Campsites for wine lovers

Many RV travellers enjoy a glass or two of vino of an evening. But now there’s the opportunity to set up camp within the picturesque surrounds of an actual winery, just metres from the vineyards and cellar door.

One of Australia’s largest rental vehicle providers, Maui Motorhomes, has come up with a unique concept that allows anyone renting a Maui motorhome to pull up stumps for the night at a winery.

Five of Victoria’s most picturesque wineries have been chosen to create the Australian Winery Havens network, offering wine lovers exclusive overnight vineyard stays from the comfort of their largely self-contained Maui motorhome.

Available from next month, Winery Havens begin from $140 per couple per night. The package includes a non-powered site at one of five vineyards, a gourmet local hamper for two featuring a bottle of the vineyard’s wine along with some local delicacies.

The five wineries are all located in north east Victoria and include the Feathertop Winery near Bright, St Leonards Winery in Rutherglen, Brown Brothers in Milawa, Dal Zotto Winery in Whitfield and Cofield Wines in Wahgunyah.

“We are thrilled to make holidays more accessible in the King Valley, Rutherglen and Alpine Valleys areas, where we can offer overnight self-drive experiences that otherwise wouldn’t be possible, alongside the chance for guests to interact with the local winemakers and learn about their craft,” said  Kate Meldrum, General Manager Marketing of Maui Motorhomes’ parent company Tourism Holdings Limited. 

As the wineries are located within a couple hours’ driving distance from one another, and not that far from Melbourne, it would be feasible for wine connoisseurs to go the whole hog and sample all five in a week.

The innovative Winery Havens scheme also operates in New Zealand, with plans to roll it out to other states in the near future.