We took a girls’ trip to Palisade and had such an amazing time! Our weekend included a soak at the hot springs, a safari style winery tour, and an endless amount of delicious wine. We even stayed on the property of one of the wineries! We loved the laid-back vibe of the town and we especially loved meeting local winemakers and business owners.

Iron Mountain Hot Springs

On the way to Palisade, we stopped at Iron Mountain Hot Springs in Glenwood Springs. These hot springs are about 5 minutes off I-70 and the perfect break for your road trip. They have 16 soaking pools of varying temps, a family pool, and food and beverage options! Your ticket allows for a 3 hour soak. We soaked about an hour while enjoying some cocktails (you can bring them in the hot springs with you!) and then ordered some food. This was the perfect way to start our trip!

Accommodations

We stayed at an Airbnb on Carboy Winery’s property - literally just steps away from the tasting room! We woke up to views of vineyards and Mt Garfield. This 3 bed/3bath house was perfect for our group. It was fully stocked with wine glasses and all kitchen amenities we could need. James, the host, was great with communication ahead of the trip. We were also walking distance to Maison La Belle Vie Winery just across the street. This was such a great location to experience CO wine country!

Pali-Tours

Pali-Tours wine tour was a highlight of our weekend! Ahead of our trip, Dave chatted with us about our wine preferences to curate a custom experience for us. On the day of the trip, he picked us up at the front door of our Airbnb in a safari style vehicle. We were able to bring a cooler with food and drinks for the ride. We stopped at three wineries during our tour. Dave had great info about each winery and really nailed it when it came to picking ones we’d love! Our tour included: Restoration Vineyards, Colterris at the Overlook, and BookCliff Vineyards. We had a great experience and amazing views at all three. Dave mentioned he can include non-winery stops like the Alpaca Farm and Lavender Fields. He also has a few other tour options including Water to Wine (includes rafting!) and the Fruit Loops Package with tours of the orchards. Overall, it was a great experience that really allowed us to see and learn more about Palisade while also enjoying some excellent wine!

Sauvage Spectrum

There are so many amazing wineries in Palisade, but the one we will recommend over and over is Sauvage Spectrum. The Winemaker, Patric Matysiewski and the Grapegrower, Kaibab Sauvage are so passionate about their wines and it really shows. They have so many varieties of wine from Sparkling to Old World and everything in between. Impressively, their wines are all made with 100% Colorado grown grapes and you know we love local! We were able to try all of the upcoming wines in the barrel room and they were truly amazing (so keep an eye out for those new releases!). A crowd favorite was the 2022 Teroldego, with flavors of blackberry, pomegranate and cocoa powder. We also absolutely love that they have Frosé and Wine cocktails. They paired perfectly with our charcuterie board from Taste of Palisade!

We had such a wonderful weekend in Colorado wine country. Not only was the wine incredible, but everyone was so warm and welcoming. It is certainly a gem of a city we are lucky to have within driving distance. With over 20 local wineries, we will most certainly be back to try more! Have a favorite Palisade winery? Drop it in the comments!