Ox-Eye Vineyards Tasting Room

We enjoyed the experience. Our server was fantastic. He explained much of the process to us. It was a Saturday night and we were the only ones there. This is a must try! Very affordable tasting!

Very nice winery in an urban setting!
We stopped in for a tasting and chatted with the owner for a little while. He’s a nice guy who’s been growing grapes for many many years and decided a few years ago to open a store front. He got a good deal on this location and made it his tasting room. His vineyard is 8 miles (or so) from this downtown Staunton location. All the wines come from his grapes.
He offers a nice selection of varietals and does a great job with the wine making process. He’s friendly and enjoys explaining his winemaking and skill set to those who come in for a tasting.
We would definitely come back when in the area again!

While Ox Eye isn’t located in the most picturesque location as far as wineries go, I loved the wines! I had a glass of the Chardonnay, my boyfriend had the cab franc, and I ended up buying a bottle of the cab franc– so good! Thank you :)

We stopped at this place on a whim while we were in Staunton, and we were not sure what to expect. We were blown away by all of the wines — even the whites which we normally are not a huge fan of! The owner could not have been more gracious and helpful — we ended up buying 6 bottles to take home with us! This place is a gem — we are already talking back again!

We went by here around mother’s day last year with my mom and were very, very disappointed with the quality of wines. The staff was very friendly, so we ended up buying a pity bottle from them, but I would not recommend the wines here. Also, it’s strange tasting wines at a place other than where they are grown – it kind of takes the fun out of it because you can’t see the vines or the cellar or any part of the wine making process because it’s all done off-​site. I would recommend going down to Barren Ridge in Fishersville or up to Bluestone in Bridgewater – don’t waste your time (or money) here on these wines.

Fantastic wine! All of them are excellent. Very friendly and helpful service from the shopkeeper as well. Ended up buying a couple bottles after the wine tasting

I was dismayed to realize I hadn’t already written a good review of this place. I could’ve sworn I had. I really can’t say enough good things about it.
Located in a refurbished historic commercial building right in the middle of downtown. The vineyard is obviously not there. I am typically not as charmed by a wine tasting that’s away from the vines, just because I’m a sucker for the whole «terroir» idea, and enjoy looking out at the vines that produced what I’m tasting. But — John and Susan Kiers, the proprietors, have absolutely created an exception to my little preference. Ox-Eye’s tasting room is an experience in itself. They tend to have art exhibitions from one or two local artists (often from the Beverley Street School downtown). These shows are celebrated with cool opening receptions, featuring the artists themselves and great food and hospitality.
Other times I’ve gone in and found they had a live musician or two performing. The back patio, as others have mentioned, is a magical little spot for sitting and enjoying your glass. Indoor furnishings are comfortable as well. The owners and their staff are always friendly. The wines are interesting: the Lemberger (a.k.a. Blaufränkisch) varietal remains my favorite — spicy, rich, tannic, deep red — but they also make a very nice dry Riesling and good Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc varietals. I keep waiting to see them release a red blend.
For locals or tourists, this is a must-​visit.

Located in downtown Staunton, we experienced a very nice tasting room only 7 miles away from their actual vineyard. The tasting room is very polished, new paint, great décor (steel wrought chandelier) and a wooden chest interior decoration. Part of me felt that given the interior, you could totally host a wine-​party in here. I personally really enjoyed the Blush which is a white and red grape, color of rose, but not sweet. Hubby really enjoyed the Pinot Noir. The pourer was a smidge green, but still, we had a great time, good tasting menu of red’s and whites. Some cheeses are available for purchase on premise.

We checked out the tasting room on Sunday afternoon and just loved everything about this winery. Great wines, nice atmosphere, knowledgeable and friendly owner. Happy to have Ox-​Eye in downtown Staunton!

Nice, drinkable wines… and friendly, knowledgeable service. We came home with a Chardonnay and a Gewürztraminer (dry and only barely sweet… just the way I like them!).

$ 5 tastings! Great local wines. Super friendly service, and the joint is classy. Make sure you go upstairs to check out the art displays, and go have a glass of wine on their gorgeous patio!

Very Cool space. The owner (?) was super nice, and very conversational. Wished we had had more time to hang out.
We did bring some home with us, so there’s that.

Great tasting room in downtown Staunton. The tasting room is beautifully decorated and very welcoming, although a bit smaller than others in the area.
A $ 5 wine tasting included Chardonnay, Gewurtztraminer, Riesling, White Ox, Brad’s Stickdog Petit Manseng (not one of their own), Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, and Lemberger.
The hostess took the time to describe each wine in detail and answer any questions. She easily managed multiple groups — we never had to wait long for her to return for our next tasting.
The Chardonnay and the Pinot Noir were our favorites. Both of these wines were on the milder side but with great flavor. The Petit Manseng, which is not one of Ox-Eye’s own wines, was awful.
Ox-​Eye also has a nice selection of cheeses and other pairings. Bottles are reasonably priced and discounts are offered for purchasing 6 or 12 bottles.

Five stars all the way. Great wine, great owner (we met Susan, the wife of the husband and wife team), and a great location in the wharf section of downtown Staunton. Their vineyards are about 8 miles from town, off winding country roads, and the owners decided to open the tasting room in town, which is great for those who visit the Saturday morning farmer’s market (Ox-​Eye opens at 10 AM for those folks… wine at 10 AM. YES).
I had a hard time choosing a bottle to go… every wine is a winner. Yes, the Lemberger is peppery. But it’s a highly unusual varietal for this part of the east coast. And at $ 17 a bottle, a steal. The Riesling is incredibly refreshing, the Gewürtztraminer is perfect for Thai and Indian food, and the Pinot Noir – well, don’t expect Oregon or California. This Pinot is mineraly and different.
The patio behind the tasting room is something out of Europe. The sloping hills behind us, the clocktower pealing every hour — shut your eyes and you’re in Germany. A great discovery in Staunton.

One good thing that this place has going for them is that they have tastings till 7PM. Score! Because you can wrap up your tasting tour in town near your hotel with this place, which was exactly what they did.
I was not too impressed with their wines. The Cabernet Franc was probably my favorite here. I think this was one of the first places I got to try Cabernet Franc. It was very good and had some great flavors to it.
The Lemberger was way too peppery for me! It was a deep, dark red that had too much of a punch for me. I think maybe if I were in a better mood for reds (like in the winter) I might like this one.
What I am a huge fan of is the staff at this tasting room. They were so friendly, helpful and chatty that it didn’t matter if the wine was good, they were great local people to talk to. They gave us great recommendations for local restaurants (validated by Unilocal of course) and anything we wanted to know about the area.
Great people and wine always make for a good time.