The English Maximalista

I’m certain that most of us have been in the situation where we have driven past a venue dozens — if not hundreds — of times, with every intention of visiting that particular place at some point in the near future. 

Until one day, we drive past, and the place is closed. The opportunity to visit is forever lost.

This ALMOST happened to us, recently. Except, thankfully, I happened to catch a news report on a Colorado Springs radio station, stating that a local venue was in danger of closing this September, unless they could find a buyer.

The venue in question was The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey in Cañon City, a small town not too far from where we live.

Cañon City is a place Mr Maximalista and I go to about once a month, give or take. Sometimes we walk our dog along the Tunnel Drive Trail. Sometimes we simply fancy popping to a different Walmart or Home Depot, rather than the ones we generally frequent. For Father’s Day, I treated Mr Maximalista to an afternoon out on the Royal Gorge Railroad, after which we had some delicious burgers at the Whitewater Rooftop Social.

And you can guarantee that on every one of these occasions, we have driven past Holy Cross Abbey and remarked that we have to go there sometime.

Well, dear reader, today was the day that we finally got around to it!

And thank goodness we went, because it was terrific. We will definitely be returning again soon.

*****

The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey is located in a cottage across from the actual Abbey; we had expected the tasting room to be in the Abbey itself, and were mildly disappointed that it was not.

However, once seated on the covered patio at the winery, we quickly got over our brattishness when we realised we would be looking AT the Abbey, rather than looking out FROM it.

The patio also overlooked their modest vineyards, with a stunning backdrop of the Rocky Mountains. It was a sunny afternoon, with temps in the 90s, and we felt like we could easily have been sitting in Napa or Sonoma.

Mr M ordered a flight of reds, whereas I ordered the whites, which we shared with each other, maximalising our tasting. We tried the following:

Whites

Sauvignon Blanc reserve

Chardonnay

The Astrologist (white blend)

Riesling

Reds

Cabernet Franc

Merlot

Cabernet Sauvignon

Syrah

Plus we both had a glass of their house red blend, The Alchemist.

First, let me preface that ALL of the wines we tasted were EXCELLENT… but my absolute fave was their Cabernet Sauvignon; The Alchemist (red) and Riesling (white) came in joint second. 

***** 

A variety of nibbles were also available to purchase from their cheese board. Being from Wisconsin, Mr Maximalista of course had to order some cheese curds. And being from England, I simply had to order their 5-year aged cheddar.

We also ordered a third artisan cheese, Krakow, which perfectly accompanied the mild curds and sharp cheddar: all three were frankly excellent.

Once again, we are filled with an immense feeling of well-being and gratitude for having landed here in Colorado. The sun is shining. The wine is flowing. And we are happily besotted with each other.

Life is grand.

Wishing all of you a very happy Tuesday!

Lots of love,

M xo