Forget a Hotel — Here's How to Snag a Villa on the Vineyard

(Photo: Jordan Winery)

For the tail end of this year’s “crush” – i.e., the brief window in the fall when wineries are picking grapes and making juice that they will turn into the year’s wine vintage – I stayed in the guest villa at the Jordan Winery in Sonoma, Calif., Wine Enthusiast’s 2014 Winery of the Year. Why is that so fabulous? I had harvest lunches with the winery staff. I got to see the winery’s farm and drink its reserve chardonnay by a private lake. I lived in one of the area’s most gorgeous wine estates for three glorious days.

But I am no V.I.P.. I know my favorite labels, and buy them regularly. I’ve been visiting wineries forever (an effect of growing up in Sonoma). But primarily, I’m your average wine lover. Any wine enthusiast can stay on winery grounds — with a little extra effort when planning, which is worth it because it’s the ultimate insider’s experience.

“When many wineries were first built, they were also often the winemaker’s residence. Over time, living where you work can get old, so many of these quarters have been converted to overnight accommodations where guests can stay among the vines,” says Chris Taranto of Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance.

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Sonoma at sunset (Thinkstock)

The main trick is knowing how to nab these reservations. Follow these tips and you’ll be staying at a vineyard the next time you escape to wine country.

Know how to find the wineries with these accommodations. One of the best things to do is to figure out the name of the regional wine marketing association in the area you’d like to visit. (This will be different than the convention and visitors’ bureau or the Chamber of Commerce, but they usually work closely together.) Call the marketing association directly, and tell them you are interested in vineyard lodgings. You can also ask whether there is a specific section in the area’s online lodging directory for winemaker guesthouses. Many will say yes. For example, in California, Sonoma County, Temecula, and Paso Robles all have selections of guesthouses included in the lodging guides. (Napa Valley has far fewer, and they tend to be extremely expensive.) Also, keep in mind, the regions that offer a lot of these kinds of lodgings tend to be removed from cities.

Be flexible with your dates. Winter and early spring are the best times for getting a reservation at a vineyard guesthouse, because it is not as busy as the harvest season. But these places don’t operate like regular hotels or inns, and the smaller/more off-book they are, the less predictable the availability is. (Very small wineries might close their guesthouses, not wanting to deal with staffing and upkeep during low season.) Any information you find in a guide to vineyard lodgings, whether online or in a magazine – even on the official regional site – needs to be verified over the phone. You might hear anything from “Sure, we’ve got space,” to “We’re not having guests this year.” (In fact, one very well-known, billionaire-owned Sonoma winery just stopped offering overnight stays because the owner’s son moved into the guesthouse.) Plus, the wineries that do provide accommodations year round have the same vacancies during low season that any hospitality business does – so they offer deals and specials accordingly.

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Join loyalty programs and wine clubs for insider info. Many wineries don’t let the public or even the local visitors’ bureau know that they have guest accommodations. Often these businesses only invite faithful customers (and people who work in the hospitality/wine sales industry). When these places do look for guests, wine clubs – which are basically loyalty programs and frequent buyer lists – are often the first place they go, in order to reward loyal customers. For example, Jordan Winery, which has one of the best hospitality programs in the country, offers Jordan Estate Rewards members the opportunity to book overnights in the French chateau-style quarters. If you like wine enough to drink it a few times a week, it makes a lot of sense to join. But before you sign up, go comparison-shopping for the perks that work best for you.

Go to wine industry events and make friends with influence. At wine dinners or tasting events, or when visiting wineries, befriend the staff. There are representatives from the brands, and it’s not only their job to connect with potential regular customers, it’s something they actually enjoy. Wine people are friendly. They got into the business because they like chatting over a glass with other convivial souls. And thanks to the miracle of social media, you can stay friends. Don’t immediately press for favors, but let the brand reps know you’re a winery groupie, and that you’d love to get any word-of-mouth intel they have on vineyard accommodations. Sometimes a good word from a pal in the industry is all you need.

Plan ahead — way ahead. With the incredibly scenic views, great wine, and only a few rooms at most, vineyard lodgings are a superhot ticket. If you really want to book, it would be wise to start reaching now for reservations in spring 2015.

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