We had a really nice experience in the tasting room today. We paid for the tasting of six but ended up trying 14 different wines. The pourer was very accommodating, asking what we usually like to drink. Sure, it's not as fancy of a tasting experience as other places, but the service more than made up for the casual presentation. We left with 3 bottles (5% discount for bottle sales of 3-11 bottles, 10% for mixed cases, or 15% for single bottle cases) Petit Verdot, Tannat, and Stonecastle red. We usually love the Rkatsiteli, but this vintage fell a bit flat for me. read more

Horton Vineyards - Vineyard - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Gordonsville, Virginia

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If you would like to visit a great vineyard and not feel like you are a number, then this is your place! Very friendly and knowledgable. Service is great! A lot of wine places try rush you and don't make recommendations. Hortons makes you feel like a part of the family and try to find out what your likes are and make recommendations. Wines we love are the PORTS, Red and White chocolates, Bone Orchard, Niagra, Pear and Late Harvest. You can't go wrong!!! Strawberry wine and White Chocolate make a great cocktail! They will also do wine tastings at your home and they made it a true experience for your guest which left a great impression with everyone! We loved it better than some of the other wineries in the area!!!!! read more

This place is beautiful! You drive up a long driveway past the vineyards and towards a castle! Lots of opportunities for great photos here! The server we had was a doll! I think we name was Jennifer, I hope I'm remembering it right but she was so friendly and even showed us around the beautiful building when we asked about it . We didn't try any food but we each got a wine flight all everything we tasted was delicious! read more

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Horton Vineyards started in 1989 by planting 13 acres of Viognier, which had almost gone extinct and certainly didn't seem like a commercially viable option at the time. Dennis Horton wasn't even sure if it would grow in Virginia, but since then it has flourished and many consider it the Virginia State Grape. Today, Horton Vineyards have the oldest commercial Viognier vines on the East Coast. I'm afraid that there weren't any real places to sit and enjoy their wine, which they seem to have an extensive lineup of. read more

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No idea why these folks only have a three star rating. The location is stunning, and the wines completely exceeded my expectations. 18 varietals, and they make some incredible wine. seriously underrated. Staff were also amazing. very knowledgeable, super helpful. just a great place to taste some great wine and buy a few bottles of it. highly recommended read more

Picture it, Christmas Eve 2021. We arrived a few hours before they were closing the doors, to drink several wine flights, or more. The Hostess was gracious, as she gave us generous pours, of the reds and the whites. And yet, we still demanded more. It's a winery we have loved for years and years, they have luscious grapes and chocolate wine, what more could you ask for? There was not many people, it was less than four. It was hubby, the gracious lady and me, the wine connoisseur. She humored us, for less than a hour, tho' I wish it were more. I am planning another visit, in the Spring or Summer, and I will greet my fellow wine lovers, to say bonjour. When it was time to say goodbye, she totaled up my purchases, a bottle of Horton's Xoco, the famed dessert wine and a bottle of their Viognier, such a delicious taste, you could never ignore. They sell Xoco, in either red or white, but all their wines can be purchase through out Virginia or Maryland, in the wine store. Or they will even ship to your door. read more

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It was truly a great experience!! The staff were amazing and very helpful. The ambiance was welcoming and inviting. It truly felt like home. I would go back there again!! Loved every minute of it! read more

Horton Vineyards - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Gordonsville, Virginia

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The staff was very very nice. The tasting was unconventional. The plate thru me off. My last name is Horton and I'm from Massachusetts so I had to visit. Beautiful scenery as well. read more

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First, I want to shoutout the incredible staff here. We came with a puppy, intending to stay outside for the visit. However, the little guy started to feel a bit sick in the heat. The staff welcomed us inside to cool him off and offered us complimentary water and a bowl for him. He perked right up and was happy and healthy the rest of the day! I greatly appreciated their kindness. The first time I came to visit Horton, I wasn't sold. I tried their fruit wine - blueberry for me - and thought it was VERY sweet and didn't measure up to the wine scene in Charlottesville. But, upon my second visit, I realized the value and the fun to be had at Horton! The atmosphere is laid back and fun. Our group grabbed a table outside and set up a picnic before heading inside to grab our wines. The prices are great - with a "sale" rack near the door that meant we could get a bottle for $12. Almost a suspiciously good deal, we still went for it. While a bit sweet, it was a good bottle and a GREAT deal! I am not a sweet wine person, but I imagine that if you are this would be a good place to come for a bottle. We even took some home with us. I'd recommend stopping here for a picnic day, a relaxing afternoon, or just a winery visit without the sometimes-uptight or overly-formal vibe of other places around. Stop in, and bring your puppies! read more

