For Colorado's fledgling wine industry, less means better in what's shaping up to be a good year for grape quality on the West Slope and possibly all of Colorado.

A good year is important for Colorado's vintners, in need of a breakout year. The industry is stuck in a chicken-and-egg scenario: It needs a big grape, a great grape and lots of it. Some good vintages have emerged, but not frequently enough and then there's not enough of the good wine to make a national impact. A news-making wine would go a long way to bringing in investment dollars that would boost the industry.

"I think it's going to be a good crop," said Parker Carlson, owner of Carlson Vineyards Winery on East Orchard Mesa to the Grand Junction Sentinel's Bob Kretschman. "It might be down a little (in quantity) from last year, but the quality is up."

This year's grape crop is better because of more rain, producing a fruitier grape with lots of flavor, the story said. Most growers are reporting a favorable crop, an industry official said. The state is coming off of five years of drought and the vines paid a price.

Wine production in this state is concentrated on the Western Slope, which accounts for more than two-thirds of the wineries. Production grew from just under 100,000 liters in 1995 to 689,000 liters last year, the story said.

Agriculture in Colorado is still a big industry but it has lost ground as farmers sell their land to developers for housing tracts. A larger wine industry could help out agriculture in this state.

Another problem that has to be solved is a tangle of regulations that has left Colorado vintners confused over whether they can ship their wine out of state. As a result, all of Colorado's wine is purchased in state, according to Doug Caskey, executive director of the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board.

As one who has bought and tasted Colorado wines over the years, I can attest to the fact that the quality of wines can be spotty. In my mind, the industry isn't there yet, in terms of reliability and establishing a year-after-year record of consistency.

That doesn't mean success can't be had. Sooner or later, larger, more efficient operations with good distribution channels will emerge, either from consolidation or growth of current wineries.

Compiled from news reports. Keith DuBay is online editor of ColoradoBiz.