Located on Church Street in Smithfield, near Norfolk. For those of you who remember wine tasting at Windsor Castle Park in Smithfield from 2015 to 2019, this is the same winery in a different place. Owners Michelle and Denton Weiss leased land at Windsor Castle in 2013 and planted 2.5 acres of vines, tended by daughter and winemaker Natasha Weiss-Huff. After a lease dispute with the town, the family uprooted the vines and moved to their current location. As of mid-2020, the winery is closed for tastings, and open for weddings and other private events. As the vines mature in their new location, their hope is to re-open for tastings in due course.
Wine. Smithfield specializes in sparkling wine. There are currently five different types of small-batch sparkling champagne-style wines, including red, rose and white – referred to by the family as “their Southern Bubbly.” The bottles come from their inventory of past production until their vines mature at the current location.
Setting. Handsome tasting room in downtown Smithfield, but not currently open for tastings.
Stories. Natural Virginia: Ragged Island Wildlife Refuge. Only a few miles from Smithfield in Isle of Wight County, on the south border of the James River, sits Ragged Island. This quiet and largely unspoiled area of brackish marshland and scattered woody hummocks sits just across the river from Hampton Roads, one of Virginia’s busiest and most populated regions. Just crossing the (mostly) flat James River Bridge from Hampton Roads, or driving a few minutes from Smithfield, takes one to this 1,500-acre opportunity to hunt, fish or view wildlife and wetland habitats. The area has interpretive signs and trails, and has been designated a Watchable Wildlife Area. The boardwalk gives birdwatchers, hikers and photographers some unique opportunities. A public fishing pier is located at the north end of the James River Bridge. Mammals here include deer, raccoon, rabbit, fox and squirrel; among the abundant waterfowl are Black ducks, mallards, scaup, gadwall, ruddy ducks, buffleheads, goldeneyes and clapper rail. Fishermen can catch mostly saltwater species, including bluefish, gray trout, spot, croaker, flounder and striped bass. White perch and channel catfish can be also caught in the fresh water creeks. Vegetation includes loblolly pines, marsh mallow, smartweed, saltmarsh Cordgrass, and needlerush.