* Vote Daily to Select Virginia's Favorite Winery for 2008 *

News for September 2008

"There are no standards of taste in wine... Each man's own taste is the standard,
and a majority vote cannot decide for him or in any slightest degree affect the supremacy of his own standard."

-- Mark Twain

[ However, we hope our wines meet your sophicated tastes, and you can vote for us as described under Our Products. ]

Our Tastings and Wine Dinners [more]

Construction: Take Alternate Route September 5 - 8 Route 29 Closed Near Route 15 (Harris Teeter Area) Try Coming From Winery at La Grange Using Route 55 West From Haymarket, South on Route 628 & Route 674		Your Family Reunion or Corporate Party, details Your Choice of Day, 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Our Barrel Room or Vineyard Reservations: 540-347-3475

Movie Night Picnic Under The Stars, $35 or $60 September 12th & 26th & More, 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Winery at La Grange, Haymarket, VA Reservations: 703-753-9360		Ginny Sywyj Art Show, FREE September 13th, Noon. - 5:00 p.m. Winery at La Grange, Haymarket, VA Questions: 703-753-9360

Blessing of the Vines ( FREE ) & Harvest Reception ( $25 ) September 13th, 3:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Our Vineyard, Sponsored by Knights of the Vine and St. John's Resevations: 703-978-6230		Last Beach Night Before Harvest Dinner, $89 + tax & tip, menu September 13th, 6:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Our Vineyard & Barrel Room Reservations: 540-347-3475

Live Art & Memorabilia Auction, FREE September 14th, 2:00 - 6:00 p.m. Winery at La Grange, Haymarket, VA Reservations: 703-792-6158 or Online		La Grange Crush Monkey Fridays, $125 September 19th & October 3rd & 17th, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Winery at La Grange, Haymarket, VA Reservations: 703-753-9360

Pearmund Crush Monkey Fridays, $125 September 26th & October 10th, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Our Press Pad Reservations: 540-347-3475		WJFK Mike O’Meara BYOB Friday Show, FREE September 19th, 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. WJFK 106.7 Radio or Live Podcast Questions: 877-365-3636

Haymarket Day with Winery at La Grange, FREE September 20th, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Historic Haymarket, VA Questions: 703-753-2600		Lu Harris Art Show, FREE September 20th - 21st, 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Winery at La Grange, Haymarket, VA Questions: 703-753-9360

WJFK Mike O’Meara at Harvest Wine Pairing, $50 September 22nd, Noon - 2:00 p.m. Winery at La Grange, Haymarket, VA Reservations: 703-753-9360		Mount Vernon Wine Festival & Sunset Tour, $30, details October 3rd - 5th, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Mount Vernon, Mount Vernon, VA Reservations: 703-573-SEAT or Online

Our Products

For easy access to our wines, pay attention to Route 29 road changes caused by VDOT construction.
On September 5th to 8th, bridge work will close Route 29 near Route 15 in the Harris Teeter area.
For an alternate route, try coming from Winery at La Grange.
Use Route 55 West from Haymarket, then go south on Route 628 and Route 674.

Learn Wine Production at Pearmund Cellars

Don't miss your chance to participate in this year's wine crush under the guidance of our winemakers: Chris Pearmund, Rob Cox, and D. J. Leffin. Gain experience with fruit processing, juice analysis, pH adjustment, fermentation (including yeast selection, inoculation, and nutrition), temperature control, racking, barrel strategy, winery hygiene, and clean-up. White grapes will be crushed on September 26th and red grapes will be crushed on October 10th. If you cannot attend these dates, check what dates our sister winery has available for Crush Monkey Fridays.

