Colorado wine production reached 206,233 case equivalents in fiscal year 2022, while Colorado wine accounted for 1,856,099 liters and 2.4848% of wine sold in the state in fiscal year 2021/22. The available series also shows a large increase in reported case-equivalent production from 12,573 cases in fiscal year 1995. The figures below separate fiscal-year production, fiscal-year sales measures, regional volume, reported grape use, and the 2022 Census of Agriculture.
Contents
- Long-run production in cases
- Liters and share of Colorado wine sales
- Recent production and market-share comparison
- Regional distribution of wine volume
- Reported grape-use tonnage
- Colorado grape farms and acreage in 2022
Long-run production in cases
The long-run series from Colorado Wine Production and Market Share reports production equivalents in cases by fiscal year. It begins with 12,573 cases in fiscal year 1995 and records progressively higher totals through fiscal year 2020 before a lower 2021 figure. The series is a production-equivalent measure; it should not be treated as a count of individual bottles or as the same measure as liters sold in Colorado.
Reported case-equivalent production was:
- 12,573 cases in fiscal year 1995.
- 35,346 cases in fiscal year 2000.
- 76,545 cases in fiscal year 2005.
- 107,293 cases in fiscal year 2010.
- 123,904 cases in fiscal year 2012.
- 148,428 cases in fiscal year 2015.
- 178,992 cases in fiscal year 2018.
- 227,913 cases in fiscal year 2019.
- 259,197 cases in fiscal year 2020.
- 201,417 cases in fiscal year 2021.
- 206,233 cases in fiscal year 2022.
The highest reported case-equivalent total in this supplied series is 259,197 cases in fiscal year 2020. The following fiscal year is reported at 201,417 cases, followed by 206,233 cases in fiscal year 2022. Those years should be read as separate annual observations, not as a forecast or an explanation of why the totals changed.
Source: Colorado Wine Production and Market Share.
Liters and share of Colorado wine sales
The same source reports both liters of Colorado wine and Colorado wine’s percentage of all wine sold in Colorado. These are fiscal-year sales measures, with periods running from 2012/13 through 2021/22. The percentage is a share of wine sold in Colorado, while the liter figure is the reported Colorado wine volume.
The series starts at 1,268,101 liters and a 2.0170% share in fiscal year 2012/13. In 2013/14, the reported volume was 1,105,201 liters and the share was 1.6977%. The next two fiscal years were 1,335,850 liters and 1.9890% in 2014/15, followed by 1,492,067 liters and 2.1858% in 2015/16.
For 2016/17, Colorado wine accounted for 1,595,848 liters and 2.1840% of wine sold in the state. In 2017/18, the figures were 1,610,927 liters and 2.2040%. The reported volume then rose to 2,051,221 liters in 2018/19, when the share was 2.8421%.
The largest liter total in this ten-period sales series was 2,332,772 liters in fiscal year 2019/20, alongside a 3.1009% share. The following periods were lower in liters: 1,812,754 liters and 2.3988% in 2020/21, then 1,856,099 liters and 2.4848% in 2021/22.
Source: Colorado Wine Production and Market Share.
Recent production and market-share comparison
The production-equivalent and in-state-sales series use different units and periods, so they are best kept side by side rather than combined. The case figures are fiscal-year production equivalents. The liter and percentage figures are fiscal-year sales observations for the corresponding slash-year period.
| Measure | Earlier reported period | Later reported period |
|---|---|---|
| Production equivalents | 178,992 cases, FY 2018 | 206,233 cases, FY 2022 |
| Colorado wine volume sold in state | 2,051,221 liters, FY 2018/19 | 1,856,099 liters, FY 2021/22 |
| Share of wine sold in Colorado | 2.8421%, FY 2018/19 | 2.4848%, FY 2021/22 |
| Share of in-state wine value | 6.0700%, FY 2018/19 | 5.3069%, FY 2021/22 |
The value-share series provides another view of Colorado wine’s position in the state market. Colorado wine represented 5.4793% of the value of wine sold in Colorado in fiscal year 2012/13. The reported value shares were 4.6120% in 2013/14, 4.2479% in 2014/15, 4.6682% in 2015/16, 4.6643% in 2016/17, and 4.7071% in 2017/18.
The value share was 6.0700% in 2018/19 and 6.6226% in 2019/20. It then stood at 5.1231% in 2020/21 and 5.3069% in 2021/22. These percentages describe the value of wine sold in Colorado, not the number of cases, liters, or grape-farm acreage.
Source: Colorado Wine Production and Market Share.
Regional distribution of wine volume
For fiscal year 2021/22, the source divides Colorado wine volume among Front Range wineries, Grand Valley AVA wineries, and Western Slope wineries outside the Grand Valley. Together, the reported regional observations describe the distribution of 1,856,099 liters reported for Colorado wine in that fiscal-year sales period.
Front Range wineries reported 911,021 liters, representing 49.08% of Colorado wine volume. Grand Valley AVA wineries reported 667,638 liters, representing 35.97%. Western Slope wineries outside the Grand Valley reported 277,440 liters, representing 14.95%.
| Region | Reported volume | Share of Colorado wine volume | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front Range | 911,021 liters | 49.08% | FY 2021/22 |
| Grand Valley AVA | 667,638 liters | 35.97% | FY 2021/22 |
| Western Slope outside Grand Valley | 277,440 liters | 14.95% | FY 2021/22 |
These regional shares are specific to the fiscal year and categories named in the source. They are not a statewide map of every grape-growing acre and should not be substituted for the farm-size distribution reported in the agricultural census.
Source: Colorado Wine Production and Market Share.
Reported grape-use tonnage
Colorado wineries reported grape-use tonnage for each fiscal year from 2012/13 through 2021/22. The measure is reported grape-use tonnage, not finished wine volume. It therefore provides a separate production input series alongside the case-equivalent and liter measures.
Reported tonnage was 1,935.03 tons in 2012/13 and 1,315.13 tons in 2013/14. The next observations were 1,542.93 tons in 2014/15, 2,011.29 tons in 2015/16, and 1,961.21 tons in 2016/17. The series continued with 1,819.77 tons in 2017/18 and 1,943.41 tons in 2018/19.
For 2019/20, wineries reported 1,538.44 tons. The reported total was 975.12 tons in 2020/21 and 429.65 tons in 2021/22. The supplied source does not provide an explanation for the year-to-year movement, so these figures are presented as observations rather than causes or forecasts.
Source: Colorado Wine Production and Market Share.
Colorado grape farms and acreage in 2022
The 2022 Census of Agriculture—County Data Colorado, Table 71 counted 297 Colorado farms growing grapes, including muscadine, with 1,004 bearing and nonbearing acres. The census also reported farm counts and acreage across five harvested-size classes.
The 1-to-9-acre harvested-size class contained 127 grape farms and 113 acres. The 10-to-49-acre class contained 112 farms and 451 acres. The 50-to-69-acre class contained 13 farms and 55 acres. The 70-to-99-acre class contained 13 farms and 43 acres. Finally, the 100-to-139-acre class contained 4 farms and 15 acres.
| Harvested-size class | Farms | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 9 acres | 127 | 113 |
| 10 to 49 acres | 112 | 451 |
| 50 to 69 acres | 13 | 55 |
| 70 to 99 acres | 13 | 43 |
| 100 to 139 acres | 4 | 15 |
The Census of Agriculture observations are for calendar year 2022 and describe farms growing grapes, including muscadine. The winery production and sales observations above use fiscal years and different units. Keeping those periods and definitions distinct is important when reading Colorado wine production statistics.