The Old Red Fox Cellars Is Pouring Beer Now. What Else Is New Around Palisade This Fall?
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
"It's not a financial issue. We're not closing because the business is doing poorly." That's how Scott Hamilton explained it to KJCT in March 2025, after Red Fox Cellars announced it would close. The family had planned to hand the winery to their sons after ten years. "Well, in the meantime, they all left and started their own lives, which was a good thing," he said.
The tasting room at 691 36 Road had its last day on July 20, 2025. For about fourteen months, the building north of U.S. Highway 6 sat waiting for its next use. That use was set to begin yesterday, Saturday, Oct. 3, when New Terrain Brewing Co. scheduled the grand opening of its Palisade taproom.
Beer at a former winery in Colorado wine country makes a good headline. The more useful story is what stayed the same. Hamilton's favorite part of running Red Fox was hosting people, and the new owners have set up the property around hosting people too.
Red Fox opened in 2014. In 2017, the Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology named it Colorado Winery of the Year. Hamilton told WesternSlopeNow that Red Fox was the first Colorado winery to offer wines aged in spirit barrels and to offer hard ciders. He also said its wine cocktails and port-style wines helped introduce younger customers to wine.
When KJCT asked him what he'd remember, he didn't mention a single wine.
"The events were always my favorite thing. And what I love is that we wanted to give back to the community. So, every time we did an event, if there was a gate charge to get in or something to charge, we always donated that whole thing to charity."
The closure was a slow one. Hamilton said the tasting room would stay open into early summer and keep selling bottles at a discount. He warned, "what we have is what you get." Coverage of the closure doesn't mention Red Fox moving or continuing under someone else. The winery wound down, and then the property was sold.
The Daily Sentinel reported that Golden-based New Terrain Brewing Co. bought the former winery building and its 7.5 acres off 36 Road. The plan was a brewery and beer garden. Owners Kaylee and Josh Robbins opened their first location in Golden on Oct. 1, 2016. That makes this fall their tenth year in Colorado. KREX reported that they chose the Western Slope because of family ties and their connection to the area.
Here's what KREX reported for the property:
Most of that list is about where people sit, stand and spend an afternoon. The beer itself fits on a separate line. KREX said the taproom can run up to 20 taps: core releases, rotating beers, and drinks created specifically for the Western Slope. Non-alcoholic beer, gluten-free beer and a frozen drink called "Slüsh" are also on the menu. New Terrain's own event page listed 14 beers on tap for opening day. Expect the lineup to fill out over time.
The grand opening was set for 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. with live music from Pick & Howl and two food trucks. Admission was free, and you didn't need a reservation. Every announcement came out before the event, so check the brewery's page before you head over this week.
The schedule says the most about what this property will be in Palisade's quiet months. According to the All Things Palisade newsletter, regular hours are noon to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. That's seven days a week, starting in October, after the Peach Festival and Winefest have wrapped up.
Two other businesses opened around town in the weeks before. Their schedules line up with New Terrain's in a useful way.
| Place | Address | What it is | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Terrain Brewing Co. | 691 36 Road | Taproom and beer garden in the former Red Fox Cellars | Mon–Thu 12–9, Fri 12–10, Sat 11–10, Sun 11–8 |
| The Launch Bay | 808 Shiraz Drive | Coffee, smoothies, breakfast and lunch | Tue–Fri 7 a.m.–2 p.m. |
| St. Gerard Vineyard | 412 35 Road, East Orchard Mesa | Winery tasting room | Thu 1–6, Fri 1–8, Sat 12–8, Sun 12–6 |
The Launch Bay opened Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 7 a.m. It's in the blue building next to the high school. Hot breakfast runs from 7 to 10 a.m. and hot lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. It's a weekday-only café, so it fits a Tuesday-morning coffee run more than a festival crowd.
St. Gerard Vineyard opened quietly in August on East Orchard Mesa. The local newsletter credited a reader tip for the news. So in the same year a well-known winery closed on 36 Road, a new one opened one road over, while the old winery building turned into a beer garden.
The Palisade Community Thrift Store moved too. It opened Monday, Aug. 3, at 528 Iowa Avenue, next to Palisade Hair Company and El Rey Mexican Food. KJCT reported that sales and donations support Grand Valley nonprofits.
October in Palisade is mostly small, local events. Today, Oct. 4, is the final day of the Sunday Farmers Market at Third and Main Streets, open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Here's what follows:
The Town's November events list shows board and commission meetings and no public fall festival so far. That leaves a quiet stretch, and a patio with a music stage that's open every day falls right in it.
Red Fox ran on 36 Road for about eleven years. It was known for its wines, but its owner talked most about the events and the charity gate money. The new owners looked at the same 7.5 acres and built a stage, a kids' area, a patio for dogs, and room for food trucks. The drinks changed, but the property is still set up for gatherings, and its hours now run seven days a week through the off-season.
Hamilton told KJCT in 2025 that he hoped people would come out and enjoy the place before it was gone. Starting this October, the gate at 691 36 Road opens at noon Monday through Friday and at 11 a.m. on weekends.
The old Red Fox site shows how a wine country building can find a new role with new owners. If you own a property on the orchard roads and you're curious what its next chapter could be, Michelle Ritter is glad to sit down and talk it through. Let's connect.
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