Blessing the Vines at the Pearmund Cellars

Other unique activities for fall getaways include:

Blessing of the Vines: On September 13th at 3 p.m., join the Knights of the Vine (KOV) and St. John the Evangelist Church in blessing our vines. With candles, incense, prayers, and song, our priests, knights, and choir will perform a brief ceremony of thanksgiving and supplication for a great harvest. Afterwards, the KOV will host a reception to celebrate the upcoming harvest. Reception reservations are needed: 703-978-6230
Last Beach Night Before Harvest Dinner: For dinner on September 13th, wear evening beach togs (including light sweater) to relax at our "inland beach" with our tastes of the sea menu. Reminisce about summertimes at the beach and look forward to enjoying the fruits of our 2008 harvest. Winemaker discussions will include the art of pairing wine and seafood, plus you can ply our wine growers with questions about harvest.
Movie Night Picnic Under the Stars: On September 12th and 26th plus October 10th and 24th, adults can relax with a picnic and watch a classic movie outdoors on a large screen at our sister winery in Haymarket, Virginia. Priced with two glasses and one bottle of our classic wine, choose either a $35 basket with cheese and crackers or a $60 basket with an array of gourmet food. Reservations are needed for this adults only picnic under the stars. The classic movie is our gift.
Art Benefit Auction and Art Shows: The Prince William Public Library Sytem Foundation is hosting a live auction at our sister winery on September 14th. With framed artwork from ArtSouth and sports memorabilia from Grandstand Sports, the auction will benefit the American Diabetes Association. Other art shows will be hosted there too: on September 13th, meet Ginny Sywyj, and, on September 20th and 21st, chat with Lu Harris.
WJFK Mike O’Meara BYOB Friday Show & Harvest Wine Pairing: On September 19th, Mike O'Meara will host Chris Pearmund in his nationally syndicated WJFK 106.7 radio / podcast segment pairing gourmet food and Virginia wine. He will give away five prizes too! Chris Pearmund will then host Mike O'Meara at our sister winery on September 22nd. He will discuss the etiquette of wine tasting and share secrets of pairing wines with food, offering eight Virginia wines and gourmet food nibbbles. Bring your blanket, listen to music, make new friends, and relax while enjoying a great program.
Mount Vernon Wine Festival: Participate in Mount Vernon's annual Fall Wine Festival and Sunset Tour for a taste of sixteen Virginia wineries. On October 3rd to 5th, enjoy live jazz, tour the rarely-opened cellar vaults where the Father of our Country stashed his private reserve, and meet "George Washington" himself on the piazza of Mount Vernon. And, raise your glass to the freedom we enjoy in these United States!

As you ponder our many opportunities, open a bottle of Pearmund Cellars wine and exercise your right to vote. With your help, we can retain our 2007 title as Virginia's favorite winery. You don't have to drive to your polling place. Just click the graphic at the left. Remember to vote daily through September 20th, and watch us rise in prominence! You may also wish to ask your wine-loving friends and family to help us win 2008's coveted title and promote the great taste of Virginia's fine wines.

White Sangria at Pearmund Cellars

Also, keep in mind that wine lovers at your family party or corporate meeting may appreciate our early fall wine specials:

2006 Ameritage Reserve for $20 per bottle while quantities last;
2006 Redmund's White for $12 per bottle or $120 per case with no additional discounts; and
Redmund's White Sangria (recipe) for $20 per pitcher served at the winery each weekend and holiday.

Alas, Pearmund Cellar's Mediterranean wine cruise is sold out with a waiting list! However, don't despair. Chris is now working on a Rhone wine cruise departing on June 10, 2010. Start saving money so you can bring your whole family along, and contact Cruise Holidays of Alexandria at 703-706-0011 or for more information on future cruise opportunities.

Our Process

In the Vineyard: A dry summer with cool nights has produced succulent grapes in all our vineyards. However, since Mother Nature cannot be controlled, timing harvest is critical for winegrowers. Chris Pearmund and his growers are checking weather conditions, tasting grapes, calculating brix levels, and choosing the best time to start harvesting each varietal in each vineyard. We expect to start harvesting our Chardonnay grapes the third week of September, but that may be skewed a week or so. If conditions do not change, our 2008 wines will be awesome! Stop by the winery to watch our work crew in action.

