The Winery At Holy Cross Abbey — Attraction in Cañon City

We got there at 4:09pm and planned on buying a glass to drink there and then 6 or so bottles to take home like we do at most wineries. We asked to do a flight and the gal said they close at 6pm so it's too late to buy a flight....... ok, I guess.. seems weird since we had almost 2 hours, but fine. We then explained we want to at least still buy a bunch of bottles to go and said we'd like to taste a small sip of 3 or 4 kinds to find something we both like, but she said no, you just have to guess by what you usually like and hope it is good - they do not offer sips of anything to anyone, no matter the circumstance. I think my jaw literally dropped.. I am appalled that she'd expect us to possibly waste at least a hundred dollars (or two hundred, depending on what their prices were) on bottles of wine that we may or may not even like, and that she wasn't willing to let us even try 2 cents worth of wine to buy many bottles of it. I've been to hundreds of wineries accross the world.. and have NEVER been to one that won't let you taste a sip of anything. It's extremely poor customer service, and very odd and unwelcoming. It made me think their wine must be awful if they do not have the confidence to let you even try it and that they must bank on people willing to just buy blindly on faith since their wine shack is near an old church. We obviously left without getting anything, so for us, the experience just led to their loss of potential revenue and a bad review for the travel blog website. No thanks. Definitely would not recommend this place to anyone - steer clear. There are many other really, really good wineries, cideries, and breweries in the area to support who are welcoming and actually want...

We didn't make a reservation here, but were seated fairly quickly on the patio. We requested to do a wine tasting and although the lady that helped us was nice, it took over an hour to sample 12 wines. She brought out 3 bottles to sample at a time, but then went back inside for 15-20 minutes (to chat with her co-workers) before coming back outside with the next 3 tastings. That makes sense if you're poured a full glass of wine (for time to enjoy it), but it doesn't take 20 minutes to take 3 sips of wine! We were talking with the 2 guys at the table sitting next to us who were also wondering why they don't just do the tasting inside at the counter like most other wineries do - unless you request to sit outside? There was only 2 other customers there while we were. It's like we were all seated outside together on the chilly patio (intentionally) so that we wouldn't interrupt their conversation inside. My wife and I have done tastings at over 100 wineries, and it's never taken over an hour (to do a tasting) - even during peak hours. We generally do a tasting, then buy a bottle of our favorite wine (off the list) to sit and enjoy for awhile. Even though this was an unusual experience, we did enjoy the Colorado Divinity very much and purchased a few bottles to take with us. We just wouldn't recommend you going here if you're on a timeline or have other scheduled stops on your agenda...

The Winery at Holy Cross in Pueblo, Colorado, had potential to be an enjoyable experience when my friend and I visited in July 2020, but it was overshadowed by the atmosphere of the times. Masks weren’t mandated during our visit, but the staff was still serving everything in to-go boxes instead of traditional dishware. It felt more like a choice made out of fear—or perhaps laziness—than practicality, which detracted from the overall experience.

The property itself was charming, and my friend and I took some time to walk around and explore the grounds. The surroundings offered a peaceful setting, which was nice, but the lack of a welcoming, sit-down service made the visit feel less special. The emphasis on social distancing at the time gave the experience a lackluster, almost impersonal vibe, which was disappointing for what could have been a warm and memorable outing.

While the property has its appeal, I hope future visits offer more of the hospitality and charm you’d expect from a winery. The potential is there, but during my visit, it didn’t quite meet...