Trump Winery

Trump Winery (formerly Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard[3]) is a winery on Trump Vineyard Estates in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the county of Albemarle. It is within both the Virginia and Monticello viticultural areas and is among the 23 wineries on the Monticello Wine Trail.[4] The vineyard was purchased by businessman (now U.S. President) Donald Trump in April 2011[5] and was officially re-opened in October 2011.[6] Since 2012, it has been owned and operated by Trump's son Eric, under the name Eric Trump Wine Manufacturing LLC.[2][7][8] The 227 acres of vinifera varieties makes it the largest vineyard in Virginia and the largest French vinifera on the East Coast.[9][10] Trump Winery manufactures 36,000 cases of wine per year. It ranks behind two other Virginia wineries that produce at least 60,000 cases of wine per year.[11] The current general manager of the winery, Kerry Hannon Woolard, was a supporter of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and appeared as a guest speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention as well as other campaign events.[12]

Trump Winery
LocationCharlottesville, Virginia, USA
FormerlyKluge Estate Winery and Vineyard[1]
FoundedOctober 2011
Key peopleEric Trump, owner[2]
Kerry Woolard, General Manager
Jonathan Wheeler, Winemaker
Parent companyEric Trump Wine Manufacturing LLC
DistributionInternational
TastingOpen to the public
Websitehttp://www.trumpwinery.com

Acquisition

Donald Trump purchased the 1,300-acre estate out of foreclosure from three different banks, not from Patricia Kluge directly like some have suggested. Prior to being foreclosed, Patricia Kluge, former wife of American billionaire John Kluge, did own the property. After her divorce in 1990, Kluge spent much of her remaining fortune over the following two decades, in 1999 establishing a winery[13] and continuing to expand its production.[3] She and her new husband also took out $65 million in loans to fund the expansion.[3] In 2011 the couple defaulted on the loans.[3][14][15][16] Bank of America acquired the mortgage on the mansion, Albemarle House, but the surrounding property was still held in a Kluge family trust. Trump, a longstanding friend of Patricia Kluge, bought the 200 acres (0.81 km2) surrounding the property directly from the trust for $150,000.[17] The bank later alleged that Trump subsequently arranged for "No Trespassing" signs to be placed around the property and to allow the lawns to become overgrown in order to ward off potential buyers and to give the appearance of Trump's exclusive access to the property, although the bank's property interest in the main house included right-of-way easements. Trump then purchased the land from Bank of America for $3.6 million, a significant discount from the $16 million the bank had paid at the foreclosure auction to retain the property[18] and to Kluge's original $100 million asking price the prior year.[3][19][20][21][22][17]

In October 2012, Trump bought Albemarle House from Bank of America for $6.7 million, completing his acquisition of the entire estate.[23][24]

Operations

In addition to the winery and vineyard, business operations include the hotel and facilities to host weddings, corporate and winery events. The remodeled 26,000 square-foot, 45-room mansion was opened in May 2015 as ‘Albemarle Estate at Trump Winery’, a boutique luxury hotel offering guests the opportunity ‘to stay at one of the most prestigious and architecturally significant residences in history.’[17][23][25]

In March 2016, Donald Trump stated publicly that he owned "the largest winery on the East Coast,"[7][8] although Politifact later rated the statement as 'false'.[26][27] Trump Winery makes 36,000 cases of wine per year compared to Williamsburg Winery and Chateau Morrisette Winery, which produces at least 60,000 cases per year, according to The Virginia Wine Board.[26] However, Trump Winery's 227 acre vineyard is the largest in Virginia and its French vinifera acreage is the largest on the East Coast.[9][28]

Awards

Numerous gold medals at national and international wine competitions and best-in-class designations. 90 points from Wine Spectator for Blanc de Blanc, 91 points from James Suckling and Wine Enthusiast for Sparkling Reserve.[29]

In March 2013, Wine Enthusiast magazine gave the 2007 Trump SP Reserve a 91-point rating, which was at that time the highest rating for a still or sparkling Virginia wine.[30]

