Open: Year-round
History:
In 2000 Stephen and Cynthia Madey purchased historic "Buena Vista" farm in Westmoreland County on the Northern Neck and proceeded to spend the next eight years renovating the main house and farm buildings, some dating back to the 1700s. Framed with chestnut logs taken from local trees, Buena Vista was solidly built by Colonel Thomas Brown in the 1830s for his wife, Sarah Lee Cox, second cousin to Robert E. Lee. In the intervening 170 years or so, Buena Vista had been handed down from generation to generation until the Madeys bought it the spring of 2000. The farm consists of 139 acres, a cottage, tenant house, main home, office and barn-all of which have been painstakingly renovated in keeping with their historic nature.
When Steve read that Colonel Brown's farm diary made mention of growing peaches at the farm, he began to think seriously about planting a vineyard. Peaches, like wine grapes, require a fairly long growing season, and are susceptible to spring frosts. Armed with that knowledge, he completed a grape suitability project provided by Virginia's State viticulturist, and studied soil maps provided by their local extension agent, before taking soil samples and making plans.
