{"id":4930,"date":"2011-04-09T20:45:57","date_gmt":"2011-04-10T00:45:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hagarty-on-wine.com\/OnWineBlog\/?p=4930"},"modified":"2011-04-15T21:35:46","modified_gmt":"2011-04-16T01:35:46","slug":"will-trump-put-virginia-on-the-wine-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hagarty-on-wine.com\/OnWineBlog\/will-trump-put-virginia-on-the-wine-map\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Trump Put Virginia on the Wine Map?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe Donald\u201d Could Become Force in Showcasing Old Dominion Wine Worldwide<\/strong>
\nIn yet another reinvention of himself, Donald Trump purchased the Kluge Estate Winery & Vineyard in Charlottesville, Virginia on April 7, adding \u201cwinemaker\u201d to his\u00a0renowned\u00a0deal maker\u00a0reputation.\u00a0 Known worldwide for his magical investment acumen, the New York Billionaire is now poised to make a significant contribution to Virginia\u2019s wine reputation.<\/p>\n

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Kluge Winery Barrel Cave<\/p><\/div>\n

The unlikely appearance of Trump in Virginia\u2019s \u201ctasting room\u201d was a result of his long friendship with Patricia Kluge, the driving force behind the creation of one of the largest wineries in the state.\u00a0 Unfortunately, a bad economy and an overzealous business plan resulted in her dream falling into foreclosure last year. \u00a0Until a last minute\u00a0agreement\u00a0by Trump to ride to the rescue, it looked like Kluge would relinquish the keys to her wine cellar and move on.\u00a0 Trump seemingly reversed those plans with a simple lift of the bidder’s paddle.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s winning bid of $6.2 million was an extraordinary bargain since the estate went on the market last year for $100 million and had an existing $28 million mortgage.\u00a0 He said it was likely he would keep Kluge in charge of winery operations, one of the few areas in which he claims no expertise.<\/p>\n

If the general understanding of the arrangement comes to pass, bottles of Trump wine might well be appearing in casinos, resorts, country clubs and restaurants worldwide—all owned by the financier.\u00a0 His existing distribution network could provide dramatic exposure to what is currently considered a regional wine producing region.<\/p>\n

\"\"The day following Trump\u2019s coup, another auction was held at the winery itself to liquidate the assets as part of the overall estate settlement. The event was attended by both winery owners and farmers from around the state looking for bargain basement equipment.\u00a0 The bidders were in for a surprise.<\/p>\n

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Bill Moses<\/p><\/div>\n

Kluge\u2019s husband Bill Moses, with his ever-present laptop, was accompanied at\u00a0the\u00a0auction by his stylishly dressed wife Patricia. \u00a0He repeatedly raised his bidder\u2019s number 990 buying all of the top wine equipment and most of the bulk wine.\u00a0 Within an hour it became apparent Trump was invisibly circulating the winery grounds pointing out what he wanted to keep and what he was willing to let go.\u00a0 He kept most of the good stuff for himself.\u00a0 Surprised?<\/p>\n

I attended the auction and had an opportunity to observe the unique interaction between the auctioneers and the former owners.\u00a0 It seems that Moses was never more than few feet from the auctioneer\u2019s microphone as one piece of expensive equipment after another shifted from bank ownership into Trump\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n

Not often do major second chances in life occur as dramatic as this event.\u00a0 It appears Kluge and Moses will continue to generate headlines in the Commonwealth\u2019s wine industry in the years ahead.\u00a0 If you didn\u2019t get a chance to attend this unusual auction, take a few minutes to see how it unfolded in the video below.<\/p>\n

All the best to Trump, Kluge and Moses.\u00a0 Wine lovers everywhere will be waiting to see how the new venture plays out.<\/p>\n

[vsw id=”Y1bfBnS6sik” source=”youtube” width=”425″ height=”344″ autoplay=”no”]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe Donald\u201d Could Become Force in Showcasing Old Dominion Wine Worldwide In yet another reinvention of himself, Donald Trump purchased the Kluge Estate Winery & Vineyard in Charlottesville, Virginia on April 7, adding \u201cwinemaker\u201d to his\u00a0renowned\u00a0deal maker\u00a0reputation.\u00a0 Known worldwide for his magical investment acumen, the New York Billionaire is now poised to make a significant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[1],"tags":[321,319,320],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n