John Kluge Sr.

But behind this hard-charging exterior, Kluge is a passionate, grounded person, dedicated to her family and work, and driven to make a contribution to the world."Children, personal freedom and faith have been my focus," she says."We need to protect children, educate them, and offer them all of the opportunities that are available.When we don't, we only hurt ourselves and all that we stand for."

Raised in London (her father was British and her mother Iraqi), Kluge brings a European sensibility to everything she does.In addition to business interests, she supports a variety of causes through the Patricia M. Kluge Foundation and other family foundations.Rural education, human rights, health care and the arts have all benefited from Kluge donations.

In Charlottesville, home of Fuel (her aptly named restaurant/gas station) she started the Virginia Festival of American Film, now known as the Virginia Film Festival, in the early 1980s to help attract big-city artists to the Virginia Piedmont.She's also an active patron of the local arts scene and a fixture at area galleries.Her recent support of renovations to the historic Paramount Theater on Charlottesville's Downtown Mall helped save the landmark building from being demolished.The refurbished art deco theater has become an anchor of the area's new downtown entertainment district.

"At one point, [Kluge] had actually been one of the owners of the Paramount building," says Chad Hernshner, president and CEO of the Paramount Theater.
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Kluge sits on the board of Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Corp. and serves on the board of the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study at George Mason University in Fairfax.

These days running a winery takes up a lot of her time and energy.She's dedicated the last seven years to this business - in an industry that's all about waiting for results."We hope that our influence will be far reaching," she says.
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Kluge raised eyebrows in 2003 when she announced plans to develop 24 "mini-estates" - multimillion-dollar luxury homes complete with concierge service, historically inspired architecture, professionally designed period gardens and private vineyards - on part of her property in an effort to raise funds for the winery.So far, the project is on track.

Vineyard Estates broke ground this past January.Kluge isn't disclosing the names of any of the home buyers.

"The art of architecture is my passion and hobby, as is the complex subject of community building," Kluge says of the project that's literally in her own backyard."In a small way, we at Vineyard Estates hope to set new standards in conservation, horticulture, viticulture, and, of course, architecture.We intend on building homes for the ages, and not for the short term."

Beyond her work, however, it's still home and family that inspire Kluge.