Sabin Wine Journeys

June 11, 2022.  Despite forecasts of persistent rain, we ventured out to Effingham Manor Winery in Nokesville.   As we sat and had a tasting, and then a bottle or two, the sun peaked out timidly at first then gloriously full bore.   Effingham is a child of Pearmund Vineyards and Winery in Broad Run and a sister winery to Vint Hill.   Reportedly managing director Chris Pearmund wanted a property closer to the Washington DC market.   He and his investor group settled on the 16 acres that includes the 1767 Effingham Manor and outbuildings.   He formed Effingham Manor LLC in 2015 but had to overcome a lawsuit by neighboring homeowners in the Alexander Lakes subdivision.   They claimed that the use of the access road to the winery violated the homeowner’s association rules against commercial use.   In 2017, a Prince William County Circuit Court judge ruled in favor of the winery and it opened. The two principal buildings on the estate are the 1767...

Hello Gentle Readers.   We wanted to get back to the wine blog since we haven’t posted in a while.   We have been through several medical events that have kept us housebound for more than a month.   For those of you who know about our trials, thanks for you support.   None of this has been COVID-related, thank God, and we hope that we are through the worst of it and soon.   June and July should see us enjoying greater mobility and verve to get back to visiting Virginia wineries.   It’s encouraging that Kim is driving again and we are planning our normal summer trip to the Charlottesville area.   Being confined to the house has not been without some redeeming features.   I’ve been able to do more reading in wine literature.   Jamie Goode’s Guide to Wine: A Manifesto of Sorts (2020) was a wide-ranging survey of topics in more than 40 short essays, including “How to Succeed at Wine Writing by Writing Boring Articles.”   I recognized th...