Agriculture is starting to shift in Southern Maryland. Where tobacco crops once grew, grapevines are being planted thanks in part to a state-sponsored buyout program to help promote other crops.

From Gazette.net:

Joe Fiola, a viticulture and small fruit specialist on the vineyard research team, said vineyards could be a good alternative to tobacco because of the similar workload they require.

''[The tobacco growers] are used to high intensive agriculture so we knew they would be a good group to start with," Fiola said. ''People have a romantic notion about the industry, and we want to make sure people have a very realistic view of what working in a vineyard is like."

Of course, starting a vineyard from the ground up (literally) is no easy task. Work had to be done to determine which grapes will grow the best, vines must be trimmed and tended, and it takes a few years before a harvest is possible. But as U.S. wine consumption continues to grow (it rose 3.4 percent in 2006), drinkers will be looking for new and different wines to try.