Colorado - Temperatures can fall to 35 degrees below zero. The wind can blow in excess of 100 miles per hour. Baseball size hail comes without notice.
Colorado's climate can indeed be extreme. These conditions can occur throughout many areas of the state but are rare in the sheltered microclimates where Colorado's traditional peach and apple crops are grown. Certain isolated river valleys provide the protected environments required for wine grape growing in Colorado. The Grand Valley of the Colorado River and the West Elks along the North Fork Valley of the Gunnison River are home to nearly all of Colorado's vineyards. Wine grapes have been grown in these areas in small family vineyards since the end of the 19th Century.
Colorado's grape growing regions range in elevation from 4000 to 7000 feet and are thus among the highest vineyards in the world. The high elevations result in hot days accompanied by cool nights. Day to night temperature variations typically range from 25 to 30 degrees during the grape maturation months of August and September. The long warm daylight hours of intense high altitude sunlight mature the fruit completely and build the natural sugars. The cool evenings and nights allow the grapes to retain the acids so vital to premium winemaking.
Rainfall in the river valley microclimates generally ranges from 6 to 9 inches per year and the relative humidity is extremely low. The dry climate allows the irrigated grape grower to optimize the water available to the vines. The low relative humidity coupled with low winter temperatures minimizes vineyard disease problems thereby limiting pesticide spray applications.
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Winter hardiness is the major challenge facing the Colorado wine grape grower. Proper site selection, grape variety selection and evolving cold climate vineyard management practices are essential to successful viticulture in Colorado. Colorado's grape growing environment is unique and its viticulturists must develop the appropriate vineyard management techniques. The Colorado Wine Industry Development Board funds continuing research by Colorado State University. The research is performed at CSU's Orchard Mesa Research Center near Grand Junction and is designed to address specific production-development problems confronted by the state's grape growers. Progress has been substantial and the industry is rapidly defining optimal Colorado grape growing practices.
Vineyard acreage in Colorado had grown tremendously in the past decade. A 1983 census recorded 20 acres of grape vines under cultivation in the state. Today Colorado boasts 80 vineyards totaling 650 acres of vines. Nearly 65 percent of the acreage is located in Mesa County's Grand Valley American Viticultural Area (or AVA, a federally-designated grape growing region with unique characteristics). Adjacent Delta County and its West Elks AVA, along the North Fork of the Gunnison River, accounts for nearly 20 percent of the state's vines; virtually all of the grapes in Colorado are produced for winemaking.
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Eighty-five percent of the vineyard acreage is planted in premium vitis vinifera varietals. Merlot is the most widely planted varietal, accounting for 20 percent of the state's acreage. Chardonnay follows closely at 18 percent. Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz/Syrah, Cabernet Franc, White Riesling, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, and Gewurztraminer represent other significant plantings.
During the past twenty-five years the number of licensed wineries operating in the state has grown from one to forty-two. Premium grape and fruit wines produced by Colorado wineries are garnering widespread acclaim for their quality and have won numerous awards in national and international competitions.