Uncategorized – Oakencroft Farm & Winery

New Feature in Virginia’s Wine & Country Magazine

We were so thrilled to be included in the recent list of newly opened wineries featured in Wine & Country Magazine. Learn more about our story, and some other great new additions to the Virginia wine scene by using the link below:

“The 5-acre vineyard is surrounded by hundreds of acres of woodland, farmland and livestock pasture. All these areas are maintained with sustainable practices. The farm uses renewable energy, silvopasture, intensive rotational grazing, progressive vineyard management, composting, tree planting, rainwater collection, recycling, and hybrid winemaking to be eco-friendly. The sustainability practices extend to their guest facilities as well. Their Meeting Center will offer programming on Climate and environmental solutions, launching later this year. The Oakencroft Vineyards’ Tasting Room is open to the public and is a joyful place to taste sustainably-made wine from both their vineyard and across the globe, while enjoying beautiful lake-side scenery on the covered patio. Oakencroft Vineyards’ facilities run off of two solar arrays which offset all electrical usage, geothermal wells for heating and cooling, and rain water collected from roofs, which is used for the gray water system. The winery crushes all glass bottles used in the Oakencroft Tasting Room on site and table scraps are composted. To further its sustainability goals, the farm operates along the guidelines of regenerative agriculture and carbon sequestration.” — Wine & Country Magazine, August 2023

Reawaken Our Connection to Nature

Many people familiar with Virginia wine may well remember the original Oakencroft Farm & Winery. Established in the early 1980’s by the esteemed First Lady of Virginia wine, Felecia Rogan, Oakencroft was home to one of the first commercial wineries in Albemarle County. After many groundbreaking years, the first incarnation of Oakencroft Farm & Winery came to a close in 2008. The new owner, Dorothy Batten, has many warm memories of time spent on the farm, with her cherished family friends, the Rogans. Since taking ownership of the farm, Dorothy has spent several years bringing to life a new vision guided by the principles of regenerative agriculture and carbon sequestration.

The new Tasting Room is now open to the public, offering a brand new line up of wines which reflect the farm’s dedication to living and working sustainably. It is a pleasure to be able to share with you these new wines grown here on the farm, alongside a carefully curated selection of wines from around the world, whose makers share our passion for environmental stewardship.

The Wines of Oakencroft Farm & Winery

2020 Sparkling White | Albemarle County, Virginia

Tasting Notes: Fresh and zesty, this wine uses a light effervescent lift to bring crisp mineral character to the palate. An easy favorite for lovers of Albariño or the wines of Vinho Verde.

Production: To produce an effervescent wine which emphasizes fresh fruit character, forced carbonation is used, adding an enliveningly spritzy texture. These two classic hybrid varieties thrive in our vineyards, and accentuate each other by balancing electric acidity with a rounded mouthfeel. A blend of 56% Vidal Blanc and 44% Seyval Blanc.

2021 Sparkling Rosé | Albemarle County, Virginia

Tasting Notes: Delightfully dry, this wine’s gentle spritz and refreshing acidity combine in a mouthwateringly delicious balance of bright fruits and rich savory notes. Consider pairing with a well-appointed charcuterie board.

Production: Choosing to use forced carbonation rather than fermentation in the bottle ensures that this wine’s deliciously fresh and fruity notes stay front and center on the palate. Here we have used the inky red grape variety, Chambourcin. Even with no skin contact and delicate handing in the press, the wine still shows off a brilliant fuschia hue.

2021 White Wine | Albemarle County, Virginia

Tasting Notes: Pronounced fruit notes with a curious balance of bright, crisp acidity and soft, round texture which provides a delicious tension on the palate. A welcome companion to a range of poultry and seafood dishes.

Production: A cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks preserves the friendly ripe fruit personality of Seyval Blanc while some contact with the lees adds a rounded texture.

