Daily Press Writer
In Greek mythology, Dionysus is the god of wine, fertility and agriculture. He might have smiled this week as Western Slope winemakers began the annual grape harvest.
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Owner Diana Read said harvest is two weeks later this year, increasing the threat of frost, which can damage the crop.
"We had such a cold spring," she said.
With the cooler weather, the buds formed later on the plants, moving harvest later into the fall. But this year is better than last year when early frost destroyed Cottonwood's harvest. Read said the winery expects one harvest in five to be destroyed by early frost.
The journey into the wine industry is varied. Keith and Diana worked in the computer industry until the early 1990s, when the winemaking bug bit them. They owned land near Olathe and learned about the potential for quality grapes. They did soil testing and received positive results.
Keith studied winemaking at the famed University of California at Davis and apprenticed at a winery near Grand Junction.
In 1994, the winery was founded. Diana said the winery has earned several awards over the last year.
Grape harvest is about timing. Growers wait until the grapes have a perfect balance between acidity and sugar, creating the exact blend for premium wine.
"It can be stressful," Diana said.
Ron Neal, co-owner of the Stoney Mesa Winery near Cedaredge, said the winery's harvest was also a little later this year. He said the grapes looked good but expressed some reservations.
"We are really concerned about the rain," he said.
In August and September, rains inundated the region, adding another wrinkle to the harvest.
"Grapes are very tender," Neal said.
Doug Caskey, executive director of the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board, said rain upsets the balance between the sugar and acidity. For the proper balance, the grapes must dry before they are picked.
Despite the weather problems, he said most wineries are also reporting positive characteristics for this year's harvest.
"Initially, people are saying the quality is good," Caskey said.
However, the rains have caused some growers to re-evaluate the harvest.
"Before (the rains) people thought it was going to be a record harvest," Caskey said.
Over the last decade, the wine industry has grown significantly in Colorado. In 1992, Colorado sold $1.2 million of wine, mostly within the state. Last year, Colorado wineries sold $9.1 million, over 2 percent of the national market.
"We are growing," Caskey said. "We have over 60 licensed vineyards (in the state)."
He said Colorado is quickly gaining a reputation for Riesling, a sweet white wine. Carlson Winery recently won an international award for its Riesling.
Diana said she could hardly keep the Riesling in stock, having sold out last year's stock.
"People are not planting enough Riesling," Caskey said.
He said the cool nights and warm days on the Western Slope are ideal grape growing conditions. The warm nights increase the sugar levels and the cool nights balance out the grape by raising the acidity.
On Wednesday, Rick and Cindy Bray, of Montrose, sampled wines at Cottonwood Cellars. They said they had driven past the winery "a bunch of times" and decided to sample the local fare.
"It is fun to see what is growing in our area," Cindy said.
Diana explained the various styles and the subtle qualities associated with each variety. The Brays sampled and commented on the wine, a tradition at vineyards throughout the world.
Caskey said Colorado wines sell in the $12 to $14 range and are competitive with similarly priced wines from California and Europe.
Neal said his winery creates "customer-friendly" wines, making the price reasonable for people who want quality wine. Most of the winery's bottles are sold in Colorado.
"We sell out every year," he said "We cannot make enough to keep up with demand."
Caskey said there is a lot of opportunity for wine growing on the Western Slope, especially in Montrose and Delta counties. He said land near Grand Junction is getting too expensive to make a winery profitable.
Diana said there are 40 new acres of grapes in the Olathe area. She said the heat summation, the measure of the climate, is similar to the famed Napa Valley, making the area ideal for grape production.
Grapes need warm weather but not over 90 degrees. When the weather gets too warm, the grapes stop growing.
Diana said growing grapes is economically viable for farmers. A good acre of grapes yields about three tons, which sells for $1,000 to $1,600 a ton. This is significantly more than the $300 to $500 an acre many crops yield.
"It's a better crop than they (farmers) have now," Diana said.
She said grape growers don't need to make wine; there is enough of a market for quality grapes at existing wineries in Colorado.
Neal said besides the grape acres the winery owns, it leases vineyards in the region, using the extra grapes to fulfill its needs.
The only drawback is the startup cost. An irrigation system, grape plants, and trellis system can cost upwards of $8,000 an acre and the plants can take around four years before a first harvest.
Caskey said before Prohibition, grapes were a major crop in Colorado.
"The whole state had huge grape harvests," he said.
In 1905, grapes were the number one cash crop in Montrose County, according to Diana.
Caskey said one barrier for the long-term health of the industry is migrant labor. Because Montrose County does not have a large orchard industry, there is not a surplus of migrant labor.
For Cottonwood, it's a family affair. Pablo Uribi is the winery's only full-time employee. During harvest, Uribi brings family members who work in the area, picking grapes for several weeks. This makes the supply of labor less of a problem.
Caskey said the current political climate makes hiring legal migrant labor difficult.
"It's harder and harder," he said.
Neal said finding migrant labor is not hard near Cedaredge because of the orchards. The workers finish with orchard harvest and can work the grape harvest.
"It makes sense to use immigrant labor," Neal said.
Diana said she and her husband are happy with their choice to leave the computer industry.
"We like the lifestyle," she said. "That is why we want to see more farmers grow grapes."
Contact James Shea via e-mail at jamess@montrosepress.com
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