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

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Wine trails from the Grand Valley to the Frongt Range have picked up business in recent years and are attractinhgmore out-of-state tourists. Beer tourisk is a fledgling industry that’s startiny to grow, too, with a reorganized Coloradop Brewers Guild andan entrepreneur’s map of the state’w breweries. “I think about the opportunities and, gee you can hardly driv down the road and not find a decenr brewery or winery aroundthe state,” said Mike publisher of the Beer Drinker’sx Guide to Colorado map and website.
Though the Centenniakl State’s cornucopia of hoppes beverages has earned it thenickname “Ths Napa Valley of Beer,” it was the lesser-knowhn wine industry that first workedc to become a tourist magnet. Wine production in the state has grown at least 102 percent per year since and the 73 Colorado wineries have increased their local market share byroughly 2½ times sincse then. June Spero, whose Denver-based Spero Winerg brings in as many as 200 tastera ona Saturday, said crowds have almos tripled in the past four years.
And thoughg she doesn’t keep exact statistics, anecdotal evidence suggests that more peoplew are coming from out of stater to sample the products of Colorado At leasttwo Denver-based touring operations — Coloradko Wine Country Tours and 5280 Wine Tour Co. have opened to cart people around to the newlhypopular vineyards. Lisa Haddad, a former executive in the mortgagde industry who opened 5280 WineTour Co. about six monthd ago, said her weekly tour groups have nearly triplecd as more people discoverthe industry.
The wine industry, whichy features designated trails in the GrandfJunction area, has become so important that Don executive director of the , flew to Texaw recently on a trip with stated tourism leaders. His pitcyh isn’t that people should travel to Colorado just todrinmk wine, but while here to ski or raft, they should seek out the growin g industry too. Breweries, meanwhile, are just starting to organiz e and emphasize their rolein tourism. There are no beer trailsd yet, but there is a beer map. who runs a video business in Colorado created a printed map pinpointing every breweryu and brewpub inthe state, and expanded on it with an interactive web map as well.
It’s been especially populaer with out-of-state residents and can be found in bookstored andliquor stores, he said. Kris Oyler, co-founder of Steamworkzs Brewing in Durango and chairman of theBrewerws Guild’s new marketing said he’s seen a numbef of people come into his business lately with checklists of area breweriesz they’re visiting. Like wine they may be in the state for other reasonz but go out of their way tovisitt breweries, he said. Visit Denvee is organizing the firsrt Denver Beer Week around the time ofthe 24-26 Great American Beer Festival, an annualp Denver event that brought in 432 breweries and 46,00p visitors last year.
Modeled after similar weeks in San Franciscooand Philadelphia, it will feature 50 to 60 tapping or dining events, all listed on a websitde and maybe kicked off with a parade, said Rich Grant, director of communicatione at Visit Denver. “We definitely see a rising trend as far asbeer tourism,” Oyler And state tourism officials will drink to Colorado Breweries: www.coloradobeer.org/brewers.html Colorado Wineries: www.coloradowine.com/wineries/wineriesList.cfm Beer Drinker’s Guide to Colorado: www.beerdrinkersguidetocolorado.com Great American Beer www.beertown.org/events/gabf 5280 Wine Tours Co.: www.5280winetoursco.
com Colorado Wine Countrg Tours: http://coloradowinecountrytours.com