Camelot Revisited: Horton Vineyards serves up fruity vino in a fairy tale winery

On one side of the country lane: three single-story, wood frame houses with heavy duty pick-up trucks parked in the gravel driveways; on the other: a castle. Now, I’m not talking Versailles or Buckingham Palace here, but the turreted building presiding over an acre of grape vines counts as royal digs as far as Orange County, Virginia is concerned. Welcome to Horton Vineyards, an innovative winery that is making great strides towards restoring the prestige of viticulture in the Old Dominion. The family-owned estate, the pride and joy of Dennis and Sharon Horton, was opened in 1988; the 55 acre manor that began as a fledgling venture has now become a winery known for its innovative wine flavors. On a vineyard that has grown to 112 acres, the Hortons introduced the Viognier grape – a new arrival to the state of Virginia – and rejuvenated the Native grape varietal.

Regardless of whether you’re wooed by the vineyard specialties or not, the novelty of the Horton estate makes a trip to this Central Virginia winery a must for anyone living in the county – or the state for that matter. If the young couple from Texas – posing for pictures in front of the dozens of rows of grapevines – can find their way to this intimate little winery, there’s no reason for any semi-local not to make the drive down scenic Route 33. The Sunday drive is a favorite pastime in Orange County, where sparsely populated country lanes and pastoral scenes, complete with spotted Holsteins and hay bales, prove irresistible to anyone who loves their car or loves their Southern scenery. And on my trip to Horton Vineyards, I had to remind myself to keep a careful eye out for my destination – and not be lured by the thrill of the drive to continue on towards Charlottesville, and my alma mater UVA.

Luckily, it’s hard to miss a turreted, stone edifice in the midst of a rural landscape – did I mention that this winery is a wannabe castle? Not to belabor the point, but the building’s exterior is most definitely one of the biggest selling points for the vineyard. There’s something romantic about walking into a place that looks like the private residence of someone rich and famous; a place where you get to be the guest of honor and have staff serve you fantastical homemade wines. Unfortunately, the mystical character of the winery is marred by the big canvas sign that is planted outside, advertising Horton’s new chocolate wine, XOCO. Smart marketing strategy, maybe; attractive, definitely not. But the monogrammed gate marking the entrance to the vineyard goes a long way towards redeeming the aesthetic appeal of Horton’s; the teal-plated H and V letters on either side of the wrought-iron gate are classy without an air of pretentiousness.

The gorgeous façade and elegant detailing of the Horton estate – note the theatrical mask above the wooden, double door entrance and the carved wooden lions in the center of said doors – leave you with high expectations for the wine-tasting to follow. When you enter the cramped interior of the winery, however, you sadly realize that the highlights of Horton’s exist solely on the exterior. The stone-floored corridor of the building leads to the gift shop/tasting room on the right and ends in a glass-encased bookshelf full of accolades (the trophy and plaque variety) just to the left of the entryway. I’m sure many of those tasting awards are well-deserved, including the commendation from President Clinton, praising the selection of red and white wines that the Hortons supplied for an official state dinner held in honor of the Brazilian Ambassador and his wife. But the house wines are best enjoyed in an outside venue, because what the Horton vineyard boasts in wine flavor, it dearly lacks in ambience.

The Horton winery is deceptively grand from without, and I’m quite surprised to find that a single, moderately sized room comprises the entirety of the first floor – the only level open to the public. The pale yellow paint on the 20-foot walls lends an unpleasant pallor to the room, which is flooded with knick-knacks and row upon row of clothing and household goods emblazoned with puns about wine: like the tee-shirt with the words “Well red” emblazoned in glitter beneath an image of a glass of, what else, red wine. These witticisms may provide a fun read for the wine tasters perusing the gift shop goods, but the shirts, coasters, and ceramic dishes bearing these trite one-liners don’t appear to be flying off of the shelves. Aside from the imprinted objects, the other big draws in the shop are the homegrown Virginia peanuts, available in every variety of sweet and savory seasoning imaginable. Even the plainest peanut – a roasted, salted version – is rather appealing when dressed up in commemorative cans bearing the mascots of several state colleges: University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, George Mason and James Madison University all make the cut.

After winding your way through the miniature gift shop, which is a bit cluttered due to the lack of space and the overabundance of wine de-corkers, you can sidle up to the tasting bar on the far side of the room. The Sunday afternoon crowd is light, so there’s ample room for the wine sippers to spread themselves out along the L-shaped wooden counter. On the other side of the bar, five employees stand armed with bottles of house wine, ready to pour a sip of the Route 33 Red, Viognier (Spicy Rhone White), Pear Fruit Wine, Spirit (a Commemorative Jamestown Series, dry White Wine), and that much publicized XOCO (chocolate dessert wine). The Horton name is synonymous with fruity wine, and on this score, the vineyard does not disappoint. The presentation at Horton’s is undeniably low-key, perhaps verging on the overly casual - which leaches some of the glamour from the imagined fairy tale experience of wine tasting in a look-a-like castle. But once you get a few sips of the house wines in your system, you’ll be ready to forgive most of the shortfalls in the interior décor. True, you might not be ready to spring for a bedazzled shirt on your way out of the winery, but you’ll leave with a smile on your face and maybe even a bottle of fruit-infused wine under your arm.