I’ve had my share of wine tastings. (And I’m not just talking about Saturday nights while binge-watching Yellowstone). Whether it’s for business or pleasure, I’m more than happy to include a winery visit on my travels. But to be totally honest, while the wines I take home may be memorable, most of the tasting ‘experiences’ themselves aren’t as remarkable. That was certainly not the case when we visited Keswick Vineyards in Virginia, about half an hour outside of Charlottesville – because this particular visit started with something I’d never even heard of: a horseback wine tour through the estate’s vineyards!

Virginia is Wine Country

When people think of wine regions in the US, Virginia may not be first that comes to mind. Yet this state has become one of the top five wine-producers in America, with more than 300 mostly boutique wineries helping to earn Virginia’s place at the wine-lover’s table. The challenge, of course, is how to stand out amongst all those others when it comes to attracting visitors to your winery. One way, of course, is to focus on a specific varietal, a grape that grows best in your particular terroir. Another way might be to leverage the clientele that comes to the area for other reasons…reasons like horses, for example.

Virginia is Horse Country

When the English first settled Virginia, they didn’t just bring horses with them for practical purposes; they also imported them so they could enjoy the traditions and sports they loved from across the pond, including racing and fox hunting. So it’s no surprise then, that this state has bred some of the most notable horse breeds and individual champions in the world, including the Thoroughbred racing horse and 1973 Triple Crown Winner, Secretariat.

The Keswick area is a perfect example of this, as it is well-known for equestrian horse breeding and riding clubs, and for being home to the 126 year-old Keswick Hunt Club.

But Virginia is also where the Quarter Horse originated in the 1600s, when Spanish stock was crossed with English racers to produce a breed that was perfect for quarter-mile sprints. Fast and versatile, that horse eventually became the workhorse (pun intended) of the American West.

This was the sweet spot that cowboy-entrepreneur Ashton Beebe saw as a unique business opportunity: bring east and west together over a glass of fine wine by offering horseback wine tours at local wineries through his company, Indian Summer Guide Service.

About Indian Summer Guide Service

Ashton Beebe started out as an unlikely cowboy, growing up in Virginia Beach, where horses aren’t part of the cultural landscape. But Beebe had always been drawn to horses, and his parents supported his dream to work with horses by finding him a mentor to help groom this passion, a fellow horse-whisperer who taught Ashton everything he knew (and who at 77, still rides with Ashton occasionally today). After learning what he could from him, Beebe went west and worked on ranches in Texas, where he honed his cowboy skills, worked as a guide, and even rode bucking broncs competitively before returning to his native Virginia to establish a horse-based business.

Beebe recognized that the Keswick area was unique, and he saw an opportunity to do more than just offer guided trail rides: with the abundance of wineries in the region, he believed he could provide an experience that brought the horse business together with the wine business by offering horseback wine tours, cowboy-style.

Horseback Wine Tours: Cowboy Culture Meets Viticulture

Standing tall at 6 foot 3 inches and outfitted appropriately with spurs, boots and cowboy hat, Ashton looks every bit the western wrangler that he is. But he’s also a ‘renaissance cowboy’ who is both horse whisperer and wine lover, and who can talk agriculture, viticulture and horse culture equally fluently. It’s part of the gig, he explained, as we rode our horses alongside the vines in the late morning sun, enjoying the fresh scents of the spring grass almost as much as our horses. As the entrepreneur that he is, Beebe knows the importance of supporting and understanding all aspects of his and his partners’ business, so they can both complement each other.

This kind of ride was a real pleasure especially since this was no nose-to-tail plod along a path, but rather a lively walk on horses that were as keen as they were well-mannered. Riding alongside Ashton while Henk snapped photos of the horses and the countryside, we were even rewarded with a sighting of a deer on the edge of the fields, and a gopher coming out to catch the sun as we rode past the vines.

It already felt like a much more elevated version of a trail ride, but our horseback wine tour was not over yet, and after an hour or so on the horses in the vineyards, we headed to the winery for the tasting part of our experience.

