Chris Pearmund, who owns Pearmund Cellars in Fauquier, and Rappahannock winemaker John Delmare envision building Prince William County's first winery along the slopes of Bull Run Mountain. Although the county has vineyards, it has no wineries, where wine is produced and customers can sample it or taste how it pairs with certain foods.
"We could be the first or last winery they visit if people visit several wineries on a weekend," said Pearmund, citing the convenience of its proposed location north of Interstate 66 in Haymarket.
Lisa and Chris Pearmund's two-year-old winery in Fauquier County produces 5,000 cases a year.
(Len Spoden For The Washington Post)
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Some Prince William officials like the idea of such a business in the county, predicting it would enhance tourism. The county Board of Supervisors commissioned a study this month to consider amending zoning ordinances to allow wineries to have food service.
Pearmund's winery in Broad Run occasionally serves six-course dinners to show how well soft-shell crabs, for example, go with one of its chardonnays. But in both Loudoun and Prince William, local zoning laws allow wineries to serve packaged food, such as cheese and crackers, but not meals prepared on site. In Loudoun, a winery requires an approved kitchen/restaurant facility to serve prepared food, which the majority do not have. Most instead encourage visitors to bring picnics; Chrysalis Vineyards in Middleburg even provides grills on its patio for people to cook their own food.
"The county did not have a specific category for wineries, because wineries do not exist in Prince William County," Supervisor John T. Stirrup Jr. (R-Gainesville) said. "It would put us on the map in terms of wineries throughout the state."
Virginia's wine industry has flourished in recent years. In 1979, six wineries operated in the state, according to the Virginia Wine Marketing Office. Moreover, the wines they produced weren't known for their quality. Today, nearly 100 wineries dot the landscape, and Virginia is the fifth-largest wine producer in the country. "The reputation of Virginia wines has made a monumental step forward in a very short period of time," said Gordon Murchie, executive director of the Virginia Wineries Association.
Virginia's wine industry attracts more than 500,000 visitors annually and has an economic impact of $95.7 million, including sales and tourism dollars, according to the marketing office.
Many of the state's wineries are clustered around Charlottesville, and several are in neighboring Fauquier and Loudoun County, where the Economic Development Department promotes the "Loudoun Wine Trail."
A winery in Prince William would further diversify the county's tourist attractions, said Tabatha Mullins, executive director of the Prince William County-Manassas Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Pearmund Cellars attracts more than 100 visitors on a busy Saturday or Sunday, Pearmund said. It opened two years ago and produces 5,000 cases of wine a year.
Delmare said he and his partners are considering other locations while awaiting a decision on the zoning in Prince William, where one of the partners already owns land north of Interstate 66.
"If the county is interested, as we are, in having a winery there, then there's a very high likelihood that the winery would come through," said Delmare, who owns Rappahannock Cellars in Huntly.
The proposed winery in Prince William would cost about $1.5 million and take less than two years to begin operating, Pearmund said. It would reap at least $500,000 in sales a year when fully operational, he said.
