horton vineyards

Pulling up to this winery we had high hopes. From the outside, it looks really cool, like a castle. But inside, we quickly noticed a dirty feel. Dirt on the floor, dirt on the ceiling & walls. They have an unbelievable variety....actually overwhelming. So many that you have to choose 5 that you want to taste. The guy doing our tasting was probably the most unfriendly person I have ran into at a winery. That's why I'm going 2 stars instead of 3.

The building from the outside is lovely , but once inside the disappointment begins. We were unsure what to do and were greeted by a very rude sever who asked us what we were here for and if we would be paying with cash or credit, like they had separate cash register for one or the other, which they did not. They separate their white tasting form the red, so we started with white. The server was disinterested and gave no explanation about any of the wines. One if the whites was quite good, the rest not so much. The red tasting is done at a folding table and again, the only thing we learned about each wine, was what to pair it with. We were never greeted properly, things unclear and disorganized. We couldn't wait to leave, not going back.

After seeing Horton at several wine fests and seeing their wines in local stores we were really looking forward to seeing their vineyard, operation and learning how they can make such a HUGE variety of wines and do it well and for a low price...Driving up, the outside was really pretty, like a castle! Upon entering, the tasting room was in an odd area and split in two with whites being at a kitchen bar and reds being at a table in the other corner of the room. The lady giving white tastings asked if we wanted a tasting and sent us to the register to pay for the tasting, which was fine, but we did find it odd that she only sent us over there after asking if we were paying cash or credit???We came back with our receipt and a different lady was giving the pouring. She simply poured wines, she never explained a single wine, explain how it was fermented, explained anything about the vineyard, winemaker, etc. And when I asked a question, like residual sugars in a wine, she said they add nothing to the wine, it comes with natural sugars. Which is not the right answer. She was more interested in drinking her coffee than being at work, pouring wines that day.So, then we went over the red pouring guy... he was a little more enthusiastic about his job and actually explained 2 of the 6 he poured for us. In all, we were able to go to a winery with soooo many wines, pay, get a tasting and leave the parking lot all in 20 minutes! How's that possible?!?! They should have done more to keep us there, encourage us to buy and enjoy their wines, explain their wines, etc. Clearly they bottle and case so many thousands that they don't seem to care about the few that they can sell in the tasting room on the weekends.Also, they make way too many wines to perfect each one. Many we tasted were mediocre at best. It's best to scale back and make 1/4 of what they offer, but ensure those are great, rather than just 'ok' or worse.

Wow! Thanks for your positive review! What wine was your favorite? Do you have any suggestions for us to make your experience even better?Looking forward to your next visit!Thanks,NeilHorton Vineyards

Choosing the wines we could taste vs a select list was a very nice touch. The North and South Selection is our choice. We cant wait for the new tasting room to open.

nice place, wonderful view, and great wines. Went with family and friends, would like to go back. Sorry didn't rate this earlier.

We were celebrating a birthday, walk into the tasting room to be greeted by the rudest host. Posted on the sign is $5.00 wine tastings. There were 8 of us, and the host says "because there are 8 of you, the tasting fee is $10.00 per person". This is just wrong! What in the world...serious lack of customer service?? 5 of us refused to even participate in the tasting at that point. What a jerk, not to mention what a ridculous business decision! He can keep his wine! We won't be back, nor recommend this place!

For wine buffs like me on a one-off tour of Virginia, Horton needs a visit as they reintroduced the "native" V aestivalis hybrid Norton back to its home State after being all grubbed up for the Prohibition and luckily lived on in neighbouring states. And their Norton wine is pretty good though not as good as Chrysalis. I was more impressed with their Petit Manseng and a surprise to see Rkatsitelli happily growing here too. Yes our host also knew next to nothing about wine but hey it's to be enjoyed and you can take it as seriously or not as you want, and she was pleasant and amiable and that's all I'd expect - I really don't like those wine pourers who tell you what the wine tastes like and what food it goes with - who cares; it's just a matter of opinion. Facts not opinions. But anyway they are minor league now in the echelons of serious upcoming Virginia wine producers and I guess that's where they want to be in the market; we don't really need any wine made from Concord or Niagara - or maybe there is still a market for the stuff ?

My wife and I walked into the tasting room and were shocked by the dank musky smell and 1970s era décor. There were virtually no windows and no outside area to have a glass of wine after the tasting. During the tasting, the staff provided minimal information about the wine except for comments like "this tastes like grape juice". In my opinion, wine tasting is as much about the experience as it is about the wine and this place was sorely lacking.

Something for everyone. Reds, Whites, Sweet, Dry. If you can't find a wine you like at Horton, you're too picky. For the money, Horton is the best deal for wine tasting also.

This is a neat winery, with the vines in the front and facility in the back. They guy that was there was very stand-off and didn't seem interested in really serving me. Maybe he thought because I was younger I didn't have money and/or I wouldn't by anything (not the case on wither account, as I walked out with 5 bottles). Not because of him, there were two wines that actually were really good that I liked. A couple came in about 5 mins after me and he spent all his time on them and had some women that didn't know ANYTHING about the wine serves me. Good thing I do know about wine and I can read the descriptions provided. After my wine tasting, I bought a few bottles of the two that I liked. I was in and out within 20 - 25 mins. If you're going for good conversation and to learn a lot about their wine, this isn't the one to visit! Good photo op and place to swing if you’re doing other wine tours in the area.

This is our second time at Horton's, the first wasuch better. All places at the tasting bar were full when we arrived, which was fine. However, we wandered around for 30 minutes and no one even acknowledged our presence. Not even a "hello." When we got our turn, the older lady was brusque to the point of downright rudeness. The younger girl was polite but that's about it, she was not knowledgeable about the wines. Neither offered any information about the wine and we hesitated to ask the rude lady. Wines were just alright. After our experience we didn't feel guilty about leaving without purchasing any wine. That was a first!!!!!

We stopped in after visiting barboursville vineyards, this one was a bit more laid back.. We had 10 wines to taste, the girls were very helpful and we had a blast. One also recommended us a b&b to stay and that even turned out to be a wonderful time as well. I well recommend this stop on the tour... Very good

My husband and I visited the winery on Aug, 13, 2014 around 4:30 in the afternoon. The closing time posted was 5:00 but since we had already driven the distant to see other vineyards in the area, we hated to miss them. When we entered the winery, we were addressed by a women with her arm in a sling and another women who spoke with a accent. We were asked if we wanted to do a tasting and we said yes. We were allowed to taste 10 wines which we were excited about. However the experience only went down hill from there. We picked our own 10 wines and we were not given any information on any of them. At one time the lady with the sling walked away and asked the other lady to serve us. She wasn't thrilled about it either. While we were tasting another gentleman came in around 4:45 and he asked if there was still time for a tasting. He was told, " we will see, we do close at 5:00. We finished up our tasting and purchased a bottle of wine and a glass and then left. No one time were we told, "thank you for coming or see you again. etc." I don't believe I will be back because if I want their wine, I can buy it at the Total Wine Store. I was very disappointed with the overall experience and won't recommend my friends or family to visit.

I visited the winery and it was very nice. The ambiance was very nice and the people were very attentive and explained the different types of wine in detail. I would truly visit again.