Every fall my family has a tradition where we travel to Happy Apple Farms for a morning or early afternoon of fruit picking and then follow that with a wine tasting and picnic at the Winery at Holy Cross Abbey. This tradition has been going on for as long as I can remember us living in Colorado, except for 2020 when the pandemic shut down everything!

If you’ve read some of my previous blog posts, you know my love of picnics so that part of this adventure shouldn’t be a surprise. My affection for orchards goes even farther back when I was a child visiting my grandparent’s (on my mom’s side) farm in Iowa. They had a wonderful fruit orchard with a single cherry tree at the very end. I remember many a summer in that orchard being terrorized by the farm cat as I headed back to the house. Grandma also has an amazing vegetable garden where I ate many a snap pea right off the vine. They had pigs and cows and a huge mulberry tree over the pig pen. It is amazing how big Mulberries can grow with just the right amount of fertilizer! When Andy and I lived in Columbus Ohio, we also visited apple orchards in the fall. As I reflect on this, my endeavor to seek out orchards in Colorado is not surprising nor is my gravitation toward Palisade!

The planning of our adventure was a little different this year, again thanks to Covid. To participate in a tasting, the winery asks that you make a reservation. So, this year we did and then worked backwards from that in the planning of our trip. On a beautiful Saturday morning (8:00 am) in August we headed off to the orchard which is about a two and a half hour drive from Denver to Penrose. The orchard is called Happy Apple Farms and it is located at 1190 1st street, Penrose, CO 81240, 719-429-6300, www.happyapplefarm.com.

Their hours of operations are Thursday – Sunday from 9:00 am – 4:30 pm when it is picking season. Currently their pumpkin patch is open, and pumpkins are going for .75 lb. They grow a variety of fruits of which we have picked all of them at some point and time. They grow several types of Apples, Pears, Blackberries, Raspberries and Gooseberries, as well as a whole variety of pumpkins. We discovered the Gooseberries one year when we came too early with our friends Laurie and David (it was their first time) and these tart little berries were the only thing available to pick!

In addition to the activity of picking your own fruit, Happy Apple Farms also hosts free Hayrides, has a deli and a gift shop. The shop is packed with all sorts of tasty treats including but not limited to local honey, mouthwatering jams, roasted Pueblo chilis (on weekends), fresh pressed pasteurized fall harvest apple cider and fresh cold pressed unpasteurized apple cider, plus lemonade, iced tea and spiced apple cider. The farm requires no admission fee or reservations, and pets are welcome so it can be a good time for the whole family, fur babies too!

After we’ve picked our fill of fruit, it is onto our next stop. The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey is about a twenty-minute drive from the farm located at 3011 US-50 in Canon City, Colorado, 81212. Their summer hours are Monday – Saturday 10 am – 6 pm with Sunday from 12:00 to 5:00 pm. January – March they are open from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. All tastings are currently occurring outdoors, and space is limited so reservations are recommended, 719-276-5191. Last tasting seating is at 4:40 or 3:30 pm on Sundays and during their winter hours. They are following the statewide Covid guidelines so make sure you have a mask with you.

Flight tastings are $8.00 with an option to upgrade. The winery also now has an option to order food, or you can picnic on their vast east lawn which is in front of their tasting room. We always picnic of course. Our picnics usually alternate between an antipasto plate with three different cheeses, apples, or pears (usually apples with this picnic because they are apples from Happy Apple Farm), at least two different meats, nuts and dried fruit and a variety of crackers or a baguette. The other picnic option is replacing the cured meats with fried chicken. Although I’m not a dessert person, I will throw in a sweet of some kind, either Pepperidge Farm cookies or dark chocolate candies. All this tasty goodness is of course accompanied by a bottle of wine from the Abbey!

This is where the tasting comes in handy, we taste before we picnic, so we know what to order for the picnic. Andy and I are fans of their reds including the Cabernet Sauvignon (both regular and reserve), Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and their Colorado Revelation which is a blend. Sometimes I enjoy their Chardonnay and we enjoy the Colorado Merlot Divinity which is a dessert wine that is Port style (Andy and I are huge fans of Port). I have included a list of their wines below:

The Wines:

Sauvignon Blanc

Colorado Viognier (made with Palisade grapes!)

Monterey Chardonnay

Colorado Cabernet Franc

Colorado Syrah

Colorado Merlot

Colorado Merlo Reserve

Colorado Cabernet Sauvignon

Colorado Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Colorado Revelation (blend)

Sangre de Christo Nouveau (sweet)

Wild Canyon Harvest (blend + sweet rose)

Vineyard Sunset White Zinfandel (blend)

Apple Blossom (fruit wine with Gala and Granny Smith apples)

Riesling (Colorado grapes)

After we finish our picnic, our final stop is the winery’s gift shop that carries rich, colorful textiles from Provence, elegant crystal from Italy, plus wine accessories abound. They carry 100% Virgin Olive Oil and amazing Modenese Balsamic Vinegar, as well as cookbooks and books on wine! There Balsamic is to die for, I pick up a bottle every time we go! All in all, it is a lovely fall day and if you’re not familiar with either Happy Apple Farms or The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey I highly recommend checking these places out. It is a shorter trip from Denver than to Palisade and can be completed in a day!

Happy Apple Farm + The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey

Garden Surprises

Cross Country Skiing