Showcasing wine selections from top producers in several winegrowing regions, Horizons Oceanfront Restaurant in the Clarion Resort Fontainebleau Hotel has consistently been the recipient of The Wine Spectator magazine’s “Award of Excellence” for the past 14 years. This year, the oceanfront restaurant is honored with The Wine Spectator magazine’s prestigious “Best of Award of Excellence.” Horizon’s distinguished wine book, “The List,” boasts nearly 440 selections from around the world, offering great depth in French Bordeaux and California Reds. “Beginning this year, we are focusing on local wines from the Delmarva Peninsula,” explains Richard Heubeck, Food & Beverage Director for the Clarion Resort Fontainebleau Hotel.
    Exclusively selecting grapes that hail only from the Eastern Shore, Richard has stocked the wine inventory with products from Salisbury, Whaleyville, Solomon’s Island, and St. Michaels. “I’ve lived in Ocean City for 20 years. This is home,” says Richard. “Expanding our list of wines from Eastern Shore wineries is good for the local community, and local vineyards are just as excited as us.” I had the honor of dining at Horizons with my friend, Stephanie, who bartends at a high-end establishment and is a knowledgeable wine connoisseur. Richard presented us with a bottle of a 2006 cabernet sauvignon from St. Michael’s Winery, the most mature winery on the Eastern shore.
    St. Michael’s Winery crafts its wines from grapes grown in a 28-year-old vineyard in Wye Mills and six additional Maryland growers. The winery’s logo is a Chesapeake Bay log canoe, and most of its products are named after boats. For instance, the soft and slightly spicy “Martha” Chambourcin is named after the Skipjack Martha Lewis from Havre de Grace, Maryland—the vessel in which the wine’s grapes journeyed down the Chesapeake Bay. The winery’s Gollywobbler Pink, which blends Niagara and Concord grapes, is named after the staysail on a schooner. Stephanie and I were delighted at the opportunity to sample a bottle of light, graceful, and slightly smoky cabernet.
    To accompany our wine, head chef, Shawn, prepared Stuffed Mushrooms and fresh tomato slices with mozzarella, basil, vinaigrette, fresh Parmesan, and garlic. For our entrées, he presented us with Pan Seared Halibut with a sundried romesco sauce and a roasted corn risotto, and Roasted Pork Tenderloin with early fall vegetables and a potato fennel purée. Each recipe complemented the wine. On the “Chef’s Specials” menu, recommended wines are listed under each food item.
    “In the fall, Horizons is offering wine pairing dinners,” says Richard. “It’s a wonderful conversation piece.” Also, Horizons will offer beer pairings with local brews from Evolution, Dogfish Head, and more. In addition to a wall of windows with sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean, Horizons also features several large screen televisions, including one the size of a theater screen. Beer pairings and football are sure to provide plenty of fall fun.
    The entrepreneurs at the Clarion not only sell wine, but also they collect it. “We purchase wines by the barrel several years in advance and let them age,” explains Richard. His passion for wine is palpable and infectious. “Here’s a piece of trivia for you,” he quips. “Muscat wine hails from one of the oldest vines in existence, and is reputedly the wine that Cleopatra preferred to drink.” Beside the bar on the restaurant’s split level, large wooden wine cabinets hold 440 bottles each. The wine room currently has approximately 3,000 bottles in inventory.
    “The List” includes tasting notes from the winemakers and well-respected aficionados for each wine. The prestigious awards that the restaurant has earned from The Wine Spectator magazine highlight Horizons’ well-chosen selection of quality producers and thematic match to the menu in both price and style. Wine is served in tall, elegant “eisch” glasses, which are breathable glassware made in Germany.
    For dessert, Richard presented us with a bottle of Chocolate Zinfandel—sumptuous chocolate mixed with oak-barreled Zinfandel. He paired the dessert wine, which is also from St. Michaels Winery, with one slice of Strawberry Pie and one slice of Humble Berry Pie. The entrées at Horizons Oceanfront Restaurant are remarkable, but the dessert and Chocolate Zinfandel are simply divine. This course was undoubtedly our favorite. I couldn’t have been happier as the taste of sweet chocolate lingered on my palate.
    Horizons Oceanfront Restaurant is open daily, serving breakfast at 7:00 a.m., lunch at 11:30 a.m., and dinner from 5:00 to 10:30 p.m. A spectacular breakfast buffet is served from 7:00 a.m. until 1 p.m., and a Prime Rib, Crab Legs, and Seafood Buffet is served on various weekends throughout the year. A centerpiece of the Clarion Resort Fontainebleau Hotel, Horizons restaurant hosts several special events and banquets throughout the year.
    As Stephanie and I finished off our dessert by the ocean, the large screen that had been broadcasting Sunday Night Football receded into the ceiling to reveal a large stage where the band New Censation soothed the late dinner crowd with live jazz music. Happy couples immediately filled the dance floor. Richard was kind enough to invite us on an after-dinner tour of the wine room. All in all, our experience sampling wine and dining on extraordinary culinary creations rates as the best of the best. Horizons Oceanfront Restaurant is clearly deserving of the top accolades it receives from The Wine Spectator magazine, and will undoubtedly continue to earn top tier awards. Stop into the restaurant today and find out for yourself what all the raves are about. For reservations, please call (800) 638-2100.