Carlson Vineyards was a fun stop on our wine adventure! We visited 8 wineries in Palisade last week (off-season). Carlson is a lovely winery- it would be perfect on a summer day, sitting out back with a picnic! (It was 50 degrees and in March, so we stayed inside!). We walked in and happened to be followed by....a news crew? Huh! So apparently Carlson Vineyards was awarded as one of the top 3 best wineries in the state, and the local news station wanted to interview the winemakers (and film us awkwardly sipping wine). Yay for Carlson! :) So happy that the lovely couple (very friendly and outgoing) are being honored so highly! On to the tasting. I tried nearly all their wines. Most of their wines left me feeling "hmm, okay". A couple I ended up having to dump out (when the camera was facing the other direction!), but one in particular I really loved- their Riesling! Semi-sweet; very light and refreshing. We left with two bottles of their Riesling. Would I come back? Hmm, if there was time. This wasn't one of my top 4 favorite wineries in the area, but the friendliness of the couple and the nice outdoor area would make it worth a stop. Definitely worth a visit for those in the Yelp world who prefer lighter or sweeter wines! :) Thanks, Carlson! read more

We just went to a Winemaker's Dinner at Palisade Cafe 11.0 that featured Carlson Vineyards wines. WOW. I will talk about the food on the cafe post, but I have to say the wines served were fantastic. Loved the Dry Gewurztraminer that was served with the first course. It was a light, refreshing wine. The owner of the cafe said he called it his summer lemonade. I think we will be enjoying it through the summer! The first red served, the Tyrannosaurus Red (a Lemburger) was perfect with a red pepper bisque. It is bright and "fruit forward" - not at all sweet. It is a medium body wine that I think would be delicious with or without food. The Cabernet Franc was also nice - served with the main course. This was a heavier bodied wine. I liked it, but see myself in Tyrannosaurus Red territory more often. The shock (to me) of the night was the Peach wine. It, like all fruit wines, carries no vintage date. I am very much in the corner of not liking fruit wines because of their heavy, unbalanced sweetness. Holy cow - not the case here. I am going to buy a bunch of this. It isn't dry-dry, but a lovely, balanced taste of the peach. It is worth checking out Carlson Vineyards for this wine alone! I guess I am going to try their cherry wine as well (made with pie cherries). YUM read more

Always a pleasure visiting this place. A wide variety of great wines and an amazing staff. Hands down my favorite winery!

Free wine tasting. Amazing person running the place. Went in on a Sunday and was the only person there and the lady working there was so welcoming (so were the cats). Enjoyed the free wine tasting and took some home. The peach wine hot toddy is incredible. The cherry wine with chocolate - amazing! Definitely recommend you stop by for a visit. read more

Lis is awesome!!! So much gun. And the wine is awesome!! So much fun!!! So enjoyed my time here. Even got to try an off menu item. Yum read more

This was one of the few wineries we stopped at while on the Palisade Fruit and Wine drive. There was no charge to taste the wine, unlike some of the other wineries we stopped at. I really enjoyed the wine tasting experience here as the pourer was a friendly lady. She was engaging and had an easy going personality. We sampled a lot of different wines and decided that we didn't care for the port. We ended up buying a bottle of the Cougar Run Chardonnay uncorked. The prices seem reasonable as well. Due to the limited space we had in the ice chest and the fact that this was one of the first stops on our 10 day road trip which consists of a lot of camping, we opted to buy just one bottle. I would definitely come back and buy more if the main objective of my trip is for wine tasting. read more

This was our first winery stop during our vacation to Palisade. We were able to bring our dog inside, which was great for us. The wine was delicious, the staff was very friendly as well as very knowledgeable of the wines. We ended up buying 6 bottles and then went on to our next winery in Palisade. We ended up going to a few more wineries that day and this place was our favorite! We will be back there in our next visit to Palisade! read more

What a wonderful vineyard. They have such tasty wines for Colorado. By far my favorite has to be Prarie Dog! A great name, a great wine, it's a win win. It seems all of their wines have catchy names, and taste terrific. A wonderful drive to Palisade, and it sits on the top of hill, with a little drive inwards. I highly recommend this vineyard and all its delectible wines. The jellys and jams they produce are equally good. There is nothing bad that I can say about this vineyard. I've been to many of the vineyards in Palisade, and by far this is the one location you can't miss!!! read more

Fat cat muscat! Great variety of wines. Known for fruit wines. One of the larger "small" wineries in the area. Make this one a definite stop on your sojourn. You MUST try the cherry wine with a little bit of dark chocolate. I bought TWO bottles of the delicious Fat Kat Muscat. BTW - cat lovers - take a look out back. For cats that like to meander up to their hot, but not tin roof, there is an awesome cat ladder! read more

We stop here everytime we're in Palisade, it I is by far our favorite. Friendly, unpretentious, welcoming. Their wines are great and off the beaten path although they have a fabulous syrah. You will feel like you've walked into a family winery so go out back, sit a spell in the shade and drink in the authenticity of the 3rd oldest winery in Palisade. Salute! read more

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No pressure to buy. Unlimited tastings. The owners were so nice and gracious. The chocolate cherry wine fabulous. They make a cherry lime aid. Great picnic area behind building. Fun time at the property. Definitely a must visit on your wine tour!! Say hi to Taco the Cat! read more

Friendly service, good array of grape and fruit wines. Less gift shop intensive than a lot of places we've been today. Good spot to visit.

