Pearmund Cellars
Located in Broad Run off of Route 29, a few miles south of Interstate 66 in central Fauquier County. Chris Pearmund founded his namesake vineyard in 2003. Pearmund may be the most entrepreneurial of all of Virginia’s winemakers. His other ventures include Vint Hill, The Winery at La Grange (since sold), and Effingham Manor.
Wine. Among the Top 15 wineries of Northern Virginia and the Top 40 wineries of Virginia. Pearmund’s 2020 Cabernet Franc and 2023 Petit Manseng both were awarded double gold medals at the prestigious 2024 San Francisco Chronicle nation-wide wine competition. The 2021 Ameritage was awarded a gold medal at the same event. At the 2024 Atlantic Seaboard wine competition, Pearmund’s 2020 Cabernet Franc was awarded a gold medal, and two wines received silver medals. The winery has not entered Virginia wine competitions recently.
Setting. Rural setting in the Bull Run Mountains. Large seating areas both inside and outdoors. Relatively limited views. Snacks available for purchase.
Stories. Conserving Virginia Land. Pearmund Cellars sits at the southern end of the Bull Run Mountains. Just a couple of miles north from the winery, on the far side of I-66 and still in the township of Broad Run, is the Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve. The Preserve covers some 2500 acres of these easternmost Virginia mountains, which are also a geological outlier – more like the mountains of far western Virginia than the Piedmont. The Bull Run Mountains are home to many mammals, and the eastern-most population of timber rattlesnakes, while vegetation includes uncommon trees such as great rhododendron and fruit-bearing paw-paw trees. Hiking trails enable visits of the Preserve. Across Virginia, some 4 million acres, or about 15% of the state’s land, is under some sort of preservation or conservation arrangement, to keep the beauty of Virginia available for future generations. Also near Pearmund, down the road from the Bull Run Mountain Preserve, is one of the state’s oldest initiatives to educate the next generation on Virginia land – the Arlington Outdoor Education Lab. The AOE Lab has been hosting Arlington schoolkids since 1967.