Many US presidents have been known to enjoy a glass or two of wine, and some were quite expert in the field, although the incumbent Donald Trump does not drink alcohol. Neither did Abraham Lincoln. According to George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, the first US president was a fan of both Champagne and Madeira, the latter being very popular in the US at the time. Washington also attempted to grow vines and produce wine at Mount Vernon in Virginia without much success.
Benjamin Franklin was another wine enthusiast, with knowledge picked up during his stint as ambassador to France. He is also author of one of the famous quote, “Wine is constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy”. This was in a letter to Abbé Morellet. Less well-known is his quip that, “In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.”
Thomas Jefferson, another of the founding fathers, was also interested in wine. He spent five years as American ambassador to France and on his return brought large quantities of fine Bordeaux. In 1985 auction house Christie’s sold the world’s most expensive bottle of wine. Engraved with the words “Lafitte 1787 Th.J.”, it was believed, by Christie’s anyway, to have belonged to Jefferson himself. Others disagreed, and the authenticity was fought over for several decades. It was part of a collection of old bottles allegedly found in a bricked-up cellar in Paris.
Obviously, during prohibition in the US (1920-1933), wine was not served, and before prohibition, several presidents were involved in the temperance movement, including president Rutherford B Hayes and his wife Lucy. The first lady served only fruit juice at functions and was nicknamed “Lemonade Lucy” by some.
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More recently JFK had a collection of fine Bordeaux and was very fond of Château Haut-Brion in particular. In the interests of maintaining political balance, I should say that both Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan also had a keen interest in wine and continued to serve quality bottles at state dinners. However, they both promoted Californian wine, a trend maintained by Jimmy Carter who served only American wine at state banquets. The tradition that has continued to the present day.
Trump may abstain from alcohol including wine, but he does own a vineyard in Virginia. The winery and vineyard were originally established in 1999 by Patricia Kluge, a friend of his. It ran into financial difficulties and was bought by Trump from the banks in 2011-2012. The estate is large – some 530 hectares, with 92 hectares of vines. This makes it one of the larger wineries in Virginia (there are more than 3,000).
The Trump Winery and adjoining luxury hotel is now owned and operated by president Trump’s son Eric. It produces more than 35,000 cases each year. The range is extensive and includes sparkling wines, chardonnay, pinot noir, and cabernet sauvignon. If you want to try them you will have to dine in Trump Doonbeg where a white, rosé and red are available.
