The Winery at La Grange
- The Winery at La Grange is located close to Interstate 66 in Haymarket, the only winery in Prince William County and so one of the closest wineries to Washington. Founded in 2006 by Chris Pearmund (one of four he has started), and sold in 2012 to the current owners — a group of Chinese investors.
- Wine. Among the Top 100 wineries of Virginia, and the Top 25 wineries of Northern Virginia. The La Grange 2020 Riesling was awarded a gold medal at the prestigious 2023 San Francisco Chronicle nation-wide wine competition, while their 2016 Carmenere was awarded a double gold medal. The La Grange 2021 vintage Cabernet Franc was awarded a gold medal at the also prestigious 2022 San Francisco International Wine Competition. A number of La Grange wines came away with silver medals at the two San Francisco events: the 2021 vintage Catherine’s vineyard Petit Manseng and Cabernet Franc (at the Chronicle competition), the 2020 Tempranillo and Petite Sirah, the 2019 Petit Verdot and 2017 Black Label Petit Verdot, while the 2016 Carmenere came away with a silver medal at the San Francisco International event. The 2021 Gewurztraminer was given a bronze medal at both events. In their most recent Virginia competitions, the winery received six silver medals at both the 2021 and 2020 Virginia Governor’s Cup state-wide wine competition. The vineyard grows Petit Manseng and Cabernet Sauvignon, and more recently Petit Verdot. The winery makes extensive use of third-party sourced grapes, from elsewhere in Virginia and from the West Coast, to supplement their own vineyard’s production.
- Setting. One star. On the historic La Grange Estate, with a beautiful manor house dating back to the 18th century. Nice views of the vineyard and the Bull Run Mountains. Can become very crowded given a smallish space and the proximity to Washington. Sponsors many events.
- Stories. Chinese investment in the Vineyards. Car parts, insurance, hotels, appliances, heavy machinery – we’re familiar with these areas as targets for Chinese companies acquiring US firms. Virginia wines? You probably haven’t heard of any Chinese investments there. Well, there is one: in 2012, Beida Jade Bird, a Chinese company, purchased the Winery at La Grange. One of the closest wineries to Washington DC, La Grange gives China its first foothold in Virginia wines. In some ways, this should not seem so strange. China’s huge pile of savings – well over a trillion dollars – is looking for places in which to be invested. And China is the fastest growing wine market in the world (Hong Kong has become THE place for auctions of high-end French wines) – La Grange will be the first Virginia wine to try and crack this giant market. So next time you’re in Beijing, ask for Virginia wine!