2022 Rosé | Albemarle County, Virginia

Tasting Notes: Gentle but refreshing, this delicate rosé offers beautifully ripe fruit with a soft, mouth filling texture. An easy glass of wine for any occasion, this is a particularly nice choice to pair with light fare or patio sipping.

Production: Inspired by the classic pink wines of Provence, this rosé was produced as a direct press wine, extracting only limited color along with the juice of the grapes. 100% Merlot.

2020 Red Blend | Albemarle County, Virginia

Tasting Notes: A friendly and approachable red wine which features bold, earthy notes as well as deliciously ripe fruit character. A lifting freshness and fine grained tannic structure makes the wine both enjoyable on its own or when paired with meats or grilled veggies.

Production: Based on Chambourcin, the wine is co-fermented with the white variety Vidal Blanc. This allows for the addition of brilliant acidity, vibrant aromatics, and assists in the stabilization of the wine’s beautifully inky color. 64% Chambourcin, co-fermented with 11% Vidal Blanc, as well as 25% Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon.

Our Curated Selections

Vin de Days Blanc | Willamette Valley, Oregon

www.daywines.com

Tasting Notes: Approachable & Refreshing. A white wine for everyone, this easy-going blend deliciously quenches the thirst with a basket of fresh fruits and a mouthwatering acidity.

Production: Inspired by the ancestral practices of field blending, this wine combines Riesling (31%), Müller-Thurgau (26%), Pinot Blanc (23%), Pinot Gris (18%), and Muscat (2%). Produced in stainless steel to preserve the fresh character of the fruit, this wine underwent a native yeast fermentation and received a minimal addition of sulphur.

What we love: Organic – Low Intervention

Tegernseerhof Gruner Veltliner | Wachau, Austria

www.tegernseerhof.at

Tasting Notes: Crisp & Zesty. The perfect companion for a warm day on the patio, this wine’s brisk acidity is a great palate cleanser in between light bites.

Production: In pursuit of the purest expression of fruit, the grapes are sorted twice—both in the vineyard and in the winery. In a break from tradition, these wines are fermented to dryness in stainless steel, using a cool fermentation temperature to retain the wine’s naturally pronounced fresh fruit aromas and flavors.

What we love: Sustainable Farming

Ankida Ridge Chardonnay | Amherst, Virginia

www.ankidaridge.com

Tasting Notes: Rich & Complex. A beautiful expression of ripe fruit and floral notes mingled with a gentle oak spice element. A good friend to soft cheese, seafood, and poultry, this wine also shines completely on its own.

Production: Grown at over 1,625 feet of elevation, this Chardonnay was hand harvested and sorted before being pressed for fermentation. The wine received just 15% new French oak during aging, imparting a delicate complexity to the wine’s fruit aromas and flavors.

What we love: Sustainable Farming – Low Intervention – Local

Rosemont Virginia White | LaCrosse, Virginia

www.rosemontofvirginia.com

Tasting Notes: Smooth & Refreshing. Medium in body, the wine offers intriguing tension between its rich texture and bright acidity. This white blend is an easy match to a variety of afternoon snacks and works well as an aperitif as well.

Production: A blend of two, top quality hybrid grape varieties: Vidal Blanc and Chardonel. Exceptionally well suited to the Virginia climate, these varieties allow for a gentle approach in the vineyard. The wine is aged in both stainless steel and oak barrels, balancing the wine’s structure with lively freshness.

What we love: Hybrid Varieties – Local

Rosemont Virginia Rosé | LaCrosse, Virginia

www.rosemontofvirginia.com

Tasting Notes: Summery & Bright. Built for the dinner table as well as the back patio, this refreshingly dry rosé showcases all of the best fruit driven flavors of summers in Virginia.

Production: Made from the intensely colored Chambourcin grape variety, this dry rosé was pressed directly off the skins before undergoing fermentation in stainless steel. After a few short months, the wine is quickly bottled, retaining its vibrant, youthful fruit characteristics.

