Sometimes we use Harvest Host locations to break up long travel days. This allows us to keep drive days under 4 hours and have a wonderful experience that we may have not been exposed to otherwise. Our stay at Russian Chapel Hills Winery was one of those stays and it was a great experience.
We left our stay at Forest Lake RV Campground refreshed and headed to our Harvest Host stay at Russian Chapel Hills Winery in Columbus, NC.
Harvest Host Parking
We always try to prepare for our trips during our T-24 by reviewing the GPS directions and viewing Google Maps to see what the approach is like. During this review we were able to determine the Harvest Host parking location was just south of the main driveway, however; we were not able to determine from the satellite images that you can not enter the Harvest Host parking location from the main drive due to tree growth.
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When we arrived we had mistakenly entered the main drive and had to back up into the road to get into the correct parking location. This was not a big deal, but it could have been better communicated on the Harvest Host page. Once in the correct parking location we choose a level spot which allowed us to also see the chapel on the hill.
After set-up we walked to the tasting room to sample the wines.
Tasting Room
As soon as we entered the tasting room we were welcomed and offered a seat by Andrey, our host, and the owner of Russian Hills Chapel Winery. The room was nicely decorated and had displays of wine and some local honey and beeswax products.
We sat at the bar where Andrey gave us pens and paper for our “Tasting Notes”. He then guided us through the wine tasting. Each wine we tried was very good, but a few really stood out to us as our favorites.
Wines
Whites
- Rose’
- Chardonnay 2015
- Sauvignon Blanc 2015
- Muscadine 2016
We were given four white wines and four red wines to try. While we are not huge fans of white wines we were happy to find that they were better than many other white wines we have had before. Our favorite white wine was the Muscadine. We had never heard of Muscadine wine before, but were told that they are made from a local North Carolina grape and had a very polarizing flavor. Indeed, it was a unique flavor, but we both thought that it was really delicious and brought a bottle home with us.
Reds
- Merlot 2015
- Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
- Mosaic 2016
- Kagor 2019
We thought that all of the red wines were very good. The Merlot was wonderful. It would pair with many different dishes and was noted by Andrey as his favorite. The Kagor was the last of the reds we tried, but was our favorite of them all. Andrey told us that it used to be used as a communion wine. We decided to grab a couple of bottles of the Kagor in addition to the Muscadine.
Chapel
After the tasting we brought the wines back to the rig, grabbed our dalmatian puppy Maya, and took a short walk out to the chapel. It was a beautiful evening stroll which we all greatly enjoyed.
Saint Anna Chapel has an interesting history. During the first year of ownership the winery had problems with the grapes and their wine also fermented. Under the guidance of Andrey they built Saint Anna Chapel in the middle of the vineyard and with much prayer they have seen growing success in the years since the chapel’s construction. The chapel is part of the eastern diocese of the Russian Church.
The chapel is a small wooden building filled with beautiful iconography and items of worship. There were incense and oils in the chapel including Blachernae Rose and tree resins which I believe included frankincense.
We added a prayer into the guest book and took a quiet moment before heading back to the rig for a peaceful night of rest.
The next morning Sam woke up early and took a quite walk out to the chapel to watch the sunrise. The mist on the fields made for a picturesque view of the chapel.
Be kind!
When we spoke with Andrey about this review of the location he said that he hoped it would be positive. When we asked why anyone would review his establishment negatively, Andrey intimated that the winery had received unsavory comments because of his Russian background, and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Those who would review this beautiful winery based on the owner’s nation of origin, or because of a military conflict initiated by the leader of that nation are in desperate need of self reflection. How many naturally born Americans support the policies of our current or past Presidents? How much control does the average American have over the nation’s foreign policy?
I wonder how many of these internet trolls would make their mean-spirited comments to the man in person. Probably as many as those who have control over the actions of the person sitting in the White House!
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
Recommended
We very much enjoyed out stay at Russian Chapel Hills Winery and would recommend it as a stop for any Harvest Host member. If you are not yet a Harvest Host member, but are interested in becoming one you can use our friend referral code to get 15% off of your membership. Click here for the discount!
