Back in 2010 my wife and I stayed at our first Harvest Host winery in Paso Robles, California, with our 39′ diesel pusher. We loved the experience. Our winemaker host — also an RVer — insisted we stay a second night to attend his New Year’s Eve party, hosting other winemakers. Suddenly, we needed suitable evening attire and headed to the nearest thrift store, which saved the day. From that first visit, we were hooked on Harvest Hosts.
We traded in the 39 footer for our 2018 LTV Unity MB, and found ourselves staying at Harvest Host wineries more than ever. The smaller size of our Unity makes the visits, often via twisty backroads, much easier for these one-night stays.
Many think staying at Harvest Host locations would save costs when traveling, but that’s not been our experience. Instead, we seem to end up buying a case of wine and joining the host’s wine club more often than not! I think our current wine club tally is around 10, but who’s counting? Wish we could stick to the recommended two-bottle purchase.
There’s something unique about arriving in a motorhome and being greeted by the winery owner, often with the winery dog, not necessarily in that order. As overnight guests, we find that we learn more about our hosts and their passion for winemaking and them about us and our dogs. We leave the next morning with a sense of place and desire to come back.
Camping in a beautiful vineyard and seeing the sunset and sunrise is often an unforgettable experience. One time, I stepped out of our Unity to walk the dogs at night and saw an amazing line of stars moving quickly from left to right in perfect formation. I told my wife I thought we were being invaded by Martians! Turned out to be about 100 Starlink satellites being deployed, much to my relief.
I hear that Harvest Hosts has other kinds of venues besides wineries, but I’m unable to vouch for that. For now, we will continue to concentrate on staying at beautiful wineries in our Unity, enjoying special wines, and taking pictures. After all, somebody has to do it.
See you at a tasting room, uh, I mean on the road soon…
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