HARRISBURG, Pa. (June 4, 2008) — If legislative support is any indication, 2008 is shaping up to be a great year for Pennsylvania wine. Nine months after launching “Vintage 2012” – a five-year plan designed to double the impact of the Commonwealth’s $661 million per year wine industry – the Pennsylvania Winery Association (PWA) convened the first ever gathering of the Pennsylvania Winery Caucus in a meeting at its Harrisburg headquarters on Wednesday, June 4.

The caucus is a body of state lawmakers whose goal is to provide support for the growing state wine industry and promote the industry’s achievements and contributions among their legislative peers. The objective of the first meeting was to introduce the caucus to attendees and thank the caucus co-chairs for their ongoing participation.

The four co-chairs at the heart of the assembly are Sen. Jane Earll (R-Erie), Sen. Michael O’Pake (D-Berks), Rep. Scott Petri (R-Bucks) and Rep. Patrick Harkins (D-Erie). Caucus membership is open to other members of the Pennsylvania House and Senate, with several legislators already expressing interest in joining the group. In attendance at the inaugural meeting were members of the PWA, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and more than 25 members of the state legislature.

     “The Pennsylvania wine industry is the perfect marriage of tourism and agriculture and this caucus will only make that partnership stronger,” said Pennsylvania Winery Association President Bob Mazza. “The response from the House and Senate to our request for caucus members has been overwhelmingly positive. There’s no doubt they’ll be able to help us reach the goals outlined in our Vintage 2012 plan.”

 The PWA unveiled Vintage 2012 in September 2007. The five-year plan aims to promote the growth of the Pennsylvania wine and grape industry through ongoing marketing, research and education.

The underlying goals of the PWA marketing efforts and part of the oversight of the Pennsylvania Winery Caucus are an overall increase in tourism, agriculture, commerce, jobs, and land preservation. In 2005, the Pennsylvania wine industry attracted 877,000 visitors, resulting in $167 million in tourism spending. Both numbers are expected to rise sharply under the Vintage 2012 plan. The number of those employed by the state’s wine industry is also expected to increase. Wine tourism and the sale and production of wine sustained 5,200 full-time jobs in Pennsylvania in 2005 and created $161 million in wages.