipality has indicated they want to discuss modifying their ordinances to definitively allow the winery and at least some of the types of promotional events needed to ensure the viability of this agricultural business. There will be discussion, hand wringing and arguing over the types and frequency of events, but I believe they will  find common ground. They must because if they don't, everyone could lose. Key is the recognition of the vineyard and the value it holds for the community. Not only is it a farm in keeping with the agricultural roots of the area, in combination with the winery it is a taxable entity that does not significantly burden municipal services. My guess is they've also done their research and are coming to the realization that they could be on shaky legal ground; that the promotional events are accepted accessory uses in most of the state and there is a special bypass lane farmers can take, and some wineries have, to the state's attorney general should the locals pound on them a little too hard with the zoning hammer.

The next time you go to a winery, if that's something you, as I, like to do, think about the heritage that wine in your glass may have. Think about what goes into the wine, not just the soil and sunlight as mentioned in my last post, but about the issues involved in those deep red or golden hues you see. It is very likely there was a role played by politics in that glass. The winding path traveled by the winemaker to make and market his product is likely as complex as the flavors you taste.

*USDA Economic Research Service