What the New Year Holds for Colorado Wine

The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel has a few wise words for the New Year: "As for resolutions, Colorado has 72 or so wineries. How many of them one, can you name, and two, have you visited? Make a decision to see more of Colorado Wine Country in 2009, and get to know the winemakers."

Excellent advice. As the Colorado Wine Industry comes of age, there are more and more vintages worth trying. We have a resolution of our own for the industry:

That out-of-state reporters, after saying "Colorado Wine Country," will stop using the phrase, "Yes, Colorado." We've seen this used a couple of times in news articles. It's breathless, disingenuous and condescending all at the same time. There's wine in all 50 states, now, as Time Magazine recently pointed out -- so don't act shocked when there's decent wine to be had on something other than the coasts.

But we digress. The Sentinel went on to evaluate global wine sales for 2009. It corroborates other stories we've seen. High end wine isn't moving as fast as the cheaper stuff. The Sentinel writes:

"[We're not in] another capital-D depression seemed to be the general assumption, although there was obviously a wide-trending desire to hold the line on spending. That, of course, lends itself to the wine market, and a recent report on Wine Business News said savvy customers are looking farther and farther down the list of wines."

"Among its reports, Wine Business cited a story in the Los Angeles Times that said, “Sales of wine for $9 or less make up the fastest-growing segment of the wine market, while sales above that price are starting to trend down,” quoting Jon Fredrikson, a Woodside, Calif., industry analyst."

"This reflects what some local retailers have said, that bottle sales are up although revenue is down. Which means it takes several $6 wines to have the same income effect as one $20 bottle."

"That same story linked to an e-mail from Danny Brager, who tracks the wine industry in the United States for the marketing information source Nielsen Co., that said the wine industry’s “15-year bull run seems to have stumbled a bit.”

“The stumble is that while it’s growing, it’s not growing as fast as it was last year,” Brager said."

"And another story compared recent consumer trends to the dark moods following 9–11."

“We’re in a 9–11 mode, where people are hunkering down a little,” said David Freed, chairman of the Napa-based UCC Group, whose investments include hundreds of acres of vineyards in the Central Coast and North Coast."

"It’s not that people aren’t buying wines; it’s just they are buying lower-priced wines. Sales of so-called premium wines, the ones that once were in the $15–$20 range, have fallen steadily until now it’s the $5.99 to $9.99 wines that are making up the bulk of the sales."

"And many retailers are saying wines priced above $25 are moving sluggishly, if at all."

Many full bodied Colorado wines are priced within this range, so drink local this year. And visit those winemakers!

You can read the rest of the Sentinel article here.

2008 Stories We Should Have Covered #2

Number Two in Our Stories We Should Have Covered in 2008, but somehow didn't get around to is the second half of a tough review of Colorado wines. (We might even argue it's harsh). However, the reviewer is a self described Wine Curmudgeon, so some curmudgeonly assessments are to be expected. Here's what the Wine Curmudgeon.com wrote about Colorado's Wine Country.

"This is the second of two parts looking at Colorado wine."

"How do Colorado's wines compare to the state's incomparable scenery? I've tasted them twice -- once on a wine trip through the state, and again last fall. The verdict? It depends."

"In many parts of the state, Colorado’s winemakers face the same problems that everyone from everywhere that isn’t California or the Pacific Northwest faces. Retail prices are higher than they should be, since the state’s wineries are too small to enjoy economies of scale. This means there aren’t many decent $10 wines, or much $10 wine at all."

"Distribution is limited, not only because most wineries don’t make much wine (one of the biggest, Plum Creek, makes 14,000 cases a year, about what a decent-sized California winery will do in a month), but because most national distributors aren’t interested in carrying Colorado wine. (In fact, if anyone outside the state wants to buy these wines, they'll probably need to order from the winery.)"

"In addition, the industry is too young to expect too much (though this is something many Coloradoans don't understand). It took California 40 years from the end of Prohibition to emerge as one of the best wine growing regions in the world, and Colorado’s most important efforts are only 10 years old. It takes at least that much time to just understand weather patterns, let alone figure out how what grapes to grow to fit the weather. Growers have had some success with riesling, which likes cold weather, but are still experimenting with other varietals."

"Many wines, though, do display considerable progress:"

"• Canyon Wind Cellars has hired consultant Robert Pepi, whose family has made wine in Napa Valley since the 1960s, it shows. The reds, and especially the $25 cabernet sauvignon, are well-made and price competitive. The biggest surprise was the $15 pinot grigio, full of citrus and mineral flavors, a wine that does the entire state proud. "

"• Guy Drew Vineyards produces an $18 syrah similar to some made in Washington state, a nice wine if a trifle pricey. "

"• Drew's neighbor down the road, an ex-British commando named John Sutcliffe at Sutcliffe Vineyards turns out a $20 riesling that is crisp and food-friendly -- again well-made and again a bit pricey. "

"• Palisade’s Plum Creek does a respectable $10 sauvignon blanc that is more than adequate for that Tuesday night takeout dinner."

