Lake Erie Wine Industry Profiled

open_access
Open Access
Author:
Szalajko, Natalie Christina
Area of Honors:
Business Economics
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Mark F Owens, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Michael Edward Brown, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Lake Erie
Wine
Lake Erie Wine County
Abstract:
The wine industry in Pennsylvania is little known outside of the state, but this is most likely to change in the future if production continues to grow. This research intends to identify the stage of development the Lake Erie Wine Country is currently in and expects it and the state of Pennsylvania to be in a stage of growth. Many of the indicators positively suggested growth such as high production growth rates for the state of Pennsylvania, higher than that of California which has reached the maturity stage in development, and an increasing number of producers for the past several years. The growth of production in Pennsylvania is most attributable to the deregulation of the liquor laws in the state. These deregulations allow for continuous new opportunities for growth and expansion for the wineries. The Lake Erie Wine Country also had positive indicators for growth in its increasing number of wine selections being offered, and its rising prices. Legislation also played a larger role in the growth of the Lake Erie Wine Country, it not only provided new opportunities for expansion, but also provided a barrier to entry to the industry by giving it a monopoly on the Eire County area. Other characteristics also supplemented the monopoly the wine industry here possesses by producing wines that are specific to the terroir of the region, and dominating the local wine sections in Wine & Spirits stores.