. . . anyone?
(From https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/12/donald-trump-wines [February 2018])
". . . What about the 2015 Trump Meritage, a blend of red grapes that are “sourced,” meaning trucked in from the West Coast. The label calls it “American red wine”; it sells for $30 on the Web site. My guest tasted the Meritage: “Welch’s grape jelly with alcohol. A terrible, fumy, alcoholic nose. If I served you that on an airline you’d be mad.” (A buyer at a well-known Washington wine shop I later asked to evaluate the wines—he once sold Trump vodka, produced from 2005 to 2011, because he liked it—took one sip of the Meritage, wanted no more, and said, “Grocery-store wine.”) . . . Even in the still-stunning setting, the wines suffer in isolation. The Viognier, the Virginia state specialty, was clean but tasteless; the rosé was water, the Chardonnay, the Cabernet, and the Meritage, alcoholic and sweet. At best the wines, such as the sparkling blanc de blanc and the Viognier, are, as my expert friend said, inoffensive; at worst . . . “At the end of the day Trump wines suck,” my visiting friend said as our Washington dinner came to a close. “But they give a lot of good and loyal people paychecks.”. . ."
(https://www.mashed.com/265881/the-untold-truth-of-trump-winery/ [February 2021])
". . . In standard Trump fashion, the Trump family moved in on an already established business, bought it out, slapped their name on it, then took all the credit for any later success. In this case, said success comes in the fact that many cases the re-christened Trump Winery sells are packed with surprisingly decent bottles of wine. The Piedmont region of Virginia, which lies east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is noted for several grape varieties in particular, such as chardonnays and Cabernet Francs, and the Trump Winery makes good use of the terroir in its winemaking. . . The Trump Winery chardonnay has been awarded multiple medals, including gold by the San Francisco Chronicle in 2017, the New World Reserve won a gold medal in the 2016 Virginia Governor's Cup, and the Sparkling Blanc de Blanc has received 92 points from respected experts including Steven Spurrier and James Suckling. So while it might be tempting to throw shade over the entirety of the Trump Winery, you have to hand it to them for making a few good wines. Or actually, you have to hand it to Jonathan Wheeler, the actual winemaker of the winery . . ."
Red Red Wine
- UB40
