Are Colorado Wine Sales Finally Slipping?

Just 10 days after reporting that Colorado Wines Are Holding, In Spite of the Shakey Economy, a local T.V. station produces anecdotal evidence that Palisade wineries are finally starting to feel the bite of the global recession.

Under the headline, "Local Wine Sales Drop Slightly," KJCT 8 Reporter Sara Goldenberg writes:

"Even the wine industry in western Colorado is starting to feel the effects of the downturn. The Western Colorado Research Center says there was no drop in wine sales at the end of 2008. But now local vineyards are starting to see sales drop slightly."

"Brad Harmon, owner of Garfield Estates Vineyard & Winery, says they've seen a 5-10 percent decrease in wine sales in the past few months. He says the demand is still there, but people are looking for better deals when they pick up a bottle of wine."

"But it's a plus for wine lovers. Right now you can find great deals on local wine."

"What we've had to do is lower our prices with our wines, to get them to good value price points where people want them. They're looking for wines generally under the $10 price range, and we've seen a slight increase in some of those wines. So overall we're probably about even, just a little bit under, but not too bad," Harmon said.

"He says wineries will face many challenges this year, from marketing, to watching their budget and keeping prices down for consumers."

You can read the story here.