Food/Wine in Palisades, Colorado?

[mtnjam]

Mrs. Mtnjam and I are heading down to Moab for a few nights and then back up to Fruita for some riding and hiking next week.

She wants to hit up some wineries in the Palisades area, she's researched a few of them and ruled out some of the wineries that look far too hoity toity for our tastes and prices.
Any suggestions on which ones to hit up and drink good wine? We're used to most of the wineries around Boise/Eagle area with a laid back atmosphere and good wines.

Any places near Palisades to hit up for restaurants too? Definitely going to go to Hot Tomato Pizza in Fruita and the breakfast place right next to the bike shop (can't remember the name), but any other suggestions would be appreciated.

[Danno]

I don't think there's actually too much good wine in Palisade, but no idea which ones are better than others.

[skaredshtles]

I don't think there's actually too much good wine in Palisade, but no idea which ones are better than others.

I think you're right.

[Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo]

I think you're right.

You both are right, there isn't any outstanding wine in Palisade. It's been years since we went to any of the tasting rooms but I remember Two Rivers being nice and they used to have a few reds that were ok. Canyon Wind had a Viognier that I always liked but they're closed now.

For food Peche is the only restaurant that I would travel to Palisade for. Grand Junction has Bin 707 and 626 on Rood, which are both good if you're looking for a nicer place, otherwise you're looking at brewpubs and chain restaurants. Despite some slowly shifting demographics, the Grand Valley still thinks of itself as a pretty blue-collar community and the dining choices sadly reflect that.

[chicken feathers]

Karma Kitchen in Fruita was real good last I was there in fall 21.

[Foggy_Goggles]

Cattlemens in Loma is world class

Sent from my Turbo 850 Flatbrimed Highhorse

[skaredshtles]

Cattlemens in Loma is world class

Sent from my Turbo 850 Flatbrimed Highhorse

Is that place new-ish?

[Buzzworthy]

I’ll chime back in later. While the wine isn’t fantastic there are a few decent wineries.
We stay at the Wine Country Inn a weekend a year there as my wife enjoys that getaway.

[brutah]

You both are right, there isn't any outstanding wine in Palisade. It's been years since we went to any of the tasting rooms but I remember Two Rivers being nice and they used to have a few reds that were ok. Canyon Wind had a Viognier that I always liked but they're closed now.

IMO Viognier is the best grape that grows in the Grand Valley or at least produces the best wines.

I've had a good time at the Colorado Wine Fest, but one winery had vineyards in CA and CO, and had samples from both. Those samples from California were definitely the best wine we had all day. Still a fun event if you're able to make it and we ended up leaving with a case of Colorado wine. I think it has already happened this year. It must have been over 5 years ago so I don't remember my favorite vineyards.

We typically hit up the Palisades brewery after riding the Palisades Rim, which can be biked or hiked. The hike-a-bike up to the rim is much more fun coming down FYI. Palisades brewery has good BBQ.

[cravenmorhead]

Sauvage spectrum has a laid-back microbrewery vibe. So does Red Fox Cellars - they're growing some interesting Italian grapes.

Colorado Vinters and the Ordinary Fellow are both good options for trying out wines from a number of different local wineries without having to go place-to-place.

I thought Bookcliff was pretty but had lousy wine. I've heard bad things about Colterris (basically a Napa wannabe vibe).

[Buzzworthy]

Since everyone is shitting on the place I’ll not bother my write up. Two of the decent wineries are listed above as shitty by craven so….

Sometime TGR just fucking sucks with everyone and their shitty opinions.

[Name Redacted]

Just post up at the "Happiest Little Corner in America". Brewery, Distillery, Pot Shop, and winery all on the same block.

As far as wineries, meh but who cares, go catch a buzz and ride bikes around. There's one with some big trees and nice charcuterie plates and stuff. I honestly don't know of any restaurants that I'd recommend despite frequenting the area many times in the past. There just isn't much. The distillery was probably the best food we found there.