References
  1. "Home - Trump Winery". Klugeestateonline.com. 2012. Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  2. "Legal". Trump Winery. 355 Albemarle House Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22902. Archived from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017. Disclaimer : Trump Winery is a registered trade name of Eric Trump Wine Manufacturing LLC, which is not owned, managed or affiliated with Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their affiliates.CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. Brennan, Morgan (March 10, 2011). "The Rise And Fall Of Patricia Kluge". Forbes. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  4. "Albermarle County Wineries, Cideries & Breweries" (PDF). Virginia’s Piedmont, America’s Wine Country.
  5. Gowen, Annie (April 7, 2011). "Trump buys former Kluge-owned winery". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  6. Jaglois, Jessica (October 4, 2011). "Trump Winery Opens in Albemarle County". Newsplex.com. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  7. Johnson, Richard (June 15, 2015). "Donald Trump doesn't own Trump Winery, his son does" (Page Six). New York Post. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  8. Walloga, April (July 6, 2015). "Meet Donald Trump's five children". Business Insider. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  9. "13 Top Charlottesville Wineries to Visit". WTOP News. U.S. News & World Report. June 11, 2019. Trump Winery is Virginia’s largest vineyard as well as the East Coast’s largest French vinifera vineyard
  10. McIntyre, Dave (March 2007). "Rolland's Mark on Virginia - The Bordeaux consultant remakes Patricia Kluge's estate". Wines & Vines.
  11. Elizalde, Elizabeth (August 15, 2017). "Trump boasts he owns one of the largest wineries in the U.S. — but here are the facts". New York Daily News.
  12. "FULL SPEECH: Kerry Woolard, Trump Winery - Republican National Convention". YouTube. ABC15 Arizona. July 19, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  13. Gowen, Annie (February 24, 2011). "Va. winemaker's painstakingly built empire crumbled in months amid recession". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  14. Fabrikant, Geraldine (October 1, 2011). "The Money Is Gone, but the Winery and a Woman's Resolve Remain". The New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  15. Beard, J. Tobias (May 24, 2011). "How Patricia Kluge's vineyard reached beyond its means". C-Ville Weekly. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  16. DeSanctis, Marcia (December 9, 2012). "The Money Pit". Town & Country. Hearst Communications, Inc. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2017. She married one of the world's wealthiest men — and walked away with a record $100 million divorce settlement. How did she lose it all, and how does she plan to get it back?
  17. Kashino, Marisa M. (October 5, 2015). "The Greatest, Most Amazing, Absolutely HUGE Story of How Donald Trump Took Over Virginia's Biggest Vineyard". Washingtonian. Washington Magazine, Inc. Archived from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017. Trump knew this...he got the Kluge trust to sell him the yard for the bargain-basement price of $150,000. "That is the art of the deal right there."
  18. Frank, Robert (July 1, 2011). "Donald Trump Picks Up Patricia Kluge's Virginia Assets". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  19. Orton, Kathy (September 26, 2012). "Donald Trump buys Kluge estate in Charlottesville". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  20. Gowen, Annie; Gowen, Annie (April 7, 2011). "Trump buys former Kluge-owned winery". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  21. McKee, Linda Jones (November 19, 2014). "Kluge Saga Continues in Virginia". Wines & Vines Analytics. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  22. Frank, Robert (July 1, 2011). "The Fall of the House of Kluge Leads to the Rise of the Yard of Trump". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  23. Carlyle, Erin (June 17, 2015). "How Donald Trump Bought A Mansion Once Listed At $100 Million For Pennies on The Dollar". Forbes. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  24. "Donald Trump buys Patricia Kluge's mansion for bargain price of $6.5 million; now owns entire estate". The Washington Post. September 26, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  25. Howsare, Erika (December 3, 2015). "Fresh start: The Kluges' palace, Albemarle House, welcomes the public". C-Ville Weekly. Archived from the original on September 1, 2016.
  26. Gorman, Sean (March 21, 2016). "Donald Trump incorrectly says Virginia winery is the largest on East Coast". Politifact. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  27. Rothbaum, Noah (March 10, 2016). "Trump Wine Is Built on Acres of Lies". The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  28. "Trump Winery". Monticello Wine Trail. Trump Winery is Virginia’s largest vineyard
  29. "Trump Winery: Sometimes a Wine is Just a Wine". JamesSuckling.com. June 27, 2016.
  30. Berninger, Jack (March 24, 2013). "Vines and Wines: Trump Winery's 2007 SP Reserve". Richmond Times Dispatch. Retrieved April 4, 2013.

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