Since moving to Virginia, our goal has been to hit all vineyards on the Monticello Wine Trail. We're almost at the halfway mark and already consider Horton to be near the top! Our wine host was an absolute delight and knew her trade. She took our feedback and made perfect selections for our flights. It was also a treat to meet the wine maker. We are excited for the next batch of Bone Orchard! read more

Horton Hears a Who the heck likes this place?? The wine was all terrible. The inside is so dated. The outside has broken and warped chairs. There are about 7 parking spots for good reason. It was empty. The flights are expensive for just how awful it is. The flights are in paper plates with little plastic cups, like going to a bad communion service. Would not go back if I was forced. read more

Horton Vineyards felt casual and a bit old-school. They have a pleasant outdoor area, complete with a fireplace for chilly evenings. I thought the flight was somewhat pricey--six tastings for $18 per person. The list of wines is large, though. We enjoyed the hospitality and relaxed nature of Horton. The French-style wines were a little disappointing to me. We enjoyed a short stroll through some of the vines outside of the tasting room. Pleasant, and worth a stop if you find yourself in the area while on the Monticello Wine Trail. read more

Friendly, knowledgeable staff with a wide selection of wines. From vine to bottle, this family owned winery controls the entire process. Pack your snacks and enjoy good wine. If you're looking for a glitzy tasting room this is not your place. This is an active vineyard with a store where you can taste and purchase an extensive selection of wine. read more

Was with a group of friends and we were really excited to try Horton just due to the outside castle-looking building. The inside was very dark and dated (felt creepy). Only one person was working at the cash register so not a very personalized experience. The wine was not good at all - probably the worst we had all day. Not really any food options. Pretty area to take pictures in front of the vineyards. There are a few picnic tables outside that you can sit at. read more

I did a re-visit after several years. Horton's variety and size continues to impress. They have 67 acres spread across the state, and grow an AMAZING roster of grapes including varietals you almost never see (Nebbiolo, Albarino, Rkatisteli, Tinta Cao, and more). They even have hard to find single varietal Virginia wines like Malbec. AAAAannnnd the prices here are very reasonable. So all in all, there's something for everyone. The tasting roster is equally huge, so I picked out a bunch that are harder to find: Petit Manseng: Grows well in VA and I like theirs, melon nose, honey taste. 15 Cab Franc: Very nice; one of my favorites of the lineup. Petit Verdot: Soft (unlike some PVs), jammy nose. Cote d Orange: Red blend...notes aren't great but I think it was OK Malbec: OK not 100% Malbec, but 75% is still good. Very soft; decent. 13 Nebbiolo: Nice finish 14 Tannat: 90% Tannat, with some Cab Franc and a dash of something else. Pretty good, not overly tannic (although I like tannins). Port-style (made mostly with Touriga Nacional and some Tinta Cao): I liked it, and made very much in the style of a Portuguese port (even authentic grapes!). I liked a lot of wines here, but didn't necessarily love any single one. Still, for variety, come here. read more

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Server was a smart aleck. Wines were undrinkable, with the exception of the Franc and the Vintage Port. Tastings were $20 a person served in plastic communion cups on paper plates. Recommend passing on Horton. There are too many other Virginia winery choices. Don't waste your money here. Trust me. read more

Started out a recent wine tour with the family at Horton and it was a great start. They accommodated our large group of seven thirsty adults really well, answering all the random questions. I enjoy oaked (buttery) Chardonnays and Hortons was a really nice version of this. Took one for the road! We also split a bottle of 2017 Viognier amongst ourselves after our tasting while sitting on the picnic benches out front. Definitely a nice spot to check out if you're in the area. read more

Horton Vineyards - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Gordonsville, Virginia

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We went here with friends 20 years ago. Everyone working there, you could tell just loved working there. They were all just having fun and joking around with everyone. The wines were also very good. One red stood out to me, given time would be an award winner. We purchased a bottle of it, a 1998 Mourvedre. When we got home I put it away in wine fridge. This past weekend, we opened it to have with the kids. It had surpassed my expectations. This 21 yr old Mourvedre was smooth, light oak, great finish of black raspberry and or mulberries. What a compliment to our steak. Now I wish I had bought 4 of them 20 years ago. read more

I have always enjoyed going to Hortons Vineyard. You get personal service and the staff is great! We love the Niagra, Port, Chocolate wines just to name a few! If you are a first time wine drinker they are great to explain about their wines and the wine process you don't feel like you are a number being hustled to chose something like you do at other wineries. Shannon and her staff are amazing and go out of their way to make you feel at home. I would highly recommend them. read more

Amazing people , delicious wines and super friendly staff, I highly recommend !!! A+++ Experience

The second stop on our wine tour and by far the worst. The inside was dated and creepy looking. They also had the most random assortment of things to buy. Beard oil? Next to bath salts? Next to shoe shine oil? We asked for suggestions on wine and the girl's response was "I don't really know much about wine let me ask." Very bizarre for someone working at a winery. We ended up getting a glass of wine each to make the stop worth while. The wine was given to us in cheap plastic cups. Downed the wine and left. read more

