Ox-Eye Vineyards

July 12, 2025. The city of Staunton* is worth visiting for many reasons – the Blackfriars Playhouse, the Woodrow Wilson’s birthplace and museum, and Ox-Eye Vineyards. Taking the name of the daisy that grows in the vineyard, John and Susan Kiers purchased land for their vineyard in 1996 and soon after began growing grapes for sale to other growers and wine producers. Their 26-acre vineyard is 8.5 miles out of town in the Augusta County community of Swope. The vineyard is at an elevation of 1,830 feet with slopes facing east and southeast. They are blessed with cool temperatures, low rainfall and deep limestone soils that we find in Shenandoah Valley. John and their daughter, Harriet Kiers Keogh, share vineyard manager and winemaker responsibilities with John primarily responsible for the still wines and Harriet responsible for the sparkling wines. They produce about 2,700 or 2,800 cases of wine a year, all of which is estate-grown at...