June 25, 2012 Thistle Meadow Winery, Laurel, NC

We stayed at another Harvest Host site today. Harvest host is a bunch of wineries, farms and the like that let RV’s stay for a night free, no hookups. It is suggested that we partake of their products while visiting. The last Harvest host stop was a petting zoo and farm. Today is a winery.

Thistle Meadow Winery. The property has been in their family for 200 years. Our camping spot, right on the river in the shade of a huge tree.

As soon as we got  settled, our host, Tom, the owner drove up and introduced himself and took us on a tour. The wine making and staff. We also saw the old homestead, where his mother was born and they now rent out, and he home and he introduced his wife Nancy to us.

Then to the tasting rooms. Here is Tom with a bottle of Tom’s special blend in the tasting room. They have at least 40 different kinds of wine. Tom is very knowledgeable about wine. He has traveled to all the countries and farms around the world where he buys grapes and tasted them all before he bought.  On the side of the barn is their most popular wine, Horse Stomp Red. The wines are all named after local towns and landmarks.  Horse stomp used to be the place where the men would sneak off to and play poker and drink. The horses stomped outside while they waited.

The basket still in progress, in the shade, next to the river.  I went outside the bus later and the cows all ran over and lined up to look at me. Very friendly cows.

My darling husband cooked dinner. BBQ chicken, salad and quinoa with roasted red peppers, fresh basil and jalapenos. The cows came to the fence to check out dinner too.

a couple things in the winery gift shop.

These BBQ sauces were at a trading post we stopped at on the parkway. I loved the sauce for Sissies.

a couple other items at the winery gift shop! We are now all alone at the winery, in the high mountains of North Carolina, alone with the cows, frogs and fireflies. I hear banjo music down the road. . .

Besides cattle and wine in this area they also have Christmas tree farms.