Winery at Holy Cross Abbey

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.

• 📍 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 →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

Verified 2026-06-09.