This vineyard is best to visit on a warm day because there are plenty of picnic tables outside. We visited in a cold m, windy day and we're dismayed to see virtually no comfortable chairs to sit in to enjoy a glass after our tastings. And if we had brought our own food I'm not sure how we'd be able to eat it. In our cars perhaps. Their tastings are very generous. For just $6 you choose 10 wines from a list twice as long. And our server was quite fun and personable. We'll return in the Spring or Sumner to enjoy the wine and grounds. read more

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I feel bad giving them so few stars. We went during COVID19; so tastings were not allowed. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. Unfortunately, there is a lot I take into consideration. They had the largest wine selection I have ever seen at a single winery. They will mix their wines so it's more of a sangria if you want a glass of a two wines. My husband mixed their "chocolate"wine (red) with their raspberry wine. That was ok. I tried their "white chocolate wine" with their strawberry wine. That wasn't my favorite. It very different than anything I have ever had. It was more like drinking a wine cooler than wine. We also tried a glass of their Niagara. It was a sweet wine. They have it listed under white wines. I would call it more of a dessert wine but I did like it. Lastly, they have a lot of indoor (when COVID is over) and outdoor seating. The grounds are spacious. The building is lovely and clean. They do sell some jellies and honey but no food. read more

Staff was very helpful and interesting fact that her grandfather wanted a castle in Ireland, but settled for building a castle in Virginia! The 4th of July wine is awesome! Very relaxing read more

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Another wonderful afternoon here. Everyone had on a mask n seating was outside only. They had picnic tables, umbrellas n tents properly spaced. Self tasting of 5 was nice under the circumstances. read more

A very great experience ! I found this place on the way to Luray Caverns. A friend and I saw the sign and decided it would be fun to stop and sight see. We decided to taste test a few, well more than a few. I had no understanding of wines and such so this was a great first experience for me. The lady who helped me did a great job explaining them and although after maybe taste 5 I wanted to stop (I am a light weight and were enjoying all of the aromas and effects they give.), but she was just so passionate about explaining them I had to try about 3 more. My friend seemed to enjoy the other 12 as he finished every one except the one he wasn't too fond of. I love random road trips because you get to discover cool places like this. read more

This is a great vineyard to go to if you're looking for a really laid back experience!! If you're looking for something fancy, I'd probably go elsewhere though. I came here for a girls' day, and it was lots of fun. I had called a few days ahead to make a reservation (since there was 9 of us), but they said we could come whenever. The people were really nice, but definitely more hands-off. I do wish we'd had a little more guidance and interaction for the tasting. It was a very independent experience. Pretty much everyone in our group did the tasting, which consists of 6 1-oz pours. Once you decide and pay, they pour the wine and you can take the tasting wherever. We went to a seating area upstairs. I enjoyed the independence because I was excited to catch up with everyone, but if I'd been there for the wine experience, I'd definitely be disappointed. The wine was decent (nothing special), but they do have a HUGE selection. Also, they allow outside food and drink (as long as it's non-alcoholic!) We brought food and had a little picnic spread, which was great! The exterior is beautiful. I really loved the castle effect on the outside! read more

This place is a castle!!! Or at least it looks like. Parking was good, bathrooms were clean. The interior seemed a bit dated and smelled old - time for renovation such as you have seen in some of the other reviews (maybe). The wines though wow, worth tasting many of them, they had such a variety of flavors and interests. They even had a white and dark chocolate. Reasonably priced and even took some home. read more

Friends and I visited a few wineries and we greatly disappointed by Horton. They serve their wine in small plastic cups. The worst part was their representative- they were very rude. I can't think of a worse person to sell your business. We spoke with othered and different wineries and heard similar comments read more

Wine was good, but not great. Venue terrible. Service non-existent. Tastings in plastic cups on a paper plate. Snack tray consisted of pre-packaged items and wooden knives. Seating area was outdated and uncomfortable. Terrible experience overall. read more

