Mr Donald Trump has once again uttered his famous catchphrase “YOU’RE FIRED!!!” to the one-time famously wealthy socialite Patricia Kluge, and removed her from her own former Kluge winery.
Kluge — who famously won a divorce settlement in 1990 from billionaire media mogul John Kluge — proceeded to spend her $100 million dollars on a 1,000 acre Charlottesville, Va wine estate, complete with mansion. With the downturn in the economy and even at one point hiring world famous wine consultant Michel Rolland, finances for Kulge didn’t improve and she declared bankruptcy in June of 2011.
My Thoughts…
As much as most people hate “The Donald,” you can’t doubt that he’s a savvy businessman. I have no-doubt this is the right move. I know absolutely zero about Patricia Kluge’s background, but from what I gather her love of wine and the “image” that surrounds a winery was probably the main reason she got into the business. It’s the exact same reason a lot of people get into the restaurant business i.e. “I like food! I’m a pretty-good cook! I should open a restaurant!”
I actually met Patricia Kluge last year in Miami at a Wine Enthusiast tasting. She was pouring at the Kluge table. I do have to say I was extremely surprised to see her there. The thoughts going through my head were something along the lines of: “Holy sh*t! They kept you around!?!?”
Kluge wines were (at least when I last tasted them) extremely impressive, and certainly one of the better examples of East Coast winemaking. I hope Trump can turn it around.
