Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/83237
WineEastNews Eric Trump (left) said in July that Trump Vineyard Estates would not renew its contract with Patricia Kluge, who served as vice president of operations for one year after the turnover (above.) with intelligent people who knew what they were doing," Kluge said. Kluge reserved her only harsh comments for the bank that sold off her inventory on the cheap. "As for the bank treating our wine as if it were Two-Buck Chuck, I was sad for the bank. They didn't know what they really had. I was dealing with ignora- muses," she said. H&W_Dec10.qxp 10/12/10 10:59 AM Page 1 Kluge believes Virginia—Albermarle County in particular—can deliver top-flight sparkling and white wines. "Virginia is an East Coast Chardonnay contender," she said. Prior to the takeover, according to Kluge, her wines had distribution in 20 states. She acknowledged the industry's relatively recent adoption of consumer-direct wine sales as "the most profitable" channel, and said that in Virginia, "Now everybody's con- tending for the wedding business. It's the marketing, stupid.…You need consistent, true marketing, not fake marketing." She denied that the estate's residential development plan caused its crash. "We actu- ally did very well with the real estate develop- ment," she said. "Our cost was $1 million; we sold 25% (of the property) for $10 million." "I come by farming honestly," Kluge said, citing a family estate farming history of 800 years. At the moment, she said, "I'm study- ing more sustainable farming that will be impactful for viticulture. I'm developing products for urban farming. We have to farm in a different way." She and Moses plan to divide their time between Virginia and New York. —Jane Firstenfeld AS GOOD AS IT GETS. Natural Corks Champagne Corks Twinline Corks Bartops VISION® G-Cap® Wine Stopper Screw Cap Sales Representatives Chris & Liz Stamp info@lakewoodcork.com Lakewood Cork 4024 State Route 14 Watkins Glen, NY 14891 lakewoodcork.com 607-535-9252 607-535-6656 Fax WINES & VINES OCTOBER 2012 59