Chris Pearmund Named 2026 Award of Merit Recipient by the American Wine Society
The American Wine Society has named Chris Pearmund of Virginia as the recipient of its 2026 Award of Merit — among the most prestigious honors in American wine. The award will be presented at the AWS National Conference in Jacksonville, Florida, October 22–24.
The Award of Merit recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the wine industry, whether in winemaking, grape growing, education, marketing or writing. Recipients need not be AWS members. Past honorees include Robert Mondavi, André Tchelistcheff, Miljenko "Mike" Grgich and Gina Gallo. Last year's award went to Michael Shaps, making this the second consecutive year the honor has recognized a Virginia winemaker — a fair measure of how far the Commonwealth has come.
Four decades in Virginia wine
Chris Pearmund has been part of Virginia's wine industry since the mid-1980s. He opened his own winery in 2002 — Pearmund Cellars, then only the 47th winery in a state that now counts more than 300 — and today owns Pearmund Cellars, Vint Hill Craft Winery and Effingham Manor & Winery.
His work outside his own cellars has been just as consequential. He served as president of the Virginia Vineyards Association, was the first chairman of the Virginia Wine and Food Society, and sat on the board of the Virginia Wineries Association. He is a certified wine judge of the American Wine Society and a longtime supporter and promoter of the organization. For decades he has organized and taught wine appreciation courses for amateurs and professionals alike, including for WSET since 1997 — his Northern Virginia classroom was among the first in the country.
Along the way he helped establish the East Coast's first winery mobile bottling line, introduced an early barrel-club ownership program, and set up the first vineyard insurance program covering vineyard workers. He has been instrumental in founding more than a dozen wineries across the mid-Atlantic.
The tasting room at Pearmund Cellars holds a lending library of roughly 1,100 wine books, sorted by region and subject, free for guests to read or borrow. It is a small detail, but it says a good deal about how he has approached the last forty years.
The Meriwether Vineyards Group
Chris Pearmund is the founder of the Meriwether Vineyards Group, the portfolio I am currently proudly representing for sale at $12,800,000.
The group takes its name from Meriwether Vineyard, the estate planting at Pearmund Cellars in Broad Run and widely regarded as Virginia's oldest Chardonnay vineyard. That founding block remains the historic heart of the whole enterprise.
Offered as a single operating business, the portfolio comprises:
Pearmund Cellars, Broad Run — approximately 25 acres, roughly 13.9 of them net vineyard, anchored by a 5,980-square-foot winery with a barrel room behind a glass viewing wall.
Effingham Manor & Winery, Nokesville — a circa-1767 registered historic landmark on approximately 12.8 acres, with a dedicated winery and event center accommodating up to 175 guests.
Vint Hill Craft Winery, Warrenton — a boutique small-batch producer set within the former Army signals station at Vint Hill Farm Station, with a tasting room and military history museum in a restored barn.
The Pearmund Farm Store — housed in the circa-1743 Valley Green farmhouse on five adjoining acres, one of the oldest residences in Fauquier County, and the one place all three brands are poured together.
Together the properties represent roughly 16 acres under vine, three established brands, and diversified revenue across production, tastings, events, food service and agritourism — all within an hour of Washington, D.C.
Recognition of this kind does not attach itself to a business. But it does say something about what has been built here, and about what a next owner would be taking on.
For the full offering memorandum, or to arrange a private tour, please contact Peter Leonard-Morgan, Associate Broker, Hunt Country Sotheby's International Realty, Middleburg, Virginia. 443-254-5530 | peterleonard-morgan@huntcountrysir.com
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