Cana Vineyards Opens Black Oak Café
Written by Diane Helentjaris | Photos by Gracie Savage
Since its completion in 1811, the Little River Turnpike has entertained the eyes of visitors and residents with lovely views of the gentle Piedmont hills, vineyards, an old brick mill, and 18th-century homes. But roadtrippers and locals have stomachs, too, that require attention at times. Luckily, Cana Vineyards, nestled north of the Turnpike between Aldie and Middleburg, has added a new weekend stop for a sweet or savory bite.
Black Oak Café, opened this January, serves locally-made, New York-style pizza. In addition to the classic three cheese, pepperoni, and Margherita pizzas, the menu includes offerings such as a wild mushroom and onion pizza. Suggested wine pairings are available from the nearby tasting room, and frozen pizzas are available to take and bake at home.
Scrumptious gelatos are served in cups, cones, and sandwiches in eight rotating flavors. Lemon pie gelato is a bestseller, but there are those who swear by mixing the caramel sea salt flavor with dark chocolate.
Wine can be purchased in the tasting room and brought to the café. The café welcomes kids and dogs. Pup cups are also on the menu for furry friends.
Located in a newly built white barn at the top of the 43-acre property, several meandering pathways connect the café with the vineyard’s tasting room and Sunset Pavilion. The space was created with the help of William Cawood of Cawood Architecture PLLC and Angelee Marques of Nest Interior Design Studio. The décor is fresh and cheery with a large mural brightening one wall.
The café has seating for 24 guests with additional seating on a small balcony. A lower patio, looking toward the vineyard, offers picnic tables and firepits for guests to enjoy. Black Oak Café is open Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Sundays from noon to 5:30 p.m.
Cana Vineyards is a farm winery, producing and bottling all their wine on-site. Lisa Petty bought the business in 2018. A graduate of Virginia Tech, her purchase came after a career in government and the hospitality industry.
Petty is one of the increasing number of female small business owners. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, in 2023, 99.5% of Virginia businesses were small businesses, having less than 500 employees. Of these, 44.3% were owned by women.
Lisa Petty takes pride in owning a welcoming, family- and pet-friendly winery that produces high-quality wine. When her great-grandfather Frank Nick owned and farmed a small winery out in the Midwest, women vintners were scarce as hen’s teeth. Women had always been part of winemaking, but their role rarely extended to vineyard ownership or the production of commercial wine.
But things have changed. Over the last 50 years, women’s presence in the world of wine has increased. Petty says, “The women I’ve met and worked with in this industry are full of passion and grit. Women hold many pivotal roles in the wine industry, from managing the vineyard and crafting in the cellar to orchestrating events and public outreach. As a woman small business owner, I appreciate and value each of these talents and am myself responsible for multiple roles at any given time.”
Cana has accrued impressive accolades for excellence under Petty’s leadership. Cana’s wine master, Melanie Natoli, is an accomplished and precedent-setting woman. In 2017, Natoli became the first Virginia winemaker to be named Woman Winemaker of the Year at the Women’s International Wine Competition. In 2022, she became the first woman awarded the Virginia Governor’s Cup in the competition’s 40 years of existence. The award was for Cana’s 2019 Unite Reserve, a signature estate red blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. It beat out 615 wines from over 100 Virginia wineries.
“Women have historically been a minority in the winemaking business, but this is changing,” Petty says. “At Cana, we hope to inspire other female leaders in this industry.” March is celebrated around the globe as Women’s History Month. What better way to honor women’s accomplishments than with a glass of award-winning wine, a slice of fresh pizza, and a cup of lemon pie gelato? ML
Black Oak Café
38600 Little River Turnpike
Middleburg, VA 20117
(703) 348-2458
canavineyards.com/cafe
Published in the March 2025 issue of Middleburg Life.