FYI Basecamp is a pretty overpriced shithole of a campground IMHO. Great location though.

[snowaddict91]

FYI Basecamp is a pretty overpriced shithole of a campground IMHO. Great location though.

I'll agree, especially for the van sites. My 18' van stuck out of the parking space they gave us. The tent sites down by the river are nice though and would definitely fit a van in a flat parking spot.

I won't comment on the wine, I'm not much of a wine guy. I like the palisade brewery and many of the cideries though.

[rudy]

Since everyone is shitting on the place I’ll not bother my write up. Two of the decent wineries are listed above as shitty by craven so….

Sometime TGR just fucking sucks with everyone and their shitty opinions.

Don't be so sensitive, just post up your opinion just like he did with his...

[Buzzworthy]

Don't be so sensitive, just post up your opinion just like he did with his...

Maybe later. I’m busy hating on people in general right now. Too many assholes today so far.

[Foggy_Goggles]

Napa in the desert it is not. Palisade is where the Rose All Day Crowd goes to sit their pasty "Mountain Town 7" asses out by the Pool and get white girl wasted.



Sent from my Turbo 850 Flatbrimed Highhorse

[mtnjam]

Maybe later. I’m busy hating on people in general right now. Too many assholes today so far.

I have plenty of those days at the hospital, I get it.

I'd like to hear your take on Palisade wines as Mrs. Mtnjam plans to go to one of the places someone listed as shitty. I get the Napa vibe thing, but who cares as long as they make decent wine. I'm curious about the Red Fox Cellars and some of the Italian grapes they have and are turning into wine.

Thanks for all the other recommendations everyone, keep 'em coming.

[mud]

Peaches are what you want in Palisades.

https://www.visitgrandjunction.com/p...peach-festival

[Foggy_Goggles]

As in actually good wine or playing the game of talking the talk swishing it around in the glass and using words like "leathery, notes, tones" and so on?

It's Palisade Colorado. The peaches are delish, the wine, not so much. They've created a scene, it's an up and coming place with cute AirBnBs.

Seriously. I liked this but I didn't like that is how it goes. People like it. It's fun.

Sent from my Turbo 850 Flatbrimed Highhorse

[MakersTeleMark]

The meadery is excellent. 2nd the BBQ at the brewery.

https://www.talonwinebrands.com/visit-us/

[Buzzworthy]

Preface, not a wine drinker besides one wine ever. And it is here in Palisade. Give me a beer and a dab/rip/jay any day.

There are several handfuls of AirBnBs in Palisade. Lots of nice old houses in the country too.

But I like a good ole hotel with a pool/hot tub with a bar on site. https://coloradowinecountryinn.com/accommodations/ hits all of those and a few more.
Since they are surrounded by their own rows of vines, you get a free tasting of their wines each evening around 5 I believe. Perfect for the wife and she gets mine too. I grab a cold beer from the bar (Tapestry Lounge), https://coloradowinecountryinn.com/w...Dinner2023.pdf and everyone is happy. Especially because the beer is from Palisade Brewery right down the street.

We also will make a reservation in the Tapestry Lounge to eat instead of Caroline's onsite restaurant. Same kitchen, different menus. Bar ambiance is preferable to this couple. It may sound odd but the best thing on the menu there is their grilled cheese. You'll know what I am saying when you take your first bite. Even my wife ate part of mine with her dinner and she was disappointed she did not order what her child of a husband did. It's fucking fantastic.

CHEESE TOASTIE..$15
Cheddar, Gruyere & Havarti served on toasted sourdough served with a cup of Chef’s Tomato Fennel Cream Soup & small salad.

Pool is normally a nice comfortable temp. Gets lots of sun. Hot tub gets more shade. Towels provided at the pool in a bin. Lounges and chairs by the pool with a few shade gazebos. Can bring drinks (no glass) to the pool/tub. Or walk into the bar basically right there and buy drinks. We normally are there in late July to mid August for peaches, so it's hot as fuck there in the sun.

