Sabin Wine Journeys

The Winery at Sunshine Ridge Farm Gainesville, VA   May 23, 2021, June 19, 2021. Kim and I first visited the new Sunshine Ridge Winery in Gainesville on a blistering hot day in May.   Sunshine Ridge opened in March, and we wish them the best.   Even with the heat, there was a breeze because the winery is situated on the shore of Lake Manassas.   In the fall, the facing lakeshore will be glorious with Fall foliage.   Imagine a nice glass of wine in front of the fire place.   Sunshine Ridge is a partnership of several families, according to Tom and Maria who are part owners.   According to Virginia corporation records, Sunshine Ridge is affiliated with the Winery at Bull Run (Fictitious Name Registration, June 17, 2020).   We understand from Chris Pearmund of Pearmund Cellars that he also has an interest.    Different family members run different aspects of the place.   The only grapes that appeared to be growing was a small stand of Petit Verdot but in time other varietals are pla

  Pearmund Cellars Kim and I traveled to Pearmund Cellars in Broad Run for an afternoon visit.   We met Chris Pearmund and his first wife, Beryl, who runs the Broad Run facility.   Beryl and I had a nice talk about English Premier League football – she is a Brighton fan, while I support Crystal Palace.  She likes seagulls; I like eagles. Chris Pearmund is founder, winemaker, and managing partner at Pearmund as well as managing partner at Vint Hill Craft Winery and Effingham Winery.   He has a family connection with the new Sunrise Ridge Winery in Gainesville.   He is also a mentor to dozens of wineries in Virginia, among them Paradise Spring and the Winery at La Grange. Chris large and gregarious; a hail fellow, well met. Chris bought the former Meriwether Vineyard in 1996 and began operating Pearmund in 2002 making it the 47 th winery in Virginia, according to the Pearmund website.   The Broad Run facility features some of the oldest Chardonnay vines in the Commonwealth.   

  May 2021.  The Northern Neck In early May 2021, Kim and I took a long drive down into the Northern Neck-Washington’s Birthplace AVA.   Founded in 1987 on a petition from Ingleside Vineyards, the AVA is subtropical with so-called neckland and river soils.   Sandy clay and other well-drained soil types are found on the ridge which extends generally through the center of King George County and eastward through Westmoreland County (where Ingleside is). Other agricultural soils are found along the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers that define the Northern Neck peninsula.   These river flats have excellent air drainage and a moderating climate influenced by the large surrounding rivers.   52 Fed Reg 13079 (1987).   Sandy loam is fertile but generally does not produce top quality wines.   It is noted that wine from sandy soils can be on the whole softer and less acidic and less tannic.   See, Soil Types That Matter For Grape Growing , https://sommelierschoiceawards.com/en/blog/insights-1/