Corks Pop as Whisper Vineyards Opens in Smithtown

After years of waiting, a St. James winery is uncorking bottles of wine as its new tasting room. 

Whisper Vineyards is open and serving up samples of its own homemade, handcrafted wines in its St. James tasting room. Residents can stop by the refurbished Borella farm stand on Edgewood Avenue to try samples of various wines. 

Whisper Vineyards, owned by Barbara Perrotta, Steve and Laura Gallagher, has created a line of its own vintages made by Long Island winemaker Eric Fry. They will also be selling bottles of the wine, alongside beer, cheese and gourmet chocolates. 

Whisper Vineyards is open located at 485 Edgewood Ave. in St. James. The winery's tasting room will be open from 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. most days, through Christmas. 

Smithtown Building Director John Bongimo has questioned whether the owners had all the necessary permits to run a tasting room and has referred the case to Town Attorney John Zollo, according to Newsday. 

In a separate project from the refurbished farm stand, Whisper Vineyards has applied to the Town of Smithtown for  a special event permit that would allow the vineyard to host weddings and other outdoor event has been the center of local controversy. 

“For more than a year now, during the summer time, we’ve been putting up with the popping sound of a cannon once every minute,” said Jeannette Scully, of Smithtown, at the public hearing in April. “We’ve given up enough for Borella Farm, we don’t need more music or noise coming from that property.” 

Others raised concerns about noise levels and the possibility of drunken drivers on local roadways. 

In response to these concerns, the St. James winery has created a website titled, "Setting the Record Straight on Expansion of Whisper Vineyards." On the site, Whisper Vineyards promises it will comply with the town's noise ordinances that require outdoor music to be 65 - 70 decibels or below and that most events will "not have anywhere close to" 360 guests technically possible under town ordinances. 
Have you sampled wines in Whisper Vineyard's tasting room or do you stand opposed to it? Tell us in the comments below.