A new organization, Virginia Women in Wine, was launched with a toast of Eastwood sparkling wine raised by 100 attendees (overwhelmingly female) at Eastwood Vineyards near Charlottesville on Tuesday, Aug. 6th. Founder Nancy Bauer introduced some 12 women as members of the organization’s board, and then read a list of wineries who had donated money to the new organization, totaling over $50,000.
Three Virginia Women Trailblazers Honored
The highlight of the evening was acknowledging three trailblazing women who made important contributions to the Virginia wine industry in the 1970s and 80s: Emma Randell, founder of the first winery in the Shenandoah Valley in 1979, Shenandoah Vineyards; Felicia Warburg Rogan, founder of Oakencroft Vineyards in 1983 and the Jeffersonian Grape Growers; and Lucie Morton, viticulturist, ampelographer and consultant to many vineyards in Virginia and elsewhere in the country. Rogan had accepted the award earlier and was not present, but both Randell and Morton gave remarks of appreciation to the assembly.