Jason Greenblatt, an executive vice president for the Trump Organization, tells C-VILLE that Donald Trump purchased the former Kluge Estate Winery farm shop from Loudon County developer Sal Cangiano, who purchased it at absolute auction in April. According to Greenblatt, Trump purchased the property for roughly the same amount as Cangiano: $420,000.
"We hope to open it in three to four weeks," says Greenblatt. He said that Trump Vineyard Estates will likely open "sometime in September."
Greenblatt says that Eric Trump Wine Manufacturing LLC, the company now running the former Kluge business, retained "many of the staff from the original winery," and "has not reduced the number of positions at all."
He also adds that Patricia Kluge and Bill Moses, who were scheduled to attend a creditors meeting this afternoon in federal bankruptcy court, will be "actively involved" with the business. The couple is currently employed as "vintners."
"Patricia on the wine manufacturing process, [and] Bill on the growth of trying to expand the reach of the Virginia wine market into other states and around the world," says Greenblatt. "They’re going to be working extremely close with Eric Trump, who’s extremely hands-on with the property." Read C-VILLE next week for more.