Entry No. 42 — the Colorado Springs file — filed under: winery
Winery at Holy Cross Abbey
“grown on 22 acres inside the East Cañon City state penitentiary”
A Benedictine monastery winery that exists entirely because a monk attended an exorcism and got smitten with winemaking — Father Paul Montoya was dispatched to Palisade to bless a winery plagued by falling beams and foul smells, came back a convert, and persuaded the abbey to open its own label in 2002. The "Wild Cañon Harvest" rosé carries a detail almost too strange to print: the grapes are grown on 22 acres inside the East Cañon City state penitentiary complex by inmates through Colorado Correctional Industries' Juniper Valley Farms, making the supply chain arguably the most unusual in Colorado wine. The abbey itself — a functioning Benedictine monastery — is the backdrop for tastings held in a calm, sun-drenched tasting room that most Royal Gorge day-trippers roll straight past on US-50.
The move: Drive the 45 minutes down US-50 from Colorado Springs, taste the Wild Cañon Harvest rosé while you explain to your date exactly where those grapes were grown, then wander the Gothic abbey grounds before anyone else figures out this place exists.
📍 Before you go The winery sits about three miles east of downtown Cañon City, on the abbey campus on the north side of the highway — the tasting room is a 1911 arts-and-crafts house that was once part of the monastery's boys' school, with ample free on-site parking and a tree-shaded picnic lawn out front where you can uncork a bottle. It's a working religious campus, so keep things low-key and respectful. The room is open year-round, but warmer months are best for lingering on the grounds; hours shift seasonally, so check ahead. Downtown's Museum of Colorado Prisons and the Arkansas Riverwalk make easy add-ons.</know_before> </invoke>
- 📍 Cañon City
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 3011 E US Hwy 50, Cañon City, CO 81212
Hours: Added 2026-06-09 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: palatepress.com · Westword · thirstcolorado.com · Yelp
last checked: 2026-06-09