Sabin Wine Journeys - the Virginia Wine Journeys Blog

October 27, 2025.   Four and a half years ago, Kim and I stopped by Pearmund Cellars in Broad Run, Fauquier County, and chanced into a discussion with Chris Pearmund, the hale owner and entrepreneur behind this and several other wineries in Northern Virginia.   (See our post from June 2021).   We had a great time on that visit, but they didn’t know we were coming.   Since then, we normally alert wineries that we plan to visit with them, which tends to deliver more in depth results for the blog and for your background information.   Chris was not available for us on this visit, but we had another great time speaking with servers Jamie and Jo-Jo – “the J Team” - and with executive winemaker, Mark Ward.                                                                           ...

October 26, 2025.   Brent Manor Vineyards is one quick turn from northbound Route 29 in Nelson County onto the winery driveway and up an abrupt hill to the tasting room.   From the ridge where the tasting room is situated, the view is southeasterly, encompassing a sweep of red and burnt orange mountain foliage and the town of Faber in the distance. Jorge and Tracie Raposo had been looking for property to build on for some time before Brent Manor came on the market in 2009.   Jorge emigrated to the United States from Portugal as a child in the 1980’s but tells me that Nelson County doesn’t remind him of his native land – he Tracie just love it on its own.   Jorge and Tracie built a career in insurance.   As if those jobs weren’t demanding enough, they built a tasting room and processing facility and opened for business in 2015.   They completed construction of a separate event building in 2023, but for the foreseeable future, says Jorge, that building will...

October 26, 2025.   Wine Philosophy Question #5 asks whether the grape chooses you.   We are all familiar with us choosing a wine or grape that we like – for instance choosing white over red wine, or more specifically choosing Chardonnay over Sauvignon Blanc, or even more particularly, a Chardonnay from Winery A over Chardonnay from Winery B.   Most of us are not familiar with a grape choosing us, but that is what happened to Bob Ramsey, the owner of Caihailian Vineyard in Roseland, Nelson County.   When Bob established Caihailian (pronounced “kay-Hay-lian” and named after his three children) in 2006, he took over a vineyard already planted with Vidal Blanc, the white hybrid which is the most planted hybrid in Virginia.+   Although initially disappointed that he did not have a Chardonnay vineyard, Bob has learned to love Vidal Blanc and has managed to make a surprisingly wide spectrum of wines using only that grape. He says that the grape chose him.   ...

October 25, 2025.   South Paddock Winery sits within the 300 acres of Whitehall Farm in southern Albermarle County about four miles from Scottsville.   While Whitehall Farm was established around 1780, this winery appears to have been established in 2023 by DC-based architect Carmel Greer.    The full name for the place - as reflected on their bottles - is "South Paddock Winery at Whitehall Farm and Winery."  Despite the mouthful of a name, I don’t see two wineries in this one location – just South Paddock.    To get to the winery, you drive by stables that I presume to be “North Paddock,” and indeed Whitehall Farm advertises equestrian experiences for their guests.   The South Paddock Winery building is just down the road across the open fields.    When we visited on a fall crisp Saturday afternoon, we met our server Kaitlyn, and just one other guest.   Kaitlyn was a tall willowy young lady busying herself around the win...