Trekking through Red Trail Vineyard

Harvest Hosts is an amazing RV membership program with a large network of available hosts. So far, 5301 vineyards, wineries, breweries and more have opened their businesses to members of the Harvest Hosts RVing community. Through this program, members receive overnight accommodations with no camping fees in beautiful and quiet places across North America. In return, they are asked to make a purchase to support the small business that hosts them. One of our awesome hosts is Red Trail Vineyard in Buffalo, North Dakota. Read on to learn all about the vineyard’s longstanding history, its origins with Harvest Hosts, and what future visitors can expect to experience.

The History

Rodney and Susan Hogen began Red Trail Vineyard in the spring of 2003. At that time, Rodney decided to plant 1,000 grapevines to give winemaking a try. However, the Hogens soon ran into a small problem. Because cold-climate grapes are in limited production, they were only able to secure 120 vines for their 2003 planting. However, those vines began to thrive, and they planted another 900 vines the following year. In 2005, they planted more varieties of grapes, while also securing trellises on their previously-planted grapes. This is also the year that they constructed and opened their tasting room. Since that time, they have continued to grow and expand their winery, perfecting the art of cold-climate winemaking and welcoming many visitors and guests along the way.The Red Trail Vineyard is named after the historically significant Old Red Trail, one of the first established routes for automobile travel through the northern part of the United States.  It stretched from Seattle, WA to New York, NY and passed just on the north side of the Vineyard.

The Business Today

Today, the Red Trail Vineyard continues to operate as an eight acre vineyard with a beautiful wine tasting room. Their unique wines combine the fruits of the fertile soils of the Red River Valley with traditional winemaking techniques to elicit the subtle flavors and aromas of their native hybrid grapes. People from all over come to visit the winery, where they enjoy wide open space, clean, fresh North Dakota air, and, of course, incredible wines. The Hogens also host Friday night dinners, where people from their community get together to enjoy a meal and some occasional tunes. Reservations for the dinner are required. Besides the weekly dinners, Red Trail Vineyard is open for tasting on Saturdays and Sundays and by appointment during the week.“Our favorite part of running our business is telling our story and listening to yours,” said the Hogens. “We also love to show people how we grow grapes in this northern climate.”

Joining the Harvest Hosts Family

Over nine years ago, Rodney and Susan Hogen received a call from the original Harvest Hosts owners, Don and Kim Greene, asking them to join the program as hosts. From then on, they have hosted hundreds of RVers, meeting so many different people from across America. One of their favorite parts of being hosts is being able to hear RVers share their stories and life experiences. If you plan to visit, try to time your stay with one of the Friday night dinners, which have been a hit with Harvest Hosts members. And don’t forget to look up at the stars on a clear night!Red Trail Vineyard is a unique winery that produces excellent, non-traditional wines. This year, they are selling several excellent varieties, including Frontenac, Frontenac Gris, Marquette, Sabrevois, and bottled Sangria. Be sure to stop by anytime you are passing through the Fargo or Buffalo areas of North Dakota.

Want to see more? Find more RV camping in North Dakota and get your next adventure started.Have you ever tried North Dakota wine? How did you like it? Feel free to share your experiences below!