Family Reunion at Pearmund Cellars

In the Winery: Besides preparing for crush, Chris has been exercising his educational talents. To view Chris's six-part podcast on winemaking, check out MonkeySee. Launched in January 2008, MonkeeSee provides free access to a large collection of professionally-produced and user-generated how-to videos. It's the perfect platform for Chris to share his knowledge and promote Virginia wine. You may also want to view Gary Vaynerchuk's podcast of six Virginia wines. Both podcasts were taped at our sister winery and are very entertaining. Watch for more podcasts in the future.

Our People

Pearmund Cellars is please to announce our exciting, new relationship with Kysela Père et Fils, LTD. Headquartered in Winchester, Virginia, and touted by Robert Parker as America's next top wine importer, Fran Kysela has worldwide contacts to help promote our wines on the East Coast and beyond. Retailers who would like to purchase our wine through Kysela Père et Fils, and distributors who would like to work with Kysela Père et Fils to sell our wine, should call 540-722-9228 for more information. In the coming weeks, we will be sending more details about how our new relationship will benefit Pearmund Cellars, our customers, and the Virginia wine industry. Soon, it will be even easier for all your family and friends to purchase our fine wines.

Also, several of our customers have been asking about investment opportunities in the Virginia wine industry. If you are interested in learning the economics of investing in new or existing wineries.

Our Partners & Retailers

Partner: MonkeySee offers a library of videos on a wide variety of topics, presented in deep detail by accomplished credible experts, working in a collaborative, community-based environment. Experts and filmmakers are paired to develop and showcase professional quality videos through exclusive video channels. Then, viewers add value by posting comments, rating videos, and sharing their favorite videos via MonkeySee's widescreen video widget. Watch for Pearmund Cellars content on MonkeySee.

Pearmund Cellars Wines Sold at Aldie Peddler

Wine Store: Located in the historic town of Aldie, Virginia, the Aldie Peddler features an assortment of comfortable hand-crafted Amish poly-lumber furniture, a wide selection of country antiques and vintage items, fine artwork, home decor, country gifts, and a delicious selection of wines from across the United States and around the world. For a special birthday, ask them to ship your favorite Virginia wines along with an Amish rocking chair.

Restaurant: Known for their baby-back ribs and homemade sauces, but also catering to Vegans, the Mill Street Grill balances good quality food with fast fun efficient service, all in the cozy confines of a turn of the century flourmill. They offer Splaaat jazz on Wednesday nights and James Madison University's string quartet at first Sunday brunches. Their staff are pleased to consider your special requests whether you are enjoying a family meal or organizing a banquet. Request your favorite Virginia wine as you relax with their hospitality in Staunton, Virginia.

Inn: The award-winning Middleton Inn was built in 1840 by Middleton Miller, who manufactured and designed the Confederate uniform. The historic estate offers Southern graciousness and gentility with mountain views and acres of scenic pasture in the historic village of Washington, Virginia. All its guest rooms have working fireplaces and private marble baths, plus a full gourmet breakfast is served daily with the finest china and linens. Sip Virginia's fine wine on their spacious front porch while watching horses prance in the paddocks.

Our Industry

Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association (ASWA)

In 1973, Robert de Treville Lawrence started the Vinifera Wine Growers Association (VWGA) to promote the planting of vinifera grapevines and the production of quality vinifera wines in the eastern United States. Recently, VWGA President Gordon Murchie announced that the association will be renamed as the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association (ASWA). Although continuing to promote wine education and appreciation, the production of quality wine, and the marketability of American wines, the ASWA will give greater emphasis to the East Coast as a quality wine-producing region equal to the West Coast. As part of this work, the association will run the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Competition and the Virginia Wine Festival, two of the most visible programs sponsored by the VWGA. For more details about the name change and their announcement of new officers, see the Wines and Vines article.

We appreciate your business and your feedback. What topics would you like to see covered in future newsletters?
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*** Vote Daily to Select Virginia's Favorite Winery for 2008 ***