Trump Winery
Trump Winery (formerly Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard[1]) is a Virginia winery situated on Trump Vineyard Estates in Charlottesville, VA. The vineyard was purchased by businessman Donald Trump in April 2011[2] and was officially re-opened in October 2011.[3] Donald Trump gave the winery to his son Eric Trump. It is currently held by Eric Trump Wine Manufacturing LLC[4][5] and is no longer affiliated with The Trump Organization.[6]
Acquisition controversies
Donald Trump has been accused of having deliberately driven down the value of the vineyard prior to purchasing it out of foreclosure from Patricia Kluge, a former nude model and former wife of American billionaire John Kluge. After their divorce in 1990, she spent much of her remaining fortune over the following two decades developing it into a winery and expanding its production. She and her new husband also took out $65 million in loans to fund the expansion.[7] In 2011 the couple defaulted on the loans.[7][8] Bank of America acquired the mortgage on the mansion itself, but the surrounding property was still held in a Kluge family trust. Trump, a longstanding friend of Patricia Kluge, bought the 200-acre (0.81 km2) surrounding the property directly from the trust for less than $500,000. 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 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 to the $16 million the bank had paid at the foreclosure auction to retain the property[9] and to Kluge's original $100 million asking price in the prior year.[7]
In March 2016 Donald Trump stated publicly that he owned "the largest winery on the east coast" at a time when the winery's website asserted that it was owned by Eric Trump Wineries LLC and despite previous reports that Trump had given the winery to his son.[4][5][10] According to Politifact, Trump Winery is not the largest on the East Coast regardless.[11]
Awards
Before Trump acquired the winery, it had already won over 21 awards throughout the United States and the world. It received 10 Gold Standard awards, including the "Best Sparkling Wines in the World" award with Kluge SP Rosé.
In March 2013, Wine Enthusiast magazine gave the 2007 Trump SP Reserve a 91-point rating. This is the highest rating ever given to any still or sparkling Virginia wine.[12]
References
- ↑ Morgan Brennan (2011-03-10). "The Rise And Fall Of Patricia Kluge". Forbes. Retrieved 2016-07-12.
- ↑ Annie Gowen (2011-02-25). "Trump buys former Kluge-owned winery". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ↑ "Trump Winery Opens in Albemarle County". Newsplex.com. 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- 1 2 http://pagesix.com/2015/06/15/donald-trump-doesn't-own-trump-winery-his-son-does/
- 1 2 http://www.businessinsider.com/meet-donald-trumps-five-children-2015-7
- ↑ Brett Neely (March 9, 2016). "Trump Doesn't Own Most of The Products He Pitched Last Night". NPR. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
- 1 2 3 Brennan, Morgan (2011-03-10). "The Rise And Fall Of Patricia Kluge". Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- ↑ "Where did all the money go? Former nude model who became 'richest divorcee in history' declares herself bankrupt". Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- ↑ Frank, Robert (2011-07-01). "Donald Trump Picks Up Patricia Kluge's Virginia Assets - WSJ.com". Online.wsj.com. Retrieved 2012-06-19.
- ↑ Rothbaum, Noah (2016-03-10). "Trump Wine Is Built on Acres of Lies". The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2016-09-26.
- ↑ Gorman, Sean (2016-03-21). "Donald Trump incorrectly says Virginia winery is the largest on East Coast". Politifact. Retrieved 2016-10-19.
- ↑ Berninger, Jack (2013-03-24). "Vines and Wines: Trump Winery's 2007 SP Reserve - TimesDispatch.com". Online.TimesDispatch.com. Retrieved 2013-04-04.