trump wine, jefford
A bottle of Trump sparkling wine.
(Image credit: Andrew Jefford)

The Virginia winery owned by president Donald Trump's son, Eric, has applied for special visas to bring in temporary foreign workers to tend its vineyards, official records show.

Trump Vineyard Estates, the winery originally bought by Donald Trump and now run by his son Eric, has applied for guest visas for up to 23 foreign workers to help out in its vineyards.

Although president Trump is not directly involved in running the Virginia winery, restoring jobs for American workers was a key tenet of his successful election campaign.

The new president has also criticised levels of immigration in the US, notably from Mexico.

Trump this week nominated R. Alexander Acosta to be his Labor secretary.

See also: Inside the Trump winery – Andrew Jefford

Trump Vineyard Estates requires the 23 workers from early April until 27 October, according to its application filing.

It has requested H-2A visas, which is a scheme to allow foreign agricultural workers to enter the US for temporary or seasonal employment. Workers on this scheme are not officially classed as immigrants.

It is common around the world for vineyard owners to bring in temporary foreign workers, particularly for the harvest season.

Donald Trump bought the estate in 2011 and handed it to his son, Eric Trump, before going on to run for president of the United States.

As a presidential hopeful, Trump promoted his family’s Virginia winery while on the campaign trail.

‘It’s the largest winery on the East Coast,’ he said last year. ‘We make as good a wine as you can get anywhere in the world.’

In Virginia, a campaign named ‘Stop Trump Wine’ has asked Virginians to boycott grocers and stores selling products connected to the president.

Patricia Kluge

Patricia Kluge
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

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Donald Trump

President Donald Trump no longer owns Trump winery, according to estate's website.
(Image credit: Gage Skidmore / Wikipedia)

Donald Trump promotes Virginia winery at press conference

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Donald Trump takes to the stage on election night in the US.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty)

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trump winery, jefford

Inside the Trump winery.
(Image credit: Andrew Jefford)

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Chris Mercer
Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.

He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.

Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.

Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.