Growing value on the vine for SLO County wines

Paso’s Wine Country Alliance hopes to enhance the image — and the worth — of its wine grapes with aggressive brandingBy Ermina Karimekarim@thetribunenews.comBuy a bottle of California wine, and you may be savoring the terroir of Paso Robles.
As much as 70 percent to 80 percent of the grapes grown in Paso Robles wine country leave the county and are purchased by some of the country's largest wine companies. The grapes are often blended into wines labeled only as coming from California.
Despite rapid growth in the number of wineries in the North County in recent years, there just are not enough to process all of the grapes grown.
While this is no longer an issue in the much smaller wine appellations of the South County, the exodus of North County grapes translates into lost economic value for San Luis Obispo County in terms of processing jobs and grape prices.
By aggressively branding the region — through nationwide marketing campaigns highlighting local wineries and grape growers — the Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance hopes to enhance the image and value of its wines and wine grapes.
Supply/demand imbalance
Spanish Conquistadors and Franciscan missionaries in the late 1700s planted the first vineyards in Paso Robles. Viticultural activity rapidly expanded in the early part of the last century, with many of the region’s current grape varieties planted in the 1960s and 1970s. The Paso Robles and York Mountain appellations were officially recognized in 1983....for more of the story from San Luis Obispo Tribune