Located in Nokesville, Prince William County, Effingham is the latest of a number of wineries started by Chris Pearmund, Northern Virginia’s most active wine entrepreneur. Aside from his original Pearmund Cellars, which currently produces the wines sold under the Effingham label, Pearmund owns Vint Hill Craft Winery, and founded The Winery at La Grange before selling this to Chinese investors. The 250-year-old manor house at Effingham, listed on the historic registry, was originally owned by William Alexander, the great-grandson of John Alexander for whom Alexandria was named.
Wine. Among the Top 10 Northern Virginia wineries, and among the Top 40 wineries of Virginia. In 2022, Effingham’s 2019 Meritage was awarded a gold medal at the Atlantic Seaboard Winery Association competition, and their 2018 Oaked Chardonnay was awarded a gold medal at the prestigious San Francisco International Wine Competition. At the Finger Lakes Wine Competition, two Effingham wines received silver medals – the 2019 “King’s Ransom” (a Bordeaux-style red blend) and the 2020 Petit Verdot – while two received bronze medals – the 2021 Petit Manseng and Rosé. Their 2019 Tannat received a silver medal at the Atlantic Seaboard competition. Bronze medals also went to their 2020 Petit Verdot and the Kings Ransom in San Francisco, and to the Rosé and 2020 “Celebration” (a Petit Manseng-led white wine blend) at the Finger Lakes competition. The winery currently sell wines produced at Pearmund Cellars, another winery Pearmund operates in Broad Run. Eventually wine will be produced at Effingham.
Setting. One star. The historic and renovated manor house makes an elegant setting for tasting Effingham wines. The house is accompanied by one of the oldest English garden terraces in Virginia, a smokehouse, blacksmith shop and renovated house that was a former slave quarters. The porch provides outdoor seating with a view of the gardens.
Stories. Not Everyone Loves A Winery. Vineyards, scenic and tranquil land users, rarely draw any complaints. Wineries, however, can be a completely different manner (or, in this case, a completely different Manor). While Virginia has hundreds of wineries, there’s a reason few are in the inner suburbs of Washington – land use restrictions. NIMBY, or “Not In My Back Yard” movements tend to be quite strong across the country, and in many parts of Virginia – where they have blocked solar farms and other seemingly “green” uses of land. Wealthy areas close to the nation’s capital frequently put in place legal barriers to commercial activities, or other uses of land not favored by landowners. Chris Pearmund, owner and operator of two wineries in Fauquier County, had cast his eye on finding a place for another winery closer to the District, and landed on historic Effingham Manor. A group of local homeowners was not pleased. In 2016, homeowners in the Alexander Lakes subdivision of Nokesville sued to block the opening of the winery, on grounds that it would violate the local Homeowners’ Association’s covenants against bringing commercial traffic to a private road. The homeowners noted the road was explicitly built for residential traffic, and not for the volume of vehicles attracted by a business: covenants were so strict that a property owner could not offer piano lessons because customer traffic to home-based businesses is not allowed. In a May 2017 decision, Prince William Circuit Court Judge Steven Smith ruled in Pearmund’s favor. Effingham Manor Winery is open for business, but don’t expect too many more wineries to open close in to Washington.