Monday, April 02, 2007
Area 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 expectationsThe Tribune, P. Kim Bui
Tags:
San Luis Obispo Central Coast WineLabels: Central Coast Wine, Wine Business
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
The first study on the wine industry's impact in San Luis Obispo County is out and it shows the region is at a tipping point in becoming a Napa or Sonoma Valley.
The study found wine grape vines like these in San Luis Obispo County are generating more than one-and-a-half billion dollars for the local economy and if the industry plans correctly it could start to generate even more.
The study commissioned by the Economic Vitality Corporation and the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance shows the wine grape industry in San Luis Obispo County is now triple the size it was ten years ago.
The rapid growth ranks Paso Robles and the greater San Luis Obispo County third in the state, just behind Napa and Sonoma Valleys.
To bring in even more money to the local economy the study recommends the industry plan wisely.
Some of the ways the wine and wine grapes industries impact San Luis Obispo County's economy are, the industries pay 162 million dollars in wages, the region's wine's retail value is 763 million dollars, and the industries generate 97 million dollars in tourism.
Story:
Avenue WineSource: Press Release: "Paso Robles and Greater San Luis Obispo Wine and Wine Grape Industries Have $1.566 Billion Impact," PASO ROBLES, Calif.–March 3, 2007
Tags:
San Luis Obispo Central Coast WineLabels: Central Coast Wine, Wine Business
Monday, January 08, 2007
Vintners and growers in the Paso Robles wine region are working on a proposal to create several AVAs within Paso Robles. Following the example set by Napa, part of the proposal is that in addition to the AVA, Paso Robles would be listed on every bottle. The development reflects the region's rapid growth and determination to work as a cohesive group, promoting the region and strengthening the brand equity that's been created there.
Bearing acres of winegrapes have more than doubled since 1999 in Paso Robles, and the region has grown to include more than 120 wineries and 26,000 vineyard acres, making it roughly the same size as Washington, in terms of planted acres.
The region faces a dilemma seen in several other areas, such as Monterey, Mendocino and Lake counties. More than half of all winegrapes grown in Paso Robles are sold outside the Paso Robles AVA, with most of them going into Central Coast and California appellation programs. And less than one-third are sold as wines with a Paso Robles AVA.
That looks to be changing, however, and growers in Paso Robles have been focusing on regional branding to increase awareness.
As with other grape growing areas, vintners in Paso Robles seem to understand that the more the region can invest in regional branding, the higher the perceived value of Paso Robles wine grapes will be, and the more wineries will see a need to highlight Paso Robles on their labels.
Article:
How Will Global Sourcing Affect the Future of the Wine Industry?Wine Business Monthly, Cyril Penn
Tags:
San Luis Obispo Central Coast WineLabels: Central Coast Wine, Wine Business