SLO County Golf, Wine & Real EstateGolf, Wine & Real Estate News and Events Blog
More SLO County Wine GrowthMonday, April 02, 2007Area vintners and public officials are trying to capitalize on San Luis Obispo County's booming wine industry while they plan for more.Winery trade groups are taking steps to promote local wines and draw more tourists to area tasting rooms to increase sales. And city and county officials are making sure they're prepared to handle the growth, primarily by finding ways to reduce traffic congestion. In the last decade, the number of wineries in the county has tripled to 217. Most are in the Paso Robles area, which now accounts for 86 percent of the retail value of county wine. The growth is continuing. Last year, the county approved new or expanded wineries at the rate of one a month, most of them near Paso Robles. Jon Fredrikson, who has studied the California wine industry since 1970, believes the Paso Robles region is still in its infancy - and that it may get some of the market that Napa County is losing because of overdevelopment. Wine grapes now represent a third of the value of all crops grown countywide, according to the latest statistics available. They generate more than $61 million in state and local taxes and have an economic impact of about $1.6 billion, including 6,364 full-time jobs, according to a report by MKF Research of St. Helena, a wine business adviser. Article: Grape expectations The Tribune, P. Kim Bui Tags: San Luis Obispo Central Coast Wine Labels: Central Coast Wine, Wine Business |
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