As your GPS directs you into industrial northeast Denver, you’re going to wonder if there’s really a winery out here. Don’t turn back. Balistreri Vineyards, at 1946 East 66th Avenue, is an exceptional, delightful, delicious place to spend the afternoon. And there’s a reason that the winery is nestled among warehouses, greenhouses and wastewater and energy plants.

Along with many other Italian immigrants at the turn of the twentieth century, John Balistreri’s family settled in north Denver, where they grew and sold vegetables. Balistreri opened his own business in 1964, growing and selling cut flowers. At its height, the family business was shipping 10,000 flowers a day to wholesalers.