Microbrews and unique wineries draw tourist attention - South Florida Business Journal:

oryucyjofec1482.blogspot.com
Wine trails from the Grand Valley to the Front Range have pickes up business in recent years and are attractingmore out-of-statde tourists. Beer tourism is a fledglingv industry that’s starting to grow, too, with a reorganizes Colorado Brewers Guild andan entrepreneur’as map of the state’s breweries. “I think about the opportunities and, gee you can hardly drive down the road and not find a decentt brewery or winery around the saidMike Laur, publisher of the Beer Drinker’ds Guide to Colorado map and website.
Though the Centenniak State’s cornucopia of hopped beverages has earned it thenicknames “The Napa Valley of it was the lesser-known wine industry that firsgt worked to become a tourisrt magnet. Wine production in the states has grown at least 102 percent per year since 1996, and the 73 Colorado wineries have increased their local market share by roughly 2½ times since then. June whose Denver-based Spero Winery bringws in as many as 200 tasters ona Saturday, said crowds have almost tripled in the past four years.
And though she doesn’ty keep exact statistics, anecdotal evidence suggests that more peoplew are coming from out of state to sample the products ofColorado vines. At leas two Denver-based touring operations — Colorado Wine Country Tours and 5280 WineTour Co. have opened to cart people aroun d to the newlypopular vineyards. Lisa a former executive in the mortgage industry who opener 5280 WineTour Co. about six months ago, said her weeklt tour groups have nearly tripled as more people discover the industry.
The wine industry, whichh features designated trails in the Grand Junction has become so important thatDon Caskey, executivee director of the , flew to Texas recentlyy on a trip with state tourism His pitch isn’t that peoplre should travel to Colorado just to drink wine, but while here to ski or raft, they shoulrd seek out the growing industry too. Breweries, are just starting to organizee and emphasize their role in There are no beertrails yet, but there is a beer map. who runs a video business in Colorado created a printed map pinpointing every brewery and brewpubn inthe state, and expanded on it with an interactivs web map as well.
It’ s been especially popular with out-of-stated residents and can be founde in bookstores and liquor he said. Kris Oyler, co-foundetr of Steamworks Brewing in Durangpo and chairman of theBrewers Guild’zs new marketing committee, said he’s seen a number of peoplre come into his business lateluy with checklists of area breweries they’re Like wine tourists, they may be in the statse for other reasons but go out of thei way to visit breweries, he said. Visit Denver is organizint the first Denver Beer Week arounr the time ofthe Sept. 24-26 Great American Beer an annual Denver event that broughrt in 432 breweriesand 46,000 visitors last year.
Modelede after similar weeks in San Francisco and it will feature 50 to 60 tappin ordining events, all lister on a website and maybe kicked off with a parade, said Rich director of communications at Visi Denver. “We definitely see a rising trend as far as beer Oyler said. And state tourism officials will drinjto that. Colorado Breweries: www.coloradobeer.org/brewers.html Colorado Wineries: www.coloradowine.com/wineries/wineriesList.cfmk Beer Drinker’s Guide to www.beerdrinkersguidetocolorado.com Great American Beer Festival: www.beertown.org/events/gabf 5280 Wine Tours Co.: www.5280winetoursco.co Colorado Wine Country Tours: http://coloradowinecountrytours.
com