Our Winemakers

Chris Pearmund, Winemaker, Managing Partner

Chris Pearmund has been in the wine industry of Virginia for over 23 years. He began his career in the restaurant industry as chef for several restaurants in California, England, and ultimately in the northern Virginia area. He has opened eleven (11) wineries over this period and has helped establish numerous vineyards across the mid-Atlantic states.

Chris graduated to wine steward and manager for several northern Virginia area restaurants and, in 1985, became manager and buyer for a small gourmet wine shop called the Black Walnut in Middleburg, VA. In 1990, Chris began working at a 5,000 case production winery, and was winemaker from 1991 through 1996. During those years, he helped start and manage the first winery mobile bottle line on the East Coast and worked for over 40 wineries in 10 states assembling, final filtering, and bottling wine.

From 1996 to 1998, Chris was a wine buyer and store manager for Total Beverage, a 25,000 square foot wine specialty store. He was also in charge of the wine training classes for all of its stores. This extensive experience provided Chris with a solid foundation for his role as a consultant for The Country Vintner, a fine wine distributor, until 2003. He has consulted with many wineries and vineyards and is currently Managing Partner at both Pearmund Cellars and the Winery at La Grange.

Chris was elected President of the Virginia Vineyards Association in 1996, a post he held until 2000, and he is a former (and the first) chairman of the Virginia Wine and Food Society and former board member of the Virginia Wineries Association. Chris regularly speaks at wine and vineyard seminars and conferences and has published The Grape Press, a quarterly professional vineyard trade publication, for 5 years.

Chris is a nationally certified wine judge by the American Wine Society, has taught the Higher Certificate Education course for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, Masters of Wine program in London, and has organized and taught courses for both amateurs and professionals in wine appreciation.