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In the NoCo

Colorado Crush: Climate, culture, characters define state's growing wine industry

David Kohler
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Growing wine grapes in Colorado is a tricky, but not impossible, venture. KUNC's Rae Solomon spoke with growers and researchers about the state's blossoming industry. She joined the show to tell us more.

Colorado’s wine-growing roots trace back to the 1800s when Italian miners brought wine culture to the state. The grape-growing industry would later become a casualty of Prohibition when grape vines were torn from the earth at the government’s behest. It wasn’t until the early 1970s that wine started to make a comeback in the state.

Today, wine culture in Colorado is having a moment. A recent Colorado State University study suggests Colorado’s wine country could keep expanding into new parts of the state. KUNC’s Rae Solomon recently sorted through the grapes and vines of it all. She tells us more just in time for your holiday menu planning.

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.
I am the Rural and Small Communities Reporter at KUNC. That means my focus is building relationships and telling stories from under-covered pockets of Colorado.