At Trump Winery, patriotism is sold by the bottle

The pastoral countryside south of Charlottesville, Virginia, is quietly presidential. Visitors from around the world travel through the green rolling hills to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson.

- Eric Asimov

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The pastoral countryside south of Charlottesville, Virginia, is quietly presidential. Visitors from around the world travel through the green rolling hills to Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. Though it's been named as a Unesco world heritage site, its presence is indicated only by a decorous sign.

From there, the Thomas Jefferson Parkway leads to the James Monroe Parkway, where a more discreet sign points towards Highland, Monroe's home.

The restraint ends a few miles down the road, where the American flags begin. Hundreds of them line the top rungs of split-rail fences facing Route 627, snapping in the wind and stretching for a mile or more. Like a big brass band, they shout out your arrival at Trump Winery.

I visited the winery in mid-April while exploring Virginia wine country. I was curious about the wine, given its association with President Donald Trump, who has said he has never consumed alcoholic beverages.

Mr. Trump doesn't exactly own this winery. Its proprietor is Eric Trump Wine Manufacturing, a limited liability company. Mr. Eric Trump, the President's middle son, is its president. A disclaimer on the winery's website states that the company "is not owned, managed, or affiliated with Donald J. Trump or any of his affiliates".

Nonetheless, the winery makes plain its association with the Trump patriarch, whether through the Maga — Make America Great Again — paraphernalia displayed in the gift shop or the bottles of "inaugural edition" Presidential Reserve sparkling wine, sold in gift boxes for US$245.47 (S$316), a not-so-veiled reference to the 45th and 47th man to hold the office.

If those bottles seem a little dear, other merchandise includes Trump Winery bathrobes, pajamas and T-shirts, along with US$35 scented candles. "They smell like money," one visitor suggested.