Oh guys. If you are within a hundred miles of palisade, this is your spot. Free tasting. Great wines. Even better jokes. Robert was the jam. He's a vintner extraordinaire. His wine, Cellar Swag, was fantastic! Go here! You won't regret it! read more

Years ago, I visited this place on a bachelorette party where we dubbed it "paradise." When my husband, toddler and I were passing through on our road trip, I had to show my hubs what I had been talking about. It's so relaxing. The wine is all so tasty and they have fun inventive cocktail style wines, if you want. My toddler was spoiled with a small chair, beach ball, and a juice box. The yard is stunning, as you sip your wine among the vineyard. It's a great break from the standard winery you'll be visiting. read more

Loved the wine! Casey did a wonderful job of representing the wine and the culture of the area. She was so sweet and made the tasting exceptional! Note: the tasting is complementary and totally worth it. TRY THE CHERRY - they dip the side of your your cup in special chocolate!! Highly recommended. read more

Carlson Vineyards - Wine tasting menu and dipped chocolate cup!!! - Wineries Near Me - Palisade, Colorado

Free wine tasting covering a large number of excellent wines both white and red. 3rd oldest vineyard in CO so they are established and knowledgeable. High quality wines with attractive price points. The Riesling was especially great!! Stop for a tasting you will be happy you did!! read more

LOVE their fruit wines and their Laughing Cat varieties. Oh, and the fact that samples are FREE! Most wineries in the area will give you 3-5 samples for free and then charge for any more you may want, but Carlson does NOT!! Definitely try the cherry wine - Carlson does it well, and the samples they give you come with quality chocolate sauce on the rim so you drink the wine through the chocolate. Voila - chocolate covered cherries with a kick! Definitely a must-try, even though the drive is long. Perks: free sampling, cherry wine, and some really cute cats running around :) read more

We bikes around the Palisades last week and Carlson was our first stop. The people were very welcoming and the wine was tasty. The employee that helped us said she was new but she was extremely knowledgeable and very pleasant. You could tell she was an excellent conversationalist and really cared about making us have a good experience. We enjoyed our visit and recommend! read more

Great place with some very nice wines. Cute little shop with really friendly staff. No charge for tastings and no pressure to buy, but we still did because there was 1 we couldn't resist. There's a great outside area out the back where you can overlook the vineyards s d relax, it looked like people had taken their own food out there to snack on & I think they could purchase glasses to drink while they ate too. read more

I loved the fact that when we came here for tastings we had to go into the "cellar". You could see a lot of their equipment and they had a table set up where you could taste as many and as much of the wines as you wanted. We tried quite a few and several were a hit. Everyone here was very nice and knowledgable and I'm glad we decided to hit them up on our tasting tour. read more

Quite honestly, I am really not sure why this winery is not rated more highly on Trip Advisor and Yelp. This winery is fabulous! Let's start with the pleasant greeting. Followed by a free wine tasting of about a dozen wines in their tank room. There is certainly a wine for everyone...white, red, fruit, sweet, off-dry, dessert! The wines were flavorful, complex, and quite unique. While I'm being honest, I did think the presentation of the wines was weak. The host really couldn't tell us anything about the wines other than the grape or fruit. For instance, we asked what type of pear is in the pear wine and he was unsure? Anyway, they had a nice shaded seating area outside and I'd definitely recommend this winery over some of the higher rated wineries. read more

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This was the most quaint vineyard I have ever been too. When we arrived we were welcomed with great smiles. The wine tasting is FREE up to 5 wines. A glass only costs $5 and a bottle is $15. The wine tasted delicious. Not only were the people sweet and the wine delicious... The "courtyard" was so comforting. It was an extremely cozy place to enjoy the company of my sister and enjoy wine. read more

Carlson Vineyards - Wineries Near Me - Palisade, Colorado

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Although the wine was good, the customer service was rude and stand-offish. A good product is not worth it when the staff treats you poorly. We had an awesome experience at all the other wineries we spent the day visiting, except this one. Big disappointment. read more

