OF
OF COURSE
OF COURSE WE DO. OVER THAT PAST FEW YEARS-- OUR ST
>>>
>>> WINE,
>>> WINE, DO WE HAVE YOUR ATTENTION NOW?
ATTENTION NOW? OUR STATE HAS GRABBED THE
ATTENTION OF THE WINE INDUSTRY.
BETWEEN DENVER AND THE PALISADE
GRAND JUNCTION AREA, THE
BUSINESS IS BOOMING.
BUT, IT COULD BE BETTER.
IT IS WITH US NOW TO TALK ABOUT
IT.
IT.
IT. I
IT. I LOVE WINE AND I KNOW SO MANY
PEOPLE WHO LOVE WINE, BUT WE
ARE KIND OF IN THE MINORITY,
BECAUSE COLORADAN'S ARE NOT
REALLY RALLYING AROUND THE WINE
INDUSTRY HERE, RIGHT?
>> COLORADO HAS GOTTEN A LOT OF
ATTENTION OVER THE PAST YEAR.
A LOT OF THESE PUBLICATIONS
THAT ARE WELL KNOWN AND HAVE
CALLED US OUT AS BEING ONE OF
THE MORE INTERESTING WINE
SCENES IN THE COUNTRY, BUT AT
THE SAME POINT, SURVEYS SHOW
63% OF COLORADANS WHO DRINK
WINE DO NOT BUY FROM COLORADO
WINERIES.
WINERIES.
WINERIES. >> WHY IS THAT?
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE ABOUT
BUYING LOCAL, BUT SOMETIMES YOU
GO FOR A BOTTLE OF WINE I DON'T
NEXT NECESSARY LOOK FOR
COLORADO.
COLORADO.
COLORADO. >> 15 YEARS AGO IT WAS VIEWED
AS A FRUIT FORWARD, MAYBE
TOURIST FOCUSED INDUSTRY.
THAT HAS CHANGED A LOT.
MAYBE PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE IT
YET.
YET.
YET. A
YET. A LOT OF THESE WINERIES ARE
SMALL AND DON'T GET THEIR
BOTTLES OUT TO DISTRIBUTION
MUCH BEYOND THE WESTERN SLOPE.
SO A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW
ABOUT THEM.
ABOUT THEM. THE COLORADO LINE IS A BIT MORE
EXPENSIVE, BY ABOUT $10 PER
BOTTLE.
BOTTLE.
BOTTLE. SO, IT IS HARDER TO GET THAT
INTO RESTAURANTS WHERE PEOPLE
BUY AND EXPERIENCE A LOT OF THE
ONE FOR THE FIRST TIME.
>> WHAT CAN WE DO AS CONSUMERS,
AND WHAT SHOULD WINERIES BE
DOING ABOUT RALLYING THE
INDUSTRY?
INDUSTRY?
INDUSTRY? >> THEY SHOULD BE A FEW THINGS.
THEY NEED TO GROW A LITTLE BIT.
PLACES LIKE CLOSE TERRACE
WINERY IN PALISADES HAVE REALLY
EMPHASIZE THEIR EXPANSION IN
GETTING OUT TO THE FRONT RANGE
AND MORE PEOPLE TO KNOW THEM.
AND CONSUMERS SHOULD THINK
ABOUT THIS.
ABOUT THIS. LOOK AT THE WIND APPLICATIONS
OUT THERE AND SEE WHAT THEY SAY
ABOUT PLACES LIKE HOLY CROSS
WINERY, OR A PLACE LIKE
BROOKSIDE VINEYARDS UP IN
BOULDER, AND SEE THAT THESE ARE
PLACES THAT ARE NOT THE
WINERIES YOU THOUGHT ABOUT
GROWING UP, THERE REALLY
GETTING NATIONAL ATTENTION NOW.
>> INITIALLY WHEN I MOVED HERE
I WAS TRYING TO GOOGLE WINERIES
AND I WAS SURPRISED THERE WERE
SO MANY HERE IN TOWN.
I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE, MAYBE
NEWCOMERS, DON'T REALLY LOOK AT
COLORADO AS A NEW WINE
DESTINATION, BUT IT HAS BEEN
GROWING INTO THAT OVER THE PAST
FEW YEARS.
FEW YEARS. >> IT WAS ALWAYS THOUGHT OF AS
A BEER DESTINATION.
THERE ARE 150+ WINERIES.
IT IS ACTUALLY $3.2 BILLION
ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT WINE
CREATES, IT IS CLOSE TO THE
CRAFT BEER IMPACT.
ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS,
% OF THE JOBS ARE IN RETAIL.
THAT IS NOT NECESSARILY SELLING
COLORADO WINE, IT IS JUST
SELLING WINE OVERALL.
WE DRINK 19% MORE WIND THAN THE
NATIONAL AVERAGE.
NATIONAL AVERAGE. PEOPLE JUST NEED TO THINK ABOUT
BUYING MORE LIKELY RATHER THAN
THE GREAT SELECTION OF NATIONAL
AND INTERNATIONAL WINES THAT
YOU TYPICALLY FIND IN COLORADO.
>> YOUR TYPICALLY A BEER
DRINKER, RIGHT?
DRINKER, RIGHT? WHAT MADE YOU GET INTERESTED IN
THE WINE STORY?
>> AS I STARTED SEEING SOME OF
THE THINGS THAT WERE COMING UP
AND HEARD A LOT FROM THE
DEVELOPMENT BOARD ABOUT THESE
NATIONAL RECOGNITIONS, IT MADE
ME ASK, THEN THE WINE INDUSTRY
MUST BE BOOMING, RIGHT?
IT IS NOT ACTUALLY BOOMING.
EVEN LONG REGARDED AS THE BEST
WINERY IN THE STATE SAID ITS IN-
STATE BOTTLE SALES WERE FLAT
LAST YEAR.
LAST YEAR. EVEN WHILE IT IS GROWING
NATIONAL REPUTATION.
NATIONAL REPUTATION. IT PUTS THE QUESTION OUT THERE,
WE ARE GETTING BETTER WINES,
EVERYBODY AGREES WITH THAT, WHY
AREN'T MORE PEOPLE IN OUR OWN
STATE REALIZING WHAT THE
NATIONAL WINE MEDIA IS
REALIZING?
REALIZING? >> MAYBE PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE
THAT WE SHOULD BE BUYING?
WE DON'T KNOW, RIGHT?
IT OUT THERE, BY LOCAL WINE.
>> I'M NOT OUT HERE TO EDUCATE
PEOPLE TO DO A SPECIFIC THING
PER SE, BUT I WANT THEM TO KNOW
THAT THESE PLACES ARE GETTING
GOOD REPUTATIONS.
GOOD REPUTATIONS. SNOWY PEAKS WINERY IN ESTES
PARK, YOU PROBABLY DID NOT EVEN
KNOW THEY HAVE ONE.
98% IS SOLD IN TOWN, BUT THEY
HAVE GOTTEN A COUPLE 90+ POINT
RATINGS FROM NATIONAL SITES AND
PEOPLE ARE PAYING