Keswick Vineyards

We had only seen a small piece of the 400-acre Keswick Vineyards property on our ride, but could already appreciate its picturesque location, stately trees and beautiful backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Of course, there’s more to this boutique estate than just a pretty location, and the test of that would be in the tasting.

Keswick was purchased in 2000 by Al and Cindy Schornberg, and in just 2 years they had made their mark on the US wine map when their 2002 vintage won ‘Best White Wine in America’. In the 11 years since then, Keswick Vineyards has taken home 3 Governor’s Cups and numerous wine awards from across the country, as well as expanded its guest offerings to include food, activities, and music events at their Tasting Room, and a wedding venue business leveraging their stately manor.

Stephen Barnard is the head winemaker here, who hails from South Africa where he spent seven years learning his craft at one of the country’s largest and most respected wineries. He’s also part of the family, having married the Schornberg’s daughter in what he jokes was a ploy to get a Green Card. That sense of humour is just one thing that makes Barnard so down-to-earth and personable and our conversation only got friendlier and more animated as the wine flowed.

As much as Barnard jokes about making drinkable wines that people like vs the typical talk of terroir and tannins, when it came to the Chardonnay, Viognier and Merlot that we tasted, it was clear that Stephen was a grape-whisperer and as comfortable in the field evaluating the grapes’ ripeness and quality as he is in the back rooms, blending and fermenting his award-winning wines.

“Consensus Vintage”

When Barnard isn’t creating magic in a bottle himself at Keswick, his loyal Wine Club patrons are, with a vintage they create themselves called Consensus. Stephen explained how every year groups from their Wine Club membership are assembled to create their own blended varietal in order to compete for the title vintage. Over the course of 3 days, each group meticulously documents the percentages of grapes that go into their blend until they are satisfied with the result, which is then judged against the other blends by an independent panel of wine enthusiasts. The winning group is awarded the honour of having their blend bottled, and all the participants’ photos are put onto the Consensus bottle’s label.

Like our horseback tour, it’s a brilliant way to give wine enthusiasts a unique, memorable experience, not to mention creating a group of loyal fans who are emotionally invested even more in the product. It’s a brilliant idea, and not surprisingly, one that Stephen came up with.

Horseback Wine Tours: Like Glamping for Trail Riding

When it comes to a wine tasting that’s out of the ordinary, or a trail ride that comes with an indulgent perk, I have to say that our experience on our horseback wine tour with Ashton and Stephen really delivered. Like a horsey version of ‘glamping’, this adventure elevated the riding experience and made for anything but a cookie-cutter winery visit.

Of course it didn’t hurt that both of these savvy entreprenurs were skilled at their professions, knew how to engage with their clients, and were just plain fun to be around. Add in the cowboy hat and a South African accent and what’s not to like about that?

PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR HORSEBACK WINE TOURS:

Cost: Indian Summer Guide Service offers several horseback tours at wineries, breweries and cideries in the region. They also offer backcountry trail rides. Prices vary but typically start around $150pp US.

Safety: All rides are at a walking pace, so they are suitable for all skill levels. Helmets, although not required, are available.

What to Wear: Closed toed shoes and pants are mandatory, so dress accordingly.

WHERE TO EAT IN KESWICK

Not far from Keswick Vineyards is Keswick Hall Luxury Resort, a prestigious property and an icon here in horse country for more than a century. The resort is also home to one of the best golf courses in the country and has just undergone a multi-million dollar years-long renovation including room additions and a brand new restaurant and bar, Marigold by Chef Jean Georges.

Serving up dishes made with fresh, local and organic ingredients, and with gorgeous views of the golf course from the dining room, Marigold was the perfect place to top off our horseback wine tour.

WHERE TO STAY:

Keswick is only about half an hour’s drive from Charlottesville, where we stayed at the Quirk Hotel, which is a modern, eclectic hotel with a cool vibe and amazing rooftop terrace.

Special thanks to Virginia Tourism, who hosted Henk and I on our horseback wine tour and to both Ashton of Indian Summer Guide Service and Stephen at Keswick Vineyards.