State grape growers secure grant funds

COLUMBUS — Fourteen grape growers in Ohio will receive up to $3,000 per acre in grant money to create new or expand existing vineyards, allowing for more wineries to use Ohio-grown grapes, the Ohio Department of Agriculture announced.

The Vineyard Expansion Assistance Program (VEAP) allows wineries to invest in and plant high-quality, high-value grapes onsite instead of purchasing them from other states, a recent news release from the department said.

The effort is an incentive program created and funded by the Ohio Grape Industries Committee (OGIC).

The grant recipients are:

* Breezy Vines LLC, Bellaire, Belmont County * Buccia Vineyard, Conneaut, Ashtabula County

* Clark Farms, West Milton, Miami County * King Vineyard (name TBD), Lancaster, Fairfield County

* Das Weinhaus Vineyard and Winery, Litchfield, Medina County

* Five Roots Vineyard, Croton, Licking County * Folck Family Farm, Mechanicsburg, Champaign County

* Overton Valley Vineyards, Burbank, Wayne County

* Quinstock Farm, Port Clinton, Ottawa County * The Vineyards at Pine Lake, Columbiana, Mahoning County

* Vinoklet Winery, Cincinnati, Hamilton County

* White Timbers, Wadsworth, Medina County * William White Family, Jackson, Jackson County

Ohio is the sixth-largest wine producer in the country, with just over 1,500 acres of vineyards producing and selling 1.2 million gallons, or 500,000 cases, of wine annually.

There are currently 340 licensed wine manufacturers across the state, creating more than 8,000 full-time jobs for Ohioans.

The Vineyard Expansion Assistance Program is managed by the Ohio Grape Industries Committee, which was established in 1981 and operates in-part through the Ohio Department of Agriculture. See more information on the web at www.findohiowines.com