Oakencroft Farm’s Artisan-crafted Virginia Grape Juices

By Amy Griffin

Introduction

As owner of the Oakencroft Farm, Amy Griffin leads a Central Virginia producer of juices crafted from premium grape varieties. A 2012-2013 article in the Charlottesville, Virginia, newspaper The Daily Progress details Amy Griffin and her husband John’s journey in purchasing the 14-acre Oakencroft Vineyard and Winery in 2009 and transforming it into a child-friendly, artisan grape juice producer.

The juice Oakencroft Farm produces comes from the same types of grapes that are used in wines, but the fermentation step is eliminated.

Oakencroft Farm

Instead, the freshly pressed juice is pasteurized and bottled on-site, ensuring integrity of the final product. Creating an ideal taste balance involves harvesting grapes before they are fully ripe. This is in contrast with wine grapes, which are traditionally harvested when the sugar content is at its highest. In order to reduce the sweetness even more, water and natural citric acid are added to the juice prior to bottling. The results have been positive, with the product receiving warm reviews at tasting events such as the Monticello wine festival.