Oakencroft Farm and Winery

April 11, 2025.  Old Oakencroft.  Readers of the History page on this blog may recall the name of Oakencroft Vineyard and Winery and its founder Felicia Warburg Rogan.  Oakencroft was one of the earliest Virginia wineries of the modern era.  Felicia Rogan was a New York City socialite who's third marriage was to John Rogan, owner of the Boar’s Head Inn in Charlottesville.  (Her first two marriages were to Robert Sarnoff, President of NBC and to Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., the President’s son.)  Familiar with fine wine from her entertaining, Felicia came to Virginia in 1976 when Virginia wine was merely a dream.  She learned field work from Lucie Morton and planted her first vines in the distant past of 1978.  Their first crop in 1981 produced commercially acceptable grapes and encouraged them to open Oakencroft Winery in 1983.  The tasting room was in an old smokehouse on the Rogan farm.  Felicia was also the first chairman of the Virginia wine grower’s advisory board that led the way to hiring professional a professional viticulturalist and enologist at Virginia Tech, and in establishing the Monticello American Viticultural Area (AVA).  Still, after twenty-five years as the unofficial matriarch of the Virginia wine industry, Mrs. Rogan retired and closed Oakencroft in 2008. 

Felicia Rogan

New Oakencroft.  Fast forward ten years to 2018 when a friend of the Rogan’s, Dorothy Batten, purchased the Oakencroft farm to save the property from the rapacious developers.  Oakencroft has a prime location, only a 15-minute drive from the Rotunda at the University of Virginia and one of the closest wineries to the city of Charlottesville in Albermarle County.  Ms. Batten, an ardent conservationist, has invested much to renovate the property, turning the old tasting room into a meeting and events center.

In 2010 she established a working cattle and sheep farm at Oakencroft where they practice regenerative farming with tree planting, use of solar arrays, water conservation, and use of sustainable materials, among other things.  

The ”new” Oakencroft only has five acres under vine and produces around 500 cases at this point, which is only around 10% of the output of the original winery.  All five of the varietals they grow are hybrids: Seyval Blanc, Vidal Blanc, Chambourcin, DeChaunac, and Merlot Kanthus.  This is in keeping with the general approach of promoting sustainability by having more disease and climate resistant varieties, and using beneficial plants, animals, like sheep, and insects to balance out pests.  The Oakencroft production facility is behind the tasting room – that’s where you’ll find Jessica Trapeni, the winemaker.

Dorothy also renovated an old barn a short distance from the meeting center for use as the new tasting room, opening to the public in 2023. 

 

White, light, and height describe the new tasting room.  Whiteness gives the place a clean fresh look.  Even on a somewhat dreary day, light comes in large windows at either end of the room and through a clerestory.  Exposed beams make latticework leading the eyes up to the clerestory. 

The winery does not allow outside food and pets must remain outside.  Oakencroft does not host weddings.  And with its smaller size, we’d advise making a reservation for a space.  Kim and I had no reservation but managed to snag a comfy sofa in front of a gas fireplace – a hospitable spot on a damp late afternoon.

 

Stephanie, the tasting room manager and our server, Stevie, provided some spreads and crostini from a  seasonal menu a vegetarian would love.  As far as the wine goes, I elected to have to have the “Solely Oakencroft” tasting.  The winery also offers some wines from other wineries in Virginia and elsewhere in the world to fill out what's on offer. 

   

Stephanie (l) and Stevie

2023 Oakencroft Sparkling White.  Reminiscent of Vinho Verde but in color as clear as water.  This Seyval Blanc/Vidal Blanc blend is very dry with a very light fizz.  Good palate cleanser.  Note that the price is for a half-bottle (375ml).  Oakencroft uses these half-bottles to help you get the best of the sparkles before the wine goes flat.  B. 

2022 Oakencroft White Table Wine.  This Seyval Blanc wine is fairly generic.  Crisp but weak.  Good with unobtrusive seafood.  B for the price.

2023 Oakencroft Sparkling Rosé.  I believe that this is Chambourcin-based wine.  Juicy and light spritz.  Not deep or possessing much character.  Good casual wine especially on a hot day.  Note that the price is for a half-bottle (375ml).  C+

2021 Oakencroft Red Table Wine.  Chambourcin makes up 75% of this blend while the balance is “Highland Merlot.”  Tasting notes say this is a “Beaujolais-style experience.”  Probably better when it gets cooler.  There is a little spice in the mouth of this light-bodied, light-fruit wine, but I found it one dimensional with no finish.  I rate it a B-.

If you are in Charlottesville, Oakencroft’s prime location makes it a no-brainer to try them out.