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Ben O'Daniel, winemaker, tells visitors from
KSU's sustainable agriculture workshop about Lover's Leap Vineyards.
Grapes are ready to be harvested.
Workshop participants listen in about the winemaking
process.
"The American Vintners
Association recently put out numbers stating that for every dollar spent at
a winery, there is another dollar spent somewhere in the community."
Ben O'Daniel
Lover's Leap Vineyard and Winery Winemaker
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By Aimee D. Heald
LAWRENCEBURG, Ky. (Sept. 27, 2002) -Phil and Fran
Davis drive from New York to Indiana every fall to see two college football
games and in between the two, they travel the nearby countryside discovering
things the Midwest and surrounding states have to offer.
This year, one of their side trips led them into Kentucky. As they were driving
along highway 127 in Mercer County, they noticed a tourism sign with directions
to a nearby vineyard. The couple's curiosity led them down a winding country
road to Lover's Leap Vineyard, one of the largest vineyards in the Commonwealth
with 30 acres of grapes.
"A lot of vineyards don't always use their own grapes, they are either just
starting to grow them or they buy juice from other vineyards in California or
New York," Phil said. "So it's nice to see that they are growing,
making and bottling their own product here."
The grape industry is gaining popularity in Kentucky thanks in part to education
programs and research by Kentucky State University and the University of
Kentucky College of Agriculture. Also, the Vineyard Assistance Program of the
Kentucky Department of Agriculture helped a lot of growers by providing half of
the funding needed to start growing grapes.
"Grapes draw a lot of interest, they are a unique alternative crop for
Kentucky that have a lot of potential," said Kirk Pomper, principal
investigator for horticulture at KSU and adjunct assistant professor of
horticulture at UK. "Nothing will ever replace tobacco, but things like
grapes, paw paws, currents, gooseberries and other orchard type crops can help
supplement income from tobacco and help farmers transition."
Pomper said KSU has planted an acre and a half of grapes on its research farm
near the Franklin/Anderson county line. With Lover's Leap only two miles away,
KSU has been able to partner up with the vineyard to educate participants
attending monthly small farm sustainable agriculture workshops.
"Gerry and Ann Holder own Lover's Leap and they have been very cooperative
about letting us bring groups out here to show them how a vineyard and winery
work," Pomper said.
Ben O'Daniel, Lover's Leap winemaker, said he enjoys having visitors come to the
vineyard.
"A lot of people show up to see the vines or help pick just to be a part of
the experience," he said. "We always love people coming out who are
interested in getting into the industry. Education about the grape and wine
industry in general is really half of our job as we see it."
With more people realizing the potential of grapes in Kentucky, there are more
grapes being harvested than there are wineries to handle the juice. Pomper said
that is an issue the fledgling industry will have to address as it continues to
grow to its full potential.
"As an industry now we need to go out the general public and let them know
we are here," O'Daniel said. "There are a handful of wineries that
have positions in stores, mainly in Louisville and Lexington. No one vineyard
has really taken a large niche in the market. Hopefully we will be the ones to
do that but we don't want to be alone, we want the entire industry to benefit
because the more of us there are the more acknowledgement comes to the
industry."
With a rapid increase in the number of vineyards and wineries in Kentucky, there
is a large income potential and not just for the growers.
The grape industry is also very tourism-driven. O'Daniel said most people don't
want to drive two hours just to go to one winery; they would rather go to three,
four, or even five in the same area. That type of area is developing around
Frankfort and Lexington as vineyards and wineries pop up along the Bluegrass
Parkway, highway 127 and I-64.
"The American Vintners Association recently put out numbers stating that
for every dollar spent at a winery, there is another dollar spent somewhere in
the community," O'Daniel said. "That may be for lodging, restaurants
or even gas stations. Yes, we're in it to make a living and fulfill our dreams,
but we also want to get the community involved. We just want people to enjoy our
wines and see the quality that we're making."
Writer: Aimee D. Heald 859-257-4736, ext. 267
Source: Kirk Pomper 502-597-5142
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