Todd Clausen

@ToddJClausen

A boycott of Trump wines at Wegmans stores in Virginia hasn't had the desired effect.

Wegmans sees a near-complete sell-out of labels from the Trump Winery.

A boycott of Trump Winery products sold at Wegmans stores in Virginia may have backfired by creating publicity and pushing sales forward.

The Gates-based grocer said that nine of its Virginia stores had sold out of the Trump-branded wine despite efforts to boycott the product and Wegmans for selling it.

Wegmans said at midday Friday that only its Charlottesville store had any bottles remaining, 160 left of a Meritage and about 18 of a Cru.

"All other (Virginia) stores are out of stock of all Trump wines," said Jo Natale, a Wegmans spokesperson. "We will replenish our supply, but it may be three or four weeks before it is available again."

Charlottesville has been ground zero of the boycott. Wegmans opened a store there late last year and the area is where the Stop Trump Wine movement apparently started.

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It is also home to the Trump Winery.

Wegmans started selling bottles from the winery in 2008, when it was operated by Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard. Donald Trump purchased the business a few years later, giving it to his son, Eric, to operate.

The grocer has been carrying five varieties from the winery as well as other 237 wines made in Virginia as part of a shop-local effort. Stores in other states legally able to sell wine do not carry the Trump line. However, those stores can special-order wine for customers.

Trump wine also is offered at some area liquor stores, including Marketview Liquor in Henrietta. Mike Martin, a line manager, said recently that some varieties had already sold out before news of the boycott erupted midweek.

"Some people wouldn’t even try it and some people, sight unseen, would just buy bottles of it," he said.

Despite the boycott, Natale has said Wegmans would continue to carry the Trump label, unless customer demand prompted a change.

"Our role as a retailer is to offer choice to our customers," she said. "For various reasons, we are sometimes asked to stop selling a product. Our response is always the same, no matter the product: How a product performs is our single measure for what stays on our shelves and what goes."

TCLAUSEN@Gannett.com