By AJ Greely
Hark Vineyards
VVA President
What a year! After what seemed like a return to a “normal” Virginia growing season, with rains throughout the spring and right up to harvest for much of the state, dry weather came in for most at the beginning of harvest.
That said, many growers reported low crop yields, particularly those who experienced prolonged rainfall during bloom.
Spotted Lantern Fly has taken hold in many of our growing regions, and we continue to work with researchers at Tech to provide the most up-to-date information for dealing with them in the vineyard as well as in the winery.
As is the case in Virginia, we’re also preparing for a change in administrations in Richmond. While we look forward to working with our incoming new Governor, Abigail Spanberger, and her new Secretary of Agriculture, Katie Frazier, a long time supporter of the Virginia Wine Industry, I’d like to thank outgoing Secretary of Agriculture, Matt Lorh, who has worked closely with me during my first term as President of the VVA, and has been a resource for assistance with many concerns that have arisen for our industry.
Looking back, 2025 certainly provided its challenges: rain, SLF, continued labor shortages, and issues, but it also had many wins.
The Board of the VVA has instituted and continues to meet goals on our 5 Year Strategic Plan.
Our Winter Technical Meeting made a big move to The Hotel Madison in Harrisonburg, VA, and proved a success, especially as we look to keep the cost of registration low in the midst of challenging financial times.
We hosted our summer technical meeting at the AREC at the end of July, where we caught up on all the latest research going on there, as well as gathered together to catch up just before harvest.
The VVA ended the year with the first of our new Regional Meetings/Socials. On December 18th, Central Virginia growers met up at Oakencroft Winery to talk about the season, get updates on the VVA, meet new members, and socialize in a casual atmosphere. Ample and fantastic, food was provided by our sponsor for the event, Imbibe Solutions. We look forward to hosting more of these events across the state during 2026. Stay tuned for more dates and regions being announced during the beginning of the new year.
Also coming in 2026, keep your eye out for an equipment swap sale to be introduced at the Winter Technical Meeting, to be followed by a larger swap sale at our Summer Technical Meeting.
Finally, don’t forget to join us February 25 & 26 at The Hotel Madison for the 2026 Winter Technical Meeting! This year’s meeting, “Strategies for Meeting & Managing Contemporary Vineyard Challenges” not only meets the requirements for your pesticide recertification, it will cover a variety of topics pertinent to today’s growers, including knowing your rights, and those of your workers, during I-9 Audits and ICE Raids, safety for workers during extreme heat, managing PD, leafroll and red blotch, updates on SLF in the vineyard and the winery, as well as a panel on growing disease resistant cultivars, followed by a side by side panel of hybrids and their vinifera counterparts.
Be on the lookout for registration opening!
We’re also now accepting nominees for the 2026 Grower of the Year Award and will be looking for folks to step up and run for the open Board Positions: Vice-President, Treasurer, and At-Large.
In an effort to streamline the survey and make it easier for those reporting, we’ve condensed the 2025 Commercial Grape Report survey down to 1 survey.
If you haven’t done so already, please take a moment to fill out the 2025 Commercial Grape Report Survey using the following link:
http://virginiawine.cgr25.alchemer.com/s3/
As we move forward as a more nationally recognized industry, it’s important that we continue to gather data related to our vineyards and wineries annually and compile the Commercial Grape Report. States like Oregon, Washington, New York and California continue to produce annual commercial reports, and by adding our state to this list, we only grow the recognition of the quality grapes produced in Virginia and the wines that come from them. By engaging in this type of reporting, we also aid in the sale of our fruit across state lines.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your board members at the VVA.
Happy New Year, and I look forward to seeing everyone in Harrisonburg next month!