After counting up the remaining votes from Denver, Proposition 125 changed direction and narrowly passed, letting Coloradans buy a bottle of wine at the grocery store.

Grocery and convenience stores with a license to sell beer can begin selling wine March 1. That’s approximately 1,819 licensees as of June 2021, according to the Department of Revenue. They’ll also be able to offer beer and wine tastings. 

“We’re pleased that Coloradans will soon be able to pick up a bottle of wine when purchasing groceries,” said Rick Reiter, campaign director for Wine in Grocery Stores. “Consumer habits are evolving, and it was inevitable that either this election, or one soon thereafter, that Colorado would become the 40th state to have wine in grocery stores.”

The measure was losing by less than a percentage point for most of election night and the next two days. The “yes” votes jumped ahead on the third evening. 

As votes were counted, the opinion was stark between rural and urban communities. Rural counties voted largely against Proposition 125 while the Denver metro area and El Paso County were in favor. 

Read more on ColoradoSun.com.