Trump Winery

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. 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. 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.

Trump, a longstanding friend of John and Patricia Kluge, purchased the 1300 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. He also bought the parcel directly from the Kluge trust for $150,000.{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2015/10/05/greatest-most-amazing-absolutely-huge-story-of-how-donald-trump-took-over-virginias-biggest-vineyard/ | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20170817075714/https://www.washingtonian.com/2015/10/05/greatest-most-amazing-absolutely-huge-story-of-how-donald-trump-took-over-virginias-biggest-vineyard/ | archive-date =August 17, 2017 | url-status=live | access-date =August 17, 2017

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

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.'

In March 2016, Donald Trump stated publicly that he owned "the largest winery on the East Coast," although Politifact later rated the statement as 'false'. 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

References

References

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3. (2011-10-04). "Trump Winery Opens in Albemarle County". Newsplex.com.
4. Johnson, Richard. (2015-06-15). "Donald Trump doesn't own Trump Winery, his son does". New York Post.
5. Walloga, April. (July 6, 2015). "Meet Donald Trump's five children". Business Insider.
6. (June 11, 2019). "13 Top Charlottesville Wineries to Visit". U.S. News & World Report.
7. (March 2007). "Rolland's Mark on Virginia - The Bordeaux consultant remakes Patricia Kluge's estate".
8. (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.
9. (24 February 2011). "Va. winemaker's painstakingly built empire crumbled in months amid recession". The Washington Post.
10. (1 October 2011). "The Money Is Gone, but the Winery and a Woman's Resolve Remain". The New York Times.
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13. McKee, Linda Jones. (2014-11-19). "Kluge Saga Continues in Virginia".
14. (7 April 2011). "Trump buys former Kluge-owned winery". The Washington Post.
15. Frank, Robert. (2011-07-01). "Donald Trump Picks Up Patricia Kluge's Virginia Assets". Wall Street Journal.
16. Orton, Kathy. (2012-09-26). "Donald Trump buys Kluge estate in Charlottesville". The Washington Post.
17. (June 17, 2015). "How Donald Trump Bought A Mansion Once Listed At $100 Million For Pennies on The Dollar". Forbes.
18. (2012-09-26). "Donald Trump buys Patricia Kluge's mansion for bargain price of $6.5 million; now owns entire estate". The Washington Post.
19. (2015-12-03). "Fresh start: The Kluges' palace, Albemarle House, welcomes the public". C-Ville Weekly.
20. Gorman, Sean. (2016-03-21). "Donald Trump incorrectly says Virginia winery is the largest on East Coast". [[Politifact]].
21. Rothbaum, Noah. (2016-03-10). "Trump Wine Is Built on Acres of Lies". The Daily Beast.
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23. (2024-06-04). "Trump Winery's expansion to cidery business to open this week". Washington Examiner.
24. "Cidery in Charlottesville".
25. (June 27, 2016). "Trump Winery: Sometimes a Wine is Just a Wine".
26. "Acclaim".
27. Berninger, Jack. (2013-03-24). "Vines and Wines: Trump Winery's 2007 SP Reserve". Richmond Times Dispatch.
28. "The 2020 San Francisco International Wine Competition in Review".