Virginia - Trump Winery

When we planned this stop, we had no idea that the RV park was adjacent to the Monticello Wine Trail which includes 23 wineries.  So we decided to take a break from history and visit some wineries and relax.  We were surprised to see a sign for the Trump Winery so we made the stop.

The winery was previously owned by Patricia Kluge who was married to one of the world's wealthiest men but when they divorced in 1990, she walked away with a record $100 million settlement.  In the divorce she was given Albemarle - the land, the house, and the antiques - as part of the settlement.  She decided to buy a vineyard adjacent to her property and set out to make world-class wines in Virginia.  By the mid-2000's, she was producing 10 internationally acclaimed wines and the Kluge Estate Vineyard was valued at $75 million.  And then the 2008 financial crisis hit.

Kluge was producing 30,000 cases of wine a year but was only selling a third of it.  The vineyard was losing $500,000 a month and the loan went into default in November, 2008.  She put her Albemarle House on the market for $100 million, auctioned off her antiques and jewelry in March, 2010 and raised $20 million, which she put back into trying to rescue her winery.  The price of Albemarle was slashed to $24 million.

Kluge leveraged literally everything she owned and lost it all.  Farm Credit foreclosed on Kluge Estate Vineyard in September, 2010 and Albemarle House was seized in January, 2011.  She was doing everything possible to try to save her business.

And then Donald Trump stepped in and bought the winery in April, 2011 and re-opened it as Trump Winery in October, 2011.  Since 2012, it has been owned and operated by Eric Trump, trading as Eric Trump Wine Manufacturing LLC.

As we drove in, we were amazed at the beauty of the area.  A long drive up a hill and we were there.

We've been to a lot of wineries and I've never seen a tasting room this grand.

The venue was actually three separate tasting rooms so we headed into the first one we came to.

We checked out the menu and made our choice.

There were cushy couches and chairs so we took a seat to taste our wine.  And to take in this view.

We began talking to one of the servers and she told us about the Reserve Room, which was another tasting room for adults only.  So in order to see more of the estate, we moved there.

Now this was a completely different feeling.  And while there was seating on the patio, we decided to stay in the nice, cool room.  And they served lunch which once ordered, you sit back at your table and they deliver the food to you so that you can enjoy whatever wine you like.  We chose a Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine which was very, very good.

We struck up a conversation with a couple, Heather and Ken, at the next table and had a great time talking to them.  They live nearby so they filled us in on the area.  

We enjoyed more of the stunning views as we headed out.  What a great day!