Drink Colorado wine

Is there any activity more quentisential in wine country than a picnic with a cold bottle of white wine? Methinks not. Bringing a backpack filled with cheese and crackers, and a few fresh mozzerala and basil sandwiches to pair with a delightful viognier is simply heaven. While Palisade still could use a cheese shop in town that serves gourmet sandwiches, there are still fantastic ways to picnic. Grab food at the grocery store or head into Grand Junction to build a proper picnic basket. Once that is squared away, the only question that remains is where to go to enjoy an hour or so.

Truthfully, with sweeping views of desert mesas in every direction in the heart of Colorado wine country, it’s hard not to find a good picnic spot. These three just seem to have it a little better though.

3. High Country Orchards
While the owners of High Country Orchards just bottled their first wine (Colterris Cabernet), this is a peach farm first. It sits atop East Orchard Mesa, on a cliff several hundred feet above the Colorado River. The views of Mount Garfield and the Bookcliffs are striking as is the peek down into the fertile valley below. There’s a gazebo about a quarter mile from the main buildings on the property in the middle of the peach trees that takes in all the surrounding natural beauty. The High Country Orchards store supplies cold drinks, jams and juicy fresh peaches, but bring sandwiches and cheese and crackers to serve as the main course. It’d also be advantageous to bring up a bottle of chilled white, since High Country’s bold new red might be a little too hot for a 100-degree picnic.

2. Canyon Wind Cellars
The first step to a successful picnic at Canyon Wind is transportation. Cruiser bicycles are highly recommended. The grassy area right in front of the tasting room, down a long dirt road bordered by a stone wall looks so much more like a quintessential picnic spot with a few bicycles leaning in the background. The perfect area sits just below a massive old-growth tree that keeps the entire area shaded. Canyon Wind has several solid, crisp bottles of white that will accompany the feast well.

1. Reeder Mesa Vineyards
Reeder Mesa is in the running for most beautiful vineyard in the Grand Valley area. While just outside of Palisade, it's close enough for this list. It’s a little off the beaten track on the Mesas Wine Trail, and the road that leads to the vineyard goes all the way up to Grand Mesa. Outside the tasting room is a large deck that overlooks the vines, mountain tops of the Uncompahgre Plateau and blue sky. The official mascot of the vineyard is named Trooper. He’s a golden retriever that likes a good belly rub and will probably join any picnickers. Grab a bottle of the Reader Mesa unoaked chardonnay to pair with lunch.

Photo: Reeder Mesa's deck/Reeder Mesa Vineyards

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