What we love: Hybrid Varieties – Local

Domaine Finot Pétillant Naturel | Afton, Virginia

Tasting Notes: Fresh & Effervescent. This “naturally sparkling” wine style pays tribute to ancestral wine production techniques. A firm acidity and textured mouthfeel are accented with ripe fruit and floral notes.

Production: A direct press of Petit Verdot has imparted an engaging pink hue to the wine. Once in the tank, a spontaneous fermentation begins to take place. Before completion, the wine is bottled and allowed to finish fermenting in the bottle, with no added sulfur. This low intervention technique leaves some solids in the wine, adding a slight cloudy characteristic along with a rich texture.

What we love: Sustainable Farming – Low Intervention – Local

Domaine Bousquet Malbec | Mendoza, Argentina

www.domainebousquet.com

Tasting Notes: Soft & Rich. Delightfully food friendly, this wine showcases the classic Malbec red and black fruit notes along with velvety, mouth filling tannins.

Production: Grown at 4,000 feet above sea level, at the feet of the Andes mountains, this wine balances rich, ripe character from hot days under the Argentine sun with brilliant freshness instilled by the cool nights of this desert climate. Unoaked, the wine is instead produced in concrete tanks. This imparts soft texture and allows for the development of the wine’s tannins without masking the youthful fruit notes.

What we love: Organic – Certified B Corp

Mas de Gourgonnier Rouge | Provence, France

www.www.gourgonnier.com

Tasting Notes: Bright & Friendly. A superior choice for red wine lovers and those looking to expand their palates, this unique blend offers a gregarious fusion of dark fruits and dried herbs that makes it perfect for your next picnic.

Production: Planted amongst native pines and scrubs, these vines benefit from the vineyard’s beautiful biodiversity. Grenache (50%), Syrah (24%), and Cabernet Sauvignon (26%) are fermented in stainless steel tanks using native yeasts before being transferred for aging in old, large format, French oak barrels.

What we love: Organic – Low Intervention – Regenerative Farming

Blankeforti Red | Catalonia, Spain

Tasting Notes: Vibrant & light. Particularly refreshing when served with a slight chill, this unique wine features light, feathery tannins alongside pronounced red fruit and spice character.

Production: Harvested from older, low yielding vines, this wine is a complex blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (25%), Garnacha (25%), Parellada (25%), and Syrah (25%). It was aged for a short six month period in stainless steel tanks. This combination of both white and red grape varieties has produced a light bodied and delicate wine with soft tannins and easy drinking structure.

What we love: Biodynamic

Albemarle Ciderworks Pomme Mary | North Garden, Virginia

www.albemarleciderworks.com

Tasting Notes: Crisp & Fruity. This cider’s bright acidity provides the perfect balance to just a touch of sweetness, reminiscent of biting into a beautifully ripe Virginia apple.

Production: Based on a broad selection of heirloom apple varieties, this classic Virginia cider features a touch of residual sugar as a result of an arrested fermentation. Several years of bottle conditioning have imparted additional texture and complexity to the cider.

What we love: Sustainable Farming – Low Intervention – Local

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New Feature in Virginia’s Wine & Country Magazine

Oakencroft Farm & Winery: A New Vision Comes to Life

2020 Sparkling White | Albemarle County, Virginia

2021 Sparkling Rosé | Albemarle County, Virginia

2021 White Wine | Albemarle County, Virginia

2022 Rosé | Albemarle County, Virginia

2020 Red Blend | Albemarle County, Virginia

Vin de Days Blanc | Willamette Valley, Oregon

Tegernseerhof Gruner Veltliner | Wachau, Austria

Ankida Ridge Chardonnay | Amherst, Virginia

Rosemont Virginia White | LaCrosse, Virginia

Rosemont Virginia Rosé | LaCrosse, Virginia

Domaine Finot Pétillant Naturel | Afton, Virginia

Domaine Bousquet Malbec | Mendoza, Argentina

Mas de Gourgonnier Rouge | Provence, France

Blankeforti Red | Catalonia, Spain

Albemarle Ciderworks Pomme Mary | North Garden, Virginia