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