Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana & Tracy Horne.
Hi Dana & Tracy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Twisted Vines Vineyard was founded by two high school sweethearts with little money, but plenty of love, faith, determination, and ambition.
Back in 2009, we planted our vineyard with absolutely no experience growing grapes. Looking back now, it almost sounds crazy. We simply had a dream, a willingness to work hard, and faith that somehow it would all come together. Through trial and error, long days, lots of research, prayer, and perseverance, we slowly learned and grew alongside the vineyard itself.
In 2019, we opened our U-Pick vineyard to the public, and something really special started happening. People connected with this place in a way we never expected. Families would come walk the vines, couples would take pictures, and visitors constantly told us how peaceful, beautiful, and welcoming it felt here. Over and over, people began asking if they could celebrate special moments at the vineyard — weddings, vow renewals, showers, reunions, birthdays, and other meaningful events.
At first, the idea of building a venue felt far bigger than us financially and emotionally, but after a lot of prayer and a leap of faith, we decided to move forward. Little by little, step by step, Twisted Vines Vineyard evolved into more than just a vineyard. It became a gathering place.
Today, what brings us the most joy is the people. We genuinely love getting to know the couples, families, and friends who visit here. Some clients have become lifelong friendships. Seeing people celebrate love, milestones, and memories on property that we built from the ground up is something we never take for granted.
Our hope is that Twisted Vines Vineyard becomes part of people’s stories — a place connected to memories they carry for the rest of their lives.
And when we say God has written Himself into our story, we truly mean it. There have been moments where things seemed impossible, where we didn’t know how we would continue, and somehow the right door would open, the right person would appear, or exactly what we needed would arrive at just the right moment. His hand has been all over this journey.
Twisted Vines Vineyard is our testimony of faith, resilience, hard work, and the belief that beautiful things can grow even from humble beginnings.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No — and honestly, I don’t think anything truly meaningful ever comes easy.
Twisted Vines Vineyard has been built with faith, sacrifice, hard work, and a whole lot of perseverance. There have been moments of excitement and moments where we wondered how we were going to keep pushing forward financially, physically, and emotionally.
Money has always been one of the biggest obstacles. Tracy and I both worked full-time jobs while building the venue and vineyard. Dana continued working full-time until January 2026 when the venue responsibilities had grown to the point that it became a full-time job on its own. Tracy still works full-time while continuing to help run, maintain, and keep up the amazing landscaping here.
We have funded almost everything ourselves through loans, long hours, reinvesting every dollar back into the property, and doing much of the labor ourselves because we simply could not afford to hire employees for many parts of the process. There were many nights and weekends spent landscaping, building, cleaning, planting, troubleshooting, learning, and praying through the next step. Evidently, I am not a very good grant writer because we have not received one of those… yet.
And truthfully — we didn’t know anything about growing grapes when we first started either. We learned through research, trial and error, asking questions, making mistakes, and simply refusing to give up. There is something humbling about starting from scratch and learning as you go, especially when you care deeply about doing things the right way.
Thankfully, we have also been blessed with incredible friends, family members, and interns who believed in our vision and stepped in to help along the way. That support has meant more than we can ever fully express.
Another challenge has been simply getting people to know we exist. We are in a small rural town, and building awareness has taken time. Many people still have no idea this hidden gem is tucked away here in Sampson County. Marketing has been a learning process in itself, especially in today’s social media world where you constantly have to create, adapt, and stay visible.
Neither of us came from the grape growing business or the wedding and event industry professionally, so there has also been a steep learning curve. We have learned through experience, through mistakes, through listening, and through every single couple and event we’ve hosted. Each wedding teaches us something new.
What has carried us through is our attention to detail, our love for people, and our desire to create a place where others can slow down, celebrate, reconnect, and make memories. We genuinely care about the people who come here. By the end of many weddings, clients often feel more like friends than customers.
Our faith has also played a huge role in this journey. There were times we truly did not know how things would work out, but doors continued to open, people showed up at the right moments, and somehow we kept moving forward one step at a time.
Twisted Vines Vineyard is not just a business to us. It represents resilience, family, second chances, community, and the belief that something beautiful can grow even through difficult seasons.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At its core, Twisted Vines Vineyard is about creating experiences and memories — not just hosting events.
One thing that makes us different is that this place was truly built from the ground up by us. Tracy is the visionary, the dreamer with the big ideas that sometimes make me look at him like he has completely lost his mind. I’m the implementer — the one figuring out how to actually make those ideas happen, organizing the details, figuring out the finances, and making sure the vision runs smoothly after he works his magic. Somehow, our differences balance each other out perfectly. Tracy is constantly saying, “We need to add this” or “What if we changed this?” and I’m usually over here trying to figure out budgets, timelines, spreadsheets, and whether or not we can roll enough pennies to make it work.
But truthfully, that combination is what has made Twisted Vines what it is today. We both care deeply about details, presentation, functionality, and creating a welcoming environment where people feel cared for the moment they arrive.
We are probably best known for our hands-on approach, southern hospitality, attention to detail, and the overall atmosphere here. Visitors often tell us that the pictures do not do it justice and that they can immediately feel the heart that has gone into this place. We are very involved behind the scenes and truly care about helping events run smoothly. We want people to feel comfortable, welcomed, informed, and taken care of.
We also intentionally designed the property to feel beautiful and relaxing without needing excessive decorations or overcomplicated setups. From the landscaping and vineyard views to the patios, ceremony areas, lighting, and overall flow of the venue, we wanted it to feel elegant, peaceful, and natural all at the same time.
One of the things we are most proud of is that many people who visit here leave feeling like friends instead of customers. We have had couples, families, and U-Pick visitors return again and again, and that means everything to us.
We are also proud that Twisted Vines Vineyard represents more than just business growth. It represents stepping out in faith, building something from humble beginnings, creating opportunities in a rural community, and showing others that you do not have to have everything figured out before pursuing a dream.
At the end of the day, we are just a humble, hardworking couple who planted grapes without knowing how to grow them, built a venue without prior industry experience, and continue learning every single day. We simply cared enough to keep showing up, keep improving, and keep believing in the vision God placed on our hearts.
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to us is faith, family, relationships, and leaving behind a legacy that means something deeper than success or money.
We want Twisted Vines Vineyard to represent hard work, perseverance, humility, and gratitude. We want people to see that you do not have to come from wealth, have all the answers, or have everything perfectly figured out to build something meaningful. Sometimes you just have to be willing to work hard, trust God, keep learning, and keep showing up.
We also want to remind people to slow down and appreciate the beauty around them — nature, sunsets, conversations, family dinners, laughter, the vines growing season after season, and the simple moments that often become the most meaningful ones in life.
It is important to us to stay humble and remember where we came from and why we started this journey in the first place. This was never about becoming rich or building something flashy. It was about creating a place where people feel welcomed, connected, peaceful, and cared for.
We truly believe we are simply stewards of what God has blessed us with. Everything here — the land, the opportunities, the people we meet, the memories created — ultimately belongs to Him. Our goal is to honor that by sharing what we have been given and using it to bring joy, connection, encouragement, and hospitality to others.
If one day people remember Twisted Vines Vineyard as a place built with love, faith, integrity, hard work, and genuine care for others, then we will feel like we accomplished what mattered most.
Pricing:
- We are transparent on our website – for pricing on weddings and events
- Our u-pick vineyard is $1.50 a lb and honor system.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.twistedvinesvineyard.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/twistedvinesvineyard
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twistedvinesvineyard
- Other: TikTok – Twisted Vines VIneyard
