Intro/Atmosphere—
As much as spooky season will always epitomize the arrival of fall for me, the 2024 Annual Harvest Festival @ The Winery At Holy Cross Abbey in Cañon City certainly gave this perception a run for its money.
From beginning to end, everything owner Larry Oddo and his team put together was utterly entrenched in celebrating all things autumnal. The wines, the food truck offerings, and the sundries featured by more than 20 merchants helped carry the theme of summer’s harvest into the cold winter months.
Artisanal tents that sold various food items ranging from bread to goat cheeses were sprinkled between artist huts and clothing vendors like Fine Alpaca Apparel—whose featured item was a line of cardigan sweaters made from alpaca wool. And at approximately every third stall was a tasting area for a different series of wines.
Thankfully, the people who planned the logistics of the festival had the foresight to keep these tents on the outer perimeter of the courtyard, making it relatively easy to follow a path that crossed each one’s opening.
While this layout left the courtyard completely open, it was quickly occupied by a giant mass of visitors; each of whom had brought their own lawn chair/table setups. This open-air seating served a few different purposes. A primary reason was that it made the main stage holding whatever band currently performing—in my case, it was the jazz fusion stylings of the group Hammerstadt Fusion Of The Soul—a center of attention.
Plus, not only did this lawn chair seating area allow for the capacity crowd an opportunity to get rest while under the shade provided by the large trees that dotted the landscape, but it also aided in people breaking bread and getting to know their neighbors.
Once Father Jesse Perez of St. Michaels’ Catholic Church began his “Blessing of the Harvest,” you quickly found out that this open-armed feeling was completely intentional.
During the entire blessing, two things were at the forefront. The first was that a group of peaceful Benedictine Monks started the winery in 1886. Between this foundation of brotherly love and the use of Biblical passages that focused on the importance of praising life—including that of your brother, and how the harvest is the wellspring for all life to continue through the harsh months—a genuine sense of benevolence was present in everything that was to come.
Including the incredible wine tasting …
Wines—
It must be said: the wines produced by The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey are totally worth the 100-minute drive from my home to the gift shop. Yes, they are that good. Whether you’re into sweeter whites or robust reds, I can promise they have enough of a varied, multi-award-winning selection to provide something for every unique taste preference.
Keeping that in mind, I have to admit that during the lengthy time I spent exploring their many options, I did come across one constant factor; the wines they produce tend to be a bit more dry in relation to what you might expect from a more “mainstream” vintner. Thankfully, I think this gives their selection a little more depth.
Out of everything I enjoyed, there was a quartet of wines that I feel not only exemplifies the best of what can be purchased at Holy Cross Abbey, but I believe they are also the ones I would be most likely to make the multi-hour trek for.
Call it divine intervention, call it what you will, but when I took that first sip of the Apple Blossom wine, everything in the world aligned and became right. Though “right” may come off as an odd word choice, it’s the most accurate. The light, crisp flavors of apples come through, letting you know that fall has arrived. Given the nature of the event—ushering in the season during its infancy—the Apple Blossom wine encompasses everything that could fall under the umbrella of “autumnal glory” in a single beverage. Though classified as a dessert wine, it was actually a bit drier than what you’d expect; it’s definitely not a sugar bomb like a Moscato. A crisp, refreshing drink that would be a welcome addition to any warm fall afternoon. If you love everything that a season like fall can offer, you’ll find it in this bottle.
Oftentimes Chardonnays can be a wolf in sheep’s clothing; you’re expecting something refreshing with a little tartness in the finish, and you find yourself with a mouthful of Jolly Rancher candy. I’m glad to report that when it comes to The Winery’s 2022 Monterey Chardonnay, you’ll have the complete opposite experience. This chardonnay is the perfect blend of sweet and dry with a buttery note that coats your mouth. It begins with a pleasant honey flavor that fades quickly to a tartness that, while noticeable, never gets to the point where you feel a tingle in your jaw. Though this wine is certainly a drink that would be welcome in the fall, I think it would make for the perfect rainy summer day beverage.
When it comes to reds, I would be hard-pressed to find a more interesting flavor profile than the one found in The Theurgist. When it first hit my tongue, my mind immediately screamed out “PINOT NOIR … ish … wait …” Yes, it starts with the familiarity of a red in the vein of a Pinot Noir, but then takes a left turn with a touch of spice before being consumed by a pleasingly tannic, smoky finish. Each sip holds a new adventure, and like any good “Choose Your Own Adventure” book, though you know what you’re ultimately in for, each time takes a slightly different path. This is especially true when The Theurgist is used for cooking; but, more on that in a minute
This is the most non-dessert dessert wine I’ve ever come across—in a good way. When you take a sip, the first thing you experience is the sweetness. Though it’s a potent hit, it never gets cloying. Following the sweet taste comes a flavor profile akin to a dry Merlot; a Merlot that’s dry enough to get the cheeks a-tinglin’. After a few sips, you realize that this sweet/tart dichotomy is the same addictive combination found in some of the top novelty candies sold worldwide. So please, heed this warning: if you’re someone who enjoys putting your taste buds on a roller-coaster ride, then approach this drink with discretion.