Also due to the large fields of grapes, makes for a perfect hidden spot to smoke my nightly infused joint from Happy Camper and gaze at the stars.
Its a nice walk over to their tasting room from the hotel, https://granderivervineyards.com.

In the late am we hit https://www.derococellars.com first as it is directly next door. The wife will taste here as I wait for my gummy to kick in and take sips of hers.

Next we head to https://www.colterris.com/colterris-winery/ as it seems to be one of the farthest out. This is the wife's favorite and I know I am spending a few hours here. She loves the wine here, they have some nice charcuterie snacks on site for purchase and sitting outside in the wind under the trees is her jam and I'm happy to take her around for these tours. We got to talk to the owner on our last visit and she was wonderful, full of great knowledge of wine in the area and just a genuine person.

Directly next door is Happy Camper, https://thcpalisade.com. You'll likely smell them as you pass by. Items to note are their hash rosin badder and infused joints. The lovely city of Palisade adds a flat $10 fee onto your bill as a convenience for being there. I appreciate them so I don't bat an eye. Wonderful folks that are normally pretty damn stoned behind the counter which I love to see people enjoying their employment. This trip will take a while as nothing at all moves fast in Palisade, plus they're stoned. Bonus, wife drinks more wine. What a win win this is.

Next up, down the road, across the river and up the hill to https://bookcliffvineyards.com for a nice view. Hopefully the neighbors dog will come up to see you, he's been there the last few times we were. This is our second favorite and we take a bit of time here as well. Also because I am doing a bit of drinking here. Being a total wine Jong, I do love their Riesling. Hey, it's a start to my wine journey. They have a little building at the top of the hill above the parking lot to get your wine and then there is outside seating with a newly covered patio area this last year. There are some chairs out in the grass as well and a nice view of the valley.

There are several that we have been told to skip, some are real tiny and are not open much, some were expensive and some are just flat in the sun with no shade and no inside seating. I don't have those names as I just hear from the seat next to me, no don't stop here, this one sucks. So I just drive to the next.

Which is the https://palisadebrewingcompany.com/beer/. Time for food and I definitely want a beer at this point. The food hits. https://palisadebrewingcompany.com/menu/

Next up is https://redfoxcellars.com for some cider and my wife's favorite Watermelon Rose-ito (with a fancy e) from the Fox-Tails Menu, $9 and very refreshing. https://redfoxcellars.com/files/2023...Tails-Menu.png

On the ciders, if you find yourself wanting to waste money on a flight of very weird cider flavors, do not. Gross.
The Cider Winder is a good apple blend cider, dry with 0 residual sugar. I enjoy that one.

At this point we are good on drinking and its back to the pool.

We went to dinner one night at https://peachstreetdistillers.com
Food was meh. Unfortunately their long time bartender had just quit so they had a newbie like 2 weeks into his career behind a bar. The drinks sucked amazingly bad and I hope that poor guy moved onto something more within his range.
Hope things have turned around there, has potential to be good. Directly next to the brewery.

Good sandwiches and ciders for something a bit lighter than brew fare, https://www.13brixciderbistro.com

Also across the street from Wine Country is https://www.palisadepeachshack.com. Softserve peach, peach and vanilla swirl, or vanilla and its a must. Also grabbed sandwiches to go here that came with a salad for one of the days drinking. Bring a cooler and you're golden. Peaches are decent here and we have purchased some to take home on the way out of town.

One last plug for https://coloweedery.com. They have some pretty tasty flower. I like to stay away from pre-packaged when I can. They have their owned branded concentrates that do the job and are a bit less expensive than Happy Camper.

I hope you enjoy your trip.

I may have to fix/remove a few links so bare with me.

[rideit]

I can’t believe how polite everyone has been to the folks who accidentally have added an S where it shouldn’t be.

[frorider]

I only counted one plural in the thread, in the OP yeah?

[mtnjam]

I hope you enjoy your trip.

Thanks my man. Hope you have a great rest of your day.