You can read the rest of the review here.

2008 Stories We Should Have Covered #5

Number 5 in our "Top Seven Countdown of Stories We Should Have Covered" was written by The Daily Wine. It is a tour of the Grand Valley AVA and a leisurely interview with several wine makers, including State Enologist Stephen Menke. Under the headline, "Landscapes and Lifestyles in Colorado’s Wine Country," The Daily Wine wrote:

"Getting to Grand Junction from Denver International Airport is easy. Whether you drive through, or fly over the mountains, the trip is worth the effort. Or, if time is not your concern, you could take a leisurely Amtrak train. Go west through Colorado’s world-class ski resorts. Continue through the snow capped peaks and passes."

The Wine Makers Dr. Stephen Menke, Parker Carlson, Glenn Foster, and Jenny Baldwin

“When were you planning to clip those vines, Glenn?” Parker asks. “I just did them today.” Glenn responds, grinning. The two continue the conversation, both smiling and jesting about their neighboring vineyards and the longstanding, friendly competition that has become their lives."

"The conversation flows as freely as the wine at Il Bistro, a downtown Grand Junction favorite for its hand made pasta and authentic Italian cuisine. The table is full of wine and food as we try award-winning varieties perfectly matched, course by course, from Plum Creek Winery, the Colorado Wine Room, Confre Cellars, and Carlson Vineyards. Looking around the table, I realize that the winemakers have spent long years developing the scene we enjoy tonight."

"Grapes were first planted in the Grand Valley in 1881. Since 1991, the industry has enjoyed a 750% growth. In recent years, Colorado has become a contender in many Wine Competitions, often surpassing California wines and finding their footing with Cabernet Franc, Late Harvest Sweet Categories, Rieslings, Sangiovese and Port. Additionally, fruit wines and meads (honey wines) enhance the wine makers repertoire, using the valleys orchard fruit for superb peach and plum wines."

"The day after our dinner, Colorado’s wine expert, Enologist Dr. Stephen Menke, led me through Palisades, a small town minutes from the heart of Grand Junction. As a classic bon vivant, he shares readily, with a quick smile and earthy presence. What’s your favorite wine Steve? I ask. “The one in front of me.” he responds. I laugh, relieved that I don’t have to live through an uppity expert on this trip. It just wouldn’t fit the scene anyway—extreme mountains, desert, contrasted with budding vineyards and sun—it is as if the landscape itself decided that pretenses wouldn’t fit here."

You can read the rest of the article here.

2008 Stories We Should Have Covered #6

We're doing a Top Seven Countdown for all the wine stories we should have covered in 2008. All of these are about either Colorado's Wine Country or the Wine Country Inn. Number Six on the list was an extremely gracious photo spread and preview of the hotel in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. Written by Dave Buchanan, the story appeared in May under the headline, "Palisade's Wine Country." Buchanan wrote:

"Like a Narnian Castle rising out of the forest, the appearance of a multi-storied, 80-room hotel growing amidst the vineyards of Palisade causes more than a few second looks."

"But this is no fairy tale. The country inn-like hotel, designed like an enlarged version of the farm houses that dot the area’s vineyards and orchards, is rapidly taking shape a few good swirls from the tourists traveling Interstate 70, a position which might be marketing at its best."

"Richard and Jean Tally, experienced hoteliers with properties in Grand Junction (Quality Inn) and Denver (Best Western Denver Southwest), are building the Wine Country Inn, Palisade’s first hotel and the state’s first hotel with a wine-country theme."

"With a planned August opening, barely a year from when the first shovel dug into the vineyards, the Tallys recently hired their general manager and are taking advance reservations on the inn’s Web site, www.coloradowinecountryinn.com."

“I think we see ourselves as a catalyst that will boost the whole concept of agritourism in Palisade,” said Jean Tally, recently. “The big missing piece in what’s out there is lodging and we see ourselves as providing a place for people to come and then we can send them out into the community.”

"The hotel is a big change from the comfortable bed and breakfasts sprinkled around the Grand Valley’s wine lands, and it’s sure to bring a decided economic boost to Palisade and the area’s tourist-popular wine industry."

“I think it’s really going to be great for Palisade and it’s going to take the whole Grand Valley to the next level,” said Doug Caskey, executive director of the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board. “But it’s not just wines, it’s agritourism and everything else. It has a lot going for it.”

You can read the rest of the story here.