The Food—
With a bounty of food trucks (no pun intended) at the ready, there was no shortage of delicious options. The trucks that were selected offered a plethora of choices to the huge gathering, ranging from wood-fired pizza to handmade sausages to BBQ. With a majority of the dishes exceeding my expectations, I culled my favorites into a top-five list below.
Honey Pie/From The Flames:
With over 10 different pizza choices presented by the mobile wood-fired pizza truck company From The Flames, more than one person in line wasn’t quite sure what to pick. I was not one of them. When I saw they offered a pie that featured the combination of spicy pepperoni, a light dusting of chili flakes, and a judicious dribble of honey all placed upon a thin, floppy New York-style crust with a bubble-edged rim, I was immediately sold. This pizza has the most unique flavor profile of any pie I’ve ever come across, and one that I will probably spend a lot of time tracking down to enjoy again and again. Upon the first bite, it’s ALL honey. However, this explosion is incredibly short-lived and gives way to the sweetness found in the tomato sauce. This lays the perfect blanket for the heat from the pepperoni and chili flakes to take over. This heat lingers for a minute, allowing you to get a perfect sweet/heat blend with each following bite. This was easily my favorite dish found at the event, and one I cannot recommend highly enough.
Brisket Slider/Chicago Bob’s:
The brisket used on this sandwich is the best I’ve had in years. And when you consider that last month I attended the Q BBQ Fest in Denver (where I had a lot of the smoky beef), I think that says it all. The brisket itself was melt in your mouth and had all the hallmarks of what great BBQ should be. A thick smoke ring filled with hours of low and slow goodness accentuated by a slightly sweet and spicy sauce that’s offset beautifully by a large pickle chip. The balancing of flavors shows that Chicago Bob’s clearly has a deft hand and knows what they’re doing. Though the word Chicago has never been synonymous with beef brisket BBQ, I believe Chicago Bob’s has the ability to change all of that.
Pulled Pork Nachos/The Salty Cow:
The first thing you notice when you are served the Pulled Pork Nachos from The Salty Cow is that the box is literally larger than your head. By combining a base of white corn tortilla chips that’s completely smothered in a queso blanco sauce, before being covered with pulled pork that’s topped with a refreshing coleslaw, you are given a literal mountain of flavors and textures. The queso is creamy and salty. This accentuates the smokiness found in the pulled pork and its BBQ sauce, which is offset by the creamy sweet/sour duo found in the coleslaw. Even though I’ve had other pulled pork nachos before (including a different variation found at one of the food trucks at this same event), the ones served by The Salty Cow are on a different level. I promise that no matter how many BBQ-themed nachos you may have had in your lifetime, the ones you’ll find here will be better than what you’ve ever known.
Chili Cheese Wrap/Pete’s In And Out:
Though there were fire-roasted chilis available for purchase next to three large spinning drums near The Winery’s gift shop, Pete’s In And Out opted to fresh-roast their own … and it showed. Though their Chili Cheese Wrap was basically a fire-roasted green chili quesadilla, I feel it was a dish that shows how you can take just a few simple ingredients and make something magical out of it when you treat the ingredients right. Yes, at the end of the day it was just fire-roasted chilis and cheese in a grilled, folded tortilla, but that description is absurdly reductive. The flavor of the chilis came through as if they were a carefully selected combination of those taken from different points in the season, thereby allowing for a myriad of nuanced green chili flavors. Earthy, grassy, floral, both mild and spicy, it was everything all at once. The queso blanco selection was both mild and played an amazing supporting role as well. Just a quesadilla? Pfft …
Chicken Sausage With Abbey Wine Marmalade/Solsage Food Truck:
Handmade sausages are one of my favorite artisanal foods. Because sausages have been around for centuries, it’s oftentimes difficult to find a sausage maker that has the talent to elevate something so familiar into something extraordinary. The crew at Solsage Food Truck are those exact people with the right kind of talent when it comes to crafting tube-like meats into something mind-blowing. Their Chicken Sausage with Abbey Wine Marmalade has clean, distinct flavors that complement each other. Sometimes sausage makers can go heavy-handed with the seasoning, thereby obliterating the actual flavor of the meat being used; Solsage avoids this trap. Though they do have a unique (and tasty) seasoning blend that carries a familiar fennel flavor as its base, it never overpowers the chicken. This profile melts in synch with the onion-based marmalade that is flavored by a reduction of The Theurgist wine. Though the wine did get a little sweeter through the reduction process, the complex characteristics found in the flavor never dissipated, allowing for a gorgeous depth of flavor to occur. Winner winner, chicken dinner indeed.
Final Thoughts—
The 2024 Harvest Festival may be over, but the experience is one that I doubt will ever leave me. From the incredibly welcoming vibe brought about by owner Larry Oddo and his staff, to the amazing wine and food selections—all enjoyed with a brilliant jazz fusion soundtrack as accompaniment—it’s impossible to walk away with anything other than a smile from ear-to-ear. If 2024 is any indication of how the Annual Harvest Festival is run each year, then I’m convinced the last 138 years the winery has been around is only the beginning.
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