It is what it is and nothing more - sweet fruit wines, mostly bland whites and reds, with a tasting list consisting of dozens of wines that is too confusing for wine novices. I came into Horton with low expectations considering the terrible reviews on yelp. Horton is just outside of Barboursville (our GPS took us up someone's driveway, so just drive along Route 33 until you see the sign). The interior of the tasting room is large and open, with tasting bars along most of the walls. Upon entering, you approach the tasting bar and are handed a long list of wines to try. For $5 you can try up to ten - mark them on your sheet and you'll bounce from bar to bar. I'm not a huge fan of the unguided wine tasting, especially if you're new to wine tasting. It's important to have wines in a certain order. Allowing customers to bounce from dry whites to fruit wines to bold reds to dessert wines is crazy, as the taste of wine changes significantly with what you've had in your mouth before (har har). I decided to try three whites, a fruit wine, and six reds. None of the whites I found particularly good - Black Cat Chardonnay, Petit Manseng, or the Sweet Concord (which is actually a sweet red). The Mango fruit wine tasted like...mango juice (I don't know what I was expecting). Horton redeems itself a bit with the reds - the Norton, Pinotage (South African wine with a unique flavor), Syrah and Petit Verdot were all fair, with only the Perit Verdot and Norton coming close to being my favorite. Overall, of the wines I tasted I found them all decidedly underwhelming. I'm not the biggest fan of dessert wines and fruit wines, which seems to be Horton's main draw, and the whites were below average and the reds unremarkable. Horton would also be better served by coming up with 2-3 defined tasting lists that allow the flavors of its wines to build upon each other, instead of allowing people to jump around. With better wineries so close by (Barboursville and Reynard Florence), feel free to skip this one. read more

Horton Vineyards - Tasting List as of FEB 2015 page 1 - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Gordonsville, Virginia

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This vineyard is off the charts! After staying at the Mayhurst Inn in Orange, we got a card for a free wine tasting for two. They were very generous and Caitlin, one of the Horton successors knew everything! You got to check off the bottles you wanted to try and they had great descriptions of each. I have actually never been to a vineyard with so many different types of wine. Unreal! We ended up buying 3 bottles. Their Chardonnay is AMAZING. You will not be disappointed. The winery also looks like a castle and is very picturesque. Only thing is if I were them I'd try to make the interior a little more rustic and inviting. But that hardly took away from the experience. This place was fire and I will be back. read more

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Little bit out of the way, but beautiful country road, even in the pouring rain. This was a short stop on the way out of Charlottesville. It's a tiny vineyard tucked away down a gravel road, with a huge chalet that presents with grandness. The showroom is open and inviting, stocked with goodies and an impressive selection of over 40 wines to sample. Though our sommelier didn't go explicitly into any of the wines, he was informative and answered any questions. They had a well organized printout of all the wines available to sample with descriptions on taste and background. I speak highly of a dessert wine, infused with XOCO chocolate. What a sweet and perfect balance of red wine and chocolate. read more

Horton Vineyards - chocolate wine - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Gordonsville, Virginia

At most wineries, you're welcome to taste as many varieties as you'd like. At Horton, they limit the number... perhaps because there are just too many otherwise and it would take too long, but the impression is more like they're stingy. I certainly understand that a business won't thrive if it gives everything away, but restrictions are much easier to take when accompanied by good service and no attitude. Their pours are chintzy and the staff is not very personable. On the other hand, the prices are very affordable! So if you actually like their wines, you probably won't mind the negatives. This is the case with my niece who LOVES Horton wines, which are sweet. Way too sweet for my taste. So, guess what she gets for birthday and Christmas presents from her Aunt Lisa? read more

Beautiful place but wines we tasted. 2 rose and a cab franc tasted like cough medicine.

Very friendly and helpful, knowledgeable server! Loved the wine and the tips we learned to mix the wines to create new tastes! Well worth the visit! Beautiful location! read more

Horton Vineyards - Wine Tasting Room Near Me - Gordonsville, Virginia

So the exterior is made to resemble a castle - pretty cool! The inside... feels like they forgot to finish. Ample amount of parking and outside space, but the inside is designed somewhat similarly to a vineyard very nearby - where you just have a large room, with no real seating option, and you go through a massive tasting menu. Here, you pick up to ten wines to taste and you don't have to slide around the room to different persons for your designated tasting. Which is nice. If you plan accordingly with your group, you can easily sample more than the 10 you're allotted for your tasting. Overall the wine was ok, and a reasonable price. They had a food truck parked out front too - only wish they had more indoor seating for colder weather. read more

Wines are not bad, but atmosphere is zilch. As another reviewer said, wine served in plastic cups on paper plates. Staff didn't seem knowledgeable. Do yourself a favor can try the one a mile up the road. read more

This is a tricky one to review for me. What I really didn't like about it might partly come down to regional nuances. There's plenty of Southern hospitality, to be sure ... but maybe too much. A lot more chatting than pouring. During our visit there were only two groups of three people there, but the one bartender tended to linger for an interminable amount of time with the other group. She also insisted on putting the bottles away even if we mentioned that someone else in our group is going to be tasting that given wine, too, which also added to the long duration we were there. She moved like molasses. We had originally planned on visiting three wineries before we had to head back into Culpepper, but were only able to get to two because we were here nearly 2 hours. We quite enjoyed the wines, but as a former bartender I just couldn't get over how slow the service was. They're dog-friendly, which is a huge plus for me, too. But if you're on a tight schedule, this spot might not with out for you. read more

Was $6 for 5 wines even though website says 10. And you get them in Dixie cups on a paper plate