Grape growers in the state, however, are not too likely to be applying for farm loans this year. In fact, some have said that 2001 could be one of the best vintages for Pennsylvania wines in recent memory.

Deborah Deis is director of the Pennsylvania Wine Association, an industry trade group. She says the excitement over this year's crop is because of the way grapes grow. "Grapes have unusually deep roots, and are very light feeders when it comes to water and fertilizer," she says. "In addition to that," she adds, "the quality of the wine is much much better when they're not over-watered."

Deis says it's usually less likely for east coast grapes to grow up in dry conditions than to be over-watered, but this year's drought means the vines had just the right amount of water, and they put all their effort into growing grapes. On top of that, the grapes are a little smaller than usual, and that means a higher portion of the fruit is skin, where the flavor is most concentrated.

Chadds Ford winemaker Eric Miller stands next to a barrel of 2001 Chardonnay which will be ready to drink next Spring.

Eric Miller is a winemaker at Chadds Ford Winery in Chester County. He's been growing wines in southeastern Pennsylvania for twenty years, and says he's still discovering nuances in the growing conditions and the resulting grapes. But he expects this year's conditions are going to intensify the local flavor of the fruits.

"I think it [the dry summer] has been a concentration and amplification of our regional features," Miller says. "Acidity was lower than usual, but not too low. The mineral quality in the Chardonnay showed through, and we got big fruit."

Miller says he picked some of his grapes later than usual this summer, reacting to weather conditions, which let some grapes ripen more than in previous years. He won't know how the experiment ends until the Spring when the Chardonnay is ready to drink, but he's excited to find out.

Overall, this summer's growing conditions were similar to traditional wine country, like California. But unlike California, this past Spring had plenty of rainfall, giving new vines a chance to establish themselves. Miller says one of the main differences between growing wine grapes in a state like Pennsylvania and a place like California is the variability of growing conditions.

"What's significant about the east coast is we're reactive," he says. "The climate happens and we react to it, whereas in California they plan their season in the spring, and go on with their plan as if nothing changed. Here things can change from week to week, from month to month."

And things can change from year to year. Pennsylvania Wine Assocation's Deis says most wine growers are sensitive to the needs of farmers who grow other crops, and wouldn't hope for a drought every summer. But this summer's dry conditions did come as a pleasant surprise for winemakers.

Some Pennsylvania wineries produce Nouveau wines which are already available, but most of the 2001 vintage wines won't be available until next Spring at the earliest, and some of the red wines won't be on the shelves for another few years.