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ORAL HISTORY
Chris Pearmund, owner
Pearmund Cellars
Chris Pearmund is a Renaissance man. He has enjoyed careers in the military, in marine biology, and in sporting goods. But it was working in restaurants that lighted his passion for wine. After a stint as a restaurateur in Washington, DC, he changed paths once again and decided to become a winemaker. That was 1990. In 1991 Chris started a mobile bottling line business. In 1993 he purchased Meriwether Vineyards and created Pearmund Cellars. In 1994 he was offering his services as a consultant, working with forty wineries in ten states. In 2008, Chris still consults, and he still opens wineries.
In 2006 he opened the Winery at La Grange, the only established winery in Prince William County. But his namesake winery is his pride and joy. Pearmund Cellars produces wines made from European varietals in a contemporary, geothermal winery situated in the hills of Fauquier County. As busy as he is, Chris is also passionately committed to Virginia’s wine industry as a whole and works hard to foster a sense of collaboration among area wineries.
