
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, September 12, 1993                   TAG: 9309120151
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: D-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: MADISON                                LENGTH: Short

`93 MAY BE VINTAGE YEAR FOR VA. WINE

A summer drought has helped grapes at Virginia's wineries and commercial vineyards by keeping off rot and making the fruit sweeter, growers say.

In fact, winemakers say, 1993 may be a very memorable year for Virginia wine.

"It's early in the harvest season, but it looks like an above-average one in terms of quality," said Dan Uzelac, executive vice president of Williamsburg Winery. "The grapes are producing characteristics important to making a good wine."

While dry, hot weather has baked the state's corn, peanut, and soybean crops, a good harvest is under way at most of Virginia's 43 wineries and 110 commercial vineyards.

Tony Wolf, viticulturist with the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station at Winchester, predicted that this year's harvest would reach a record 3,500 tons, compared with 1992's harvest of 3,080 tons and the 1991 harvest of 2,800 tons.

"It looks great," Wolf said. He said good grape-growing weather, better growing practices and better disease control have helped increase grape production.

Wolf said that though a drought can stress grapevines, there are good effects such as keeping rot, the bane of vineyards, at bay.

Coupled with the well-timed dry weather, early spring rains and a mild winter this year also boosted the chances for a booming grape crop, Wolf said.

by CNB