Wine stores in Virginia

November 26, 2021
Store

There’s a run on Trump Wine, with stores in the Washington region selling out of bottles bearing the president’s name.

Mike Mackie, co-owner of The Wine Cabinet in Reston, Va., says the brand is flying off his store shelves quicker than he can restock it for multiple reasons.

“You’ve got supporters who are buying the wine because of [President Trump’s] election victory, ” Mackie tells ITK.

“You’ve got people who are buying the wine just to have something to talk about. Some are buying the wine just as a joke on somebody else who didn’t vote for Trump, ” he adds. “And then you’ve got people who’ve once they’ve tried the wine, realize it’s a well-made wine. So you’ve got quite a bit of demand.”

The Wine Cabinet sells six options from Trump Winery in Charlottesville, Va. Mackie says in the six months leading up to the November presidential election, his store sold two cases of Trump Wine.

But after Trump’s stunning White House win, sales suddenly spiked. Since Election Day, about 10 cases of the bottles, which range in price from $25 to $35, have been purchased.

“We could’ve sold more, ” Mackie says. “But we ran out of all but one of the wines.” Trump Winery’s chardonnay proved most popular, with its Meritage — described online as a Bordeaux blend that has “bold red fruit aromas of ripe plums, cherries and blackberries” — a close second.

“It’s a very good wine, ” Mackie says.

But it’s unclear who is reaping the vino rewards from the brisk sales of Trump Wine. Trump bought the vineyard, formerly known as the Kluge Estate Winery, in 2011. Trump himself, who is known to be a teetotaler, said last year of the winery, “I own it 100 percent, no mortgage, no debt.”

A disclaimer on the winery’s website states, “Trump Winery is a registered trade name of Eric Trump Wine Manufacturing LLC, which is not owned, managed or affiliated with Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their affiliates.”

A Trump Winery rep didn’t return a request for comment from ITK on the sales surge.

The Reston shop isn’t the only retailer seeing grape-stomping-level enthusiasm for Trump Wine.

Total Wine & More —America’s largest independently owned retailer of wine, beer and spirits — carries Trump’s wines primarily in its Virginia, Florida and Maryland stores.

“Sales of Trump Wine doubled during the election season, ” Edward Cooper, Total Wine’s vice president of public affairs and community relations, tells ITK. “Our wholesalers are out of stock on many of the Trump varietals, and, as a result, many of our stores — especially our Virginia stores — are out of stock on those wines, too.”

Mackie estimates that his Northern Virginia customer base is probably split evenly between Democrats and Republicans. He’s guessing that some wine drinkers may be putting aside their political preferences to uncork a bottle from Trump Winery.