Virginia wine is going places. Sales of state-made wine and hard-cider reached a record high in fiscal year 2016.
Rob Kocher Jr. is in the family business of selling wine. His father owns Once Upon A Vine, a wine store in Richmond that’s been there for 12 years.
In the store, Virginia wines have a long aisle all to themselves.
“We do it because we definitely want to support local wineries, putting the money back into the community for Virginia and helping out,” says Kocher.
In the 10 years Kocher has worked here he’s seen a big change in their selection.
“150-200 different Virginia wines we have here," Kocher says. "It was probably, 10 years ago, about half of this, and now it’s doubled basically.”
According to the state, Virginia wine sales have reached record highs in fiscal year 2016, with almost 7 million bottles sold during the year.
That business is happening in wine stores like this, and on vineyards. Virginia is home now to almost 300 wineries, making it one of the top states for wineries in the country.
All that business also means added tax revenue for the state. According to the Virginia Wine Marketing Office and Virginia's ABC, total sales from Virginia wine brought in more than $2 million in tax collections.