Free wine tasting. You don't just get to try a couple of wines, but are actually encouraged to try all of them to see which ones you enjoy the most. My boyfriend and I tend to like the sweet wines the most, so our favorites were the sweet baby red and the sweet Gewurtztraminer. I also loved the experience of trying the cherry wine with the glass dipped in dark chocolate... What a great find! They let you explore their vineyards which are absolutely beautiful, so go for the wine tasting, buy some wine, and walk around the vineyards and peach groves. This was our favorite place! read more

The wines at Carlson Vineyards are exceptional Colorado wines. Garrett is doing everything right here

I knew nothing of wine, but they helped me out in picking one to give as a gift to family and friends. I think it was the Laughing Cat Gewurztraminer. Thank you! read more

Fantastic atmosphere with great employees who are very welcoming ! We loved spending time out back right next to the vineyards ! Looking forward to returning soon ! read more

We come back every year to stock up. We stay for the cool. Cats. Lots of fun.. check it out. read more

Carlson Vineyards - This place is so cool - Wineries Near Me - Palisade, Colorado

This vineyard is a neat stop when touring the Palisade vineyards. As the third oldest winery in the state of Colorado, they have a history if making a good product. During several years of no grapes after prohibition the owner experimented with other fruits to make wine. This tradition is still carried on today. We recommend the peach and cherry wines! read more

Lis is hilarious and from Washington DC. She stayed open late for us and was so accommodating and awesome, a must!

Delicious wine! Definitely my favorite from all the vineyards we went to. The only downside was that there were a crazy amount of fruit flies where they do their tastings! One even landed in my wine, and they just kept flying in my face. Definitely made me want to leave faster than I would have! read more

It was harvest time so the place was a-hoppin' with activity. Nonetheless the two staff who were pouring that day were fun and knowledgeable and made it a worthwhile visit. We left with a Lemberger, a medium-bodied red with the fun name "Tyrannosaurus Red", and Calico, a Bordeaux-style blend. Both were excellent and well-priced. read more

This place was really nice. Prices were good. Wines were good. Big tasting room. No tasting fees. Lots of fun things to buy besides wines too. Lots of wines wines to choose from. Has nice outdoor space for summer time. read more

The Traveling Winers on Colorado Wine Trail Carlson Vineyard was the last stop on our wine trail through the Grand Junction - Palisades, CO area. We were told by several other vineyards and by other winers to make sure and not miss visiting Carlson Vineyards. Unfortunately, our timing was a bit off. We had written down that their closing time was 6pm, and although it took longer to get there than we expected, we still arrived at 5:35 leaving 25 minutes to taste. Or at least we thought! It turns out that they close their doors at 6pm, but the tastings stop at 5:45 - can't experience the whole experience in only 10 minutes! We will say however, that our tasting room host, Liz, after telling us we had only 10 minutes to taste, did a great job making suggestions on which wines we should taste and why. We appreciated her guidance based on the time limitations. Our time spent here did not allow sufficient opportunity to experience all this vineyard had to offer. However, based on recommendations, we will definitely be back to embrace the full experience. The Traveling Winers at The Vineyard Trail read more

The owner was working. Not friendly at all. We went out of our way to make small talk and she made us feel like she wished we weren't even there. She acted annoyed anytime we wanted a sample. Wine was sub par. We drove from Glenwood Springs just to visit this vineyard because we had heard good things, and left disappointed. read more

mmmm wine. Really that's all there is to say. The wine is incredibly good, the tasting room fun, and the people awesome. Go there, now... well maybe not RIGHT now, but go. read more

Long been one of our favorite wineries in the Palisade area. Super friendly and unpretentious, their wine tasting is complementary. Wines are delicious but are mostly fruity in nature. A must stop if you enjoy sweet wines. That being said, their unoaked Chardonnay is light and refreshing and we enjoy their TRex red blend. read more

Great place! The staff is friendly and the scenery is beautiful. When we came in, they were doing their wine sampling outside. They have a great outdoor area with seating, shade, and a great view of the vineyards. The guy pouring our wines took the time to go over each one (and there was like, 17 tastings), which included a dozen or so of their wines and a few wine cocktails. They were all great! I ended up buying a bottle of the T-rex red (very good). Next time I'm in Palisade I will be back here! read more

Stopped in randomly and the staff was amazing! The guy helping with our tasting explained each wine and let us sample some of their recipes with the wine. It was SO good. Ended up spending a ton on wine following the tasting , but totally worth it! They gave us pointers on some other places to visit for tastings but they were by far my favorite! This is a stop you have to make! read more

I love this winery and its employees. I always have the best experience and great conversations. Go by for a free tasting, then grab a glass and go hangout in their back yard area. It's so relaxing. Plus they have cats..so I mean it's pretty perfect. read more