Is there any activity more quentisential in wine country than a picnic with a cold bottle of white wine? Methinks not. Bringing a backpack filled with cheese and crackers, and a few fresh mozzerala and basil sandwiches to pair with a delightful viognier is simply heaven. While Palisade still could use a cheese shop in town that serves gourmet sandwiches, there are still fantastic ways to picnic. Grab food at the grocery store or head into Grand Junction to build a proper picnic basket. Once that is squared away, the only question that remains is where to go to enjoy an hour or so.
When traveling, it’s easy to become a little obsessed with the food culture of a city. At least for someone like me who tends to have a one-track mind. So during my first trip to Vancouver, I went into culinary overload. Sure, I hit plenty of non-gustatory sights. There was a beautiful morning spent bicycling the seawall around Stanley Park, trips to the Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver Lookout and English Bay to snap some photos of the inukshuk.
There's more to Palisade than wine and peaches. The Western Slope hamlet offers mountain biking and hiking trails, geological wonders, a distillery and brewery, art galleries and even a few good spots to grab a bite. Not bad for a teeny mountain town three-and-a-half hours from Denver. I usually come for the vino, but after this most recent trip, I am now starting to understand the rest of life in Palisade can be good indeed.
Jackie and I spent about five days in Provence in a small village named Taradeau. It is located in the wine area known as Collines du Haut Pays. Provence is made up of several different wine areas that contain more than 600 different wineries. In France, it's all about the terroir, or the local area where the wine is made. Almost all the wineries own their own vineyards in France, and the area where the grapes are grown is of high importance to the French wine consumer.
Memory recall can be an important factor in tasting wine. If you have had the pleasure of overlooking a vineyard while enjoying its Riesling on a hot summer day, it’s a safe bet that particular wine will always hold a special place on your palate.
Visiting wineries and vineyards is a fantastic way to learn more about wine, develop a relationship with a particular winemaker or area, and to just plain have fun.
Travel
Is there any activity more quentisential in wine country than a picnic with a cold bottle of white wine? Methinks not. Bringing a backpack filled with cheese and crackers, and a few fresh mozzerala and basil sandwiches to pair with a delightful viognier is simply heaven. While Palisade still could use a cheese shop in town that serves gourmet sandwiches, there are still fantastic ways to picnic. Grab food at the grocery store or head into Grand Junction to build a proper picnic basket. Once that is squared away, the only question that remains is where to go to enjoy an hour or so.
When traveling, it’s easy to become a little obsessed with the food culture of a city. At least for someone like me who tends to have a one-track mind. So during my first trip to Vancouver, I went into culinary overload. Sure, I hit plenty of non-gustatory sights. There was a beautiful morning spent bicycling the seawall around Stanley Park, trips to the 
There's more to Palisade than wine and peaches. The Western Slope hamlet offers mountain biking and hiking trails, geological wonders, a distillery and brewery, art galleries and even a few good spots to grab a bite. Not bad for a teeny mountain town three-and-a-half hours from Denver. I usually come for the vino, but after this most recent trip, I am now starting to understand the rest of life in Palisade can be good indeed.
Memory recall can be an important factor in tasting wine. If you have had the pleasure of overlooking a vineyard while enjoying its Riesling on a hot summer day, it’s a safe bet that particular wine will always hold a special place on your palate.
