The wine and grape industry in Ohio “has seen explosive growth” the past several years, with an economic impact estimated at $1.3 billion last year, the Akron Beacon Journal reports. Five years ago, that number was $786 million, according to a recent report from the Ohio Grape Industries Committee. The number of wineries has increased from 175 in 2012 to 265 last year, making Ohio the “sixth largest winemaker in the country,” the article reports. Ohio's wine industry “now provides 8,067 full-time jobs,” and “[a]ll that growth has helped generate $75 million in federal taxes and $72 million in state and local taxes.” Donniella Winchell, executive director of the Ohio Wine Producers Association in Geneva said, “[t]he economic development guys used to look at wineries and tourism as fluff but increasingly they regard it as a serious economic tool.”
Ohio wine industry economic impact estimated at $1.3 billion
