Trump Winery

Last updated

Trump Winery
Trump Winery logo.png
Location Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
FormerlyKluge Estate Winery and Vineyard [1]
FoundedOctober 2011
Key people Eric Trump, owner [2]
Kerry Woolard, General Manager
Jonathan Wheeler, Winemaker
Parent companyEric Trump Wine Manufacturing LLC
DistributionInternational
Tasting Open to the public
Website trumpwinery.com

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 winery and vineyard were established by Patricia Kluge in 1999, later purchased by businessman (later U.S. President) Donald Trump in April 2011 and officially re-opened in October 2011. [5] [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 (92 ha) 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]

Contents

History and acquisition

Patricia Kluge, former wife of American billionaire John Kluge, kept Albemarle per their 1990 divorce settlement. Afterwards, Kluge spent her fortune establishing an award-winning vineyard and winery which opened in 1999. She and her third husband, William Moses, took out $65 million in loans and mortgaged the mansion to finance production expansion and a related real-estate venture. In 2011, the couple defaulted on the loans and Bank of America acquired the mortgage on the mansion, Albemarle House. The land outside the mansion's front door and bordering its long driveway is a 217-acre stretch of rolling greenery that had a former life as John Kluge's private Arnold Palmer–designed golf course. [13] [14] A quirk in the divorce settlement let John Kluge own this parcel, as his ex-wife kept the mansion and the land underneath, insulating it from Patricia's future financial woes. [13] The parcel remained in the family after Mr. Kluge died in 2010, leaving it in a trust to his son, John Kluge Jr., with Patricia as trustee. [3] [15] [16]

Trump, a longstanding friend of John and Patricia Kluge, purchased the 1,300-acre estate, including the vineyards and winemaking operation, out of foreclosure from three different banks for $8.5 million. He initially offered the banks $20 million to bail out Kluge Estate, but when they refused, he began to buy the property through foreclosure auctions and private purchases. After acquiring the winery, Trump hired Patricia Kluge as vice president of operations and William Moses as chief executive officer. [5] He also bought the parcel directly from the Kluge trust for $150,000. [17] The bank later alleged that Trump subsequently arranged for "No Trespassing" signs to be placed around the property and allowed the lawns to become overgrown in order to ward off potential buyers giving an appearance of Trump's exclusive access to the property, although the bank's property interest of 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 and Kluge's original $100 million asking price the prior year. [18] [19]

In October 2012, Trump bought Albemarle House from Bank of America for $6.7 million, completing acquisition of the entire estate. [20] [21]

Operations

In addition to the winery and vineyard, business operations include a hotel and facilities to host weddings, corporate and winery events. The 26,000 square-foot, 45-room mansion was remodeled into a boutique luxury hotel and opened in May 2015 as ‘Albemarle Estate at Trump Winery.' [20] [22]

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'. [23] [24] 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. [23] Although, Trump Winery's 227 acre vineyard is the largest in Virginia and its French vinifera acreage is the largest on the East Coast. [9] [25]

In June 2024, the opening of Trump Cidery was announced expanding the winery business to 'crafting premium ciders.' [26] [27]

Awards

The winery has received accolades from numerous wine competitions and press reviews such as 90 points from Wine Spectator for Blanc de Blanc, 91 points from James Suckling and Wine Enthusiast for Sparkling Reserve. [28] [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]

The 2020 San Francisco International Wine Competition awarded the winery's 2014 Sparkling Reserve, Best in Class-Brut, Double Gold, 97 points, scoring higher than those from Napa, Sonoma, Spain, Italy, Australia and Champagne. [31]

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References

  1. ↑ "Home - Trump Winery". Klugeestateonline.com. 2012. Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  2. 1 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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. 1 2 Brennan, Morgan (March 10, 2011). "The Rise And Fall Of Patricia Kluge". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Albermarle County Wineries, Cideries & Breweries" (PDF). Virginia’s Piedmont, America’s Wine Country.
  5. 1 2 Gowen, Annie (April 7, 2011). "Trump buys former Kluge-owned winery". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 28, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  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. 1 2 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. 1 2 Walloga, April (July 6, 2015). "Meet Donald Trump's five children". Business Insider. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  9. 1 2 "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. Archived from the original on November 16, 2023.
  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. 1 2 Gowen, Annie (February 24, 2011). "Va. winemaker's painstakingly built empire crumbled in months amid recession". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 25, 2011. 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. Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  15. ↑ Frank, Robert (July 1, 2011). "The Fall of the House of Kluge Leads to the Rise of the Yard of Trump". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  16. ↑ McKee, Linda Jones (November 19, 2014). "Kluge Saga Continues in Virginia". Wines & Vines Analytics. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  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. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  19. ↑ Orton, Kathy (September 26, 2012). "Donald Trump buys Kluge estate in Charlottesville". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 15, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  20. 1 2 Carlyle, Erin (June 17, 2015). "How Donald Trump Bought A Mansion Once Listed At $100 Million For Pennies on The Dollar". Forbes. Archived from the original on November 11, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Donald Trump buys Patricia Kluge's mansion for bargain price of $6.5 million; now owns entire estate". The Washington Post. September 26, 2012. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  22. ↑ 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.
  23. 1 2 Gorman, Sean (March 21, 2016). "Donald Trump incorrectly says Virginia winery is the largest on East Coast". Politifact . Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  24. ↑ Rothbaum, Noah (March 10, 2016). "Trump Wine Is Built on Acres of Lies". The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast. Retrieved September 26, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Trump Winery". Monticello Wine Trail. Trump Winery is Virginia's largest vineyard
  26. ↑ Notheis, Asher (June 4, 2024). "Trump Winery's expansion to cidery business to open this week". Washington Examiner. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  27. ↑ "Cidery in Charlottesville". Trump Winery.
  28. ↑ "Trump Winery: Sometimes a Wine is Just a Wine". JamesSuckling.com. June 27, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Acclaim" (Awards & Press). Trump Winery. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  30. ↑ Berninger, Jack (March 24, 2013). "Vines and Wines: Trump Winery's 2007 SP Reserve". Richmond Times Dispatch. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  31. ↑ "The 2020 San Francisco International Wine Competition in Review". San Francisco International Wine Competition. Archived from the original (Best In Class) on May 5, 2021. Best Brut - Trump Winery Reserve Brut, Monticello, USA

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