Photo credit: Courtesy of Embassy of France
The Ambassador of France warmly welcomed Stewart McLaurin, President of the White House Historical Association, and author Fred Ryan, Jr. on their return visit to the residence. “This marks the second occasion we’ve had the pleasure of your company at the residence; the first being with my predecessor and dear friend, making it a delightful tradition,” said Amb. Laurent Bili
Ambassador Bili
The occasion celebrated Ryan’s book “Wine and the White House: A History” followed by a Bordeaux Wine & Cognac tasting.
“I know we’re here to talk about wine and the White House,” said Ryan, “but I think it’s very important to point out the relationship between France and United States and the White House. It has been more than about just the wines. We’ve held programs talking about the broad influence that France had on the White House, from the architecture to the design, the art, the cuisine, furnishings. I know Sir Charles is here. Ambassador Pierce is not. (the current Ambassador of The United Kingdom). So I can remind everybody that after the British burned the White House, the French helped to bring new furniture to the White House that’s still there today. And the White House Historical Association works to restore that furniture and preserve it. But I know we’re here to talk about wines too.” Regarding the fire, we looked that up, so you don’t have to: During the War of 1812, British troops invaded Washington, D.C., on August 24, 1814. They set fire to several government buildings, including the White House (which was known as the Executive Mansion at the time). This incident was part of broader hostilities between the United States and Britain during that conflict. Of course, we’re ‘besties’ now.
Stewart McLaurin conducted a Q&A session where he posed questions while Fred Ryan provided answers.
Q: “Let’s dive into this little short read (insert joke) that you have put together. I can tell you that Fred labored for about two years researching and writing this book and all the proceeds go to our nonprofit, nonpartisan mission to maintain the beautiful interiors of the White House and also tell stories about the White House and its history. Let’s go back to the beginning. What did inspire your passion to undertake this project?”
A: “Well, one part of the mission is to preserve the White House collection and make acquisitions. The other part is to educate the public about the White House. There have been a number of publications about the White House from the food, the art, the music and several others. But there hadn’t been a book about wine in the White House. And I thought, well, maybe the White House Historical Association should do that? They came back and said, ‘It’s a really good idea. Why don’t you write the book?’ So that led to this.”
Stewart McLaurin and Fred Ryan
Q: “This book takes on everyone from George Washington to Joe Biden. As you studied them, researched them and attended events with many of them, which ones did you find to be the greatest connoisseurs of wine?
A: “One thing is that I would distinguish between consumer of wine and connoisseur, because there are different Presidents who distinguish themselves in different ways. One thing that surprised me in doing this was how much time, particularly our early presidents, spent dealing with wine. There was correspondence ordering their wine and Presidents following up where the wine was, and a lot of the detail about that. But to answer your question, really three. Three presidents emerged as really the most knowledgeable and most interested. More recently Richard Nixon, which is a little surprising because he grew up in a Quaker environment. As a young man, didn’t know anything about alcohol. When he got into politics, he had this curiosity about the world and thought he could learn about wine to have a better diplomatic understanding. The toasts are so much a part of diplomacy, so he had an incredible knowledge. He picked the wines that were served at the White House.”
A: “I know some others here have had the chance to work more closely with Ronald Reagan who was very knowledgeable on wine, partly because he’d been governor of California at the time that the California wine industry really became of age. He was very involved and he helped advance it. Even before that, I heard the story from him where he, as a young actor, got pneumonia and after he recovered, he met with the doctor. The doctor said, ‘If you drink one glass of wine a day, it’ll probably make you healthier.’ So my first question, who is that doctor?”
A: “Thomas Jefferson, the founding father of America, had been an Emissary to Paris and traveled around France, traveled around the wine regions and met the people who made the wine. He took meticulous notes. He advised George Washington when he became president on wine selection and I found a letter while putting his book together. I was talking to the guy who ran a very famous winery in France called Chateau Kim. It’s one of the most highest wines in the world. It’s been around 300 years. And he said, ‘I have a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote sitting on my desk in a frame. And I said, well, could I see it?’ He showed it to me. It was a letter Thomas Jefferson had written to the person who was running Chateau Kim at the time, saying, ‘Our new president, General Washington, is interested in wine and I think he would like some of yours, so please send him 30 dozen bottles.’ And then you added, ‘Please send me 10 dozen bottles as well.’ So this was actually Thomas Jefferson soliciting wine for himself and for the President. He went on, as you know, to build the first wine cellar in the White House. He maintained meticulous notes of every wine that he served in the White House. He built these, they called ’em dumb waiters, these tables at the time where bottles of wine could easily be arranged so people could be sitting at the dinner table, just reached behind himself and grabbed bottles. So he stood out more than any President.”
Today’s version of a good wine
Q: “Those early days of Washington and Jefferson, before there were these great American wineries and the proximity to wine that we have today, how did they transport wine so that it stayed drinkable? And what was the wine service actually like in those days?
A: “In the earliest days, George Washington time, the wine that we served most often was Madeira, the wine from the Africa. The reason was it could be shipped. It could be put in a hole of the boat, it could take the heat, it could take the rough sea and arrive at least as good (as when it left). But when Thomas Jefferson discovered these wineries in France and built relationships, not only did he know the winery, but he was meeting with different shippers to find out who could best ship the bottles with fewer bottles breaking. So he kind of perfected the logistics, the transportation mechanism for getting great French wines into the United States, into the White House.”
Q: “And when was the transition from French wines to American wines and what precipitated that?”
A: “A couple of things I guess. Prohibition came along and that ended the service of any wine. Or so they say. There were a few exceptions I found when Prohibition was passed. Woodrow Wilson was president and they passed the 18th Amendment and then the Volstead Act was the implementing legislation, and he vetoed it. He didn’t want their prohibition. And then Congress overrode his veto and he had problems of his own. He was in the White House when prohibition took place and his term ended and he had his own wine collection. And under the law, you could not buy, sell or transport wine. So he had to get special authority to transport his wine from the White House to the house he bought over here on S Street. But, and by the way, his successor Warren Harding, even though America was dry, the White House was not under Warren Harding’s administration. There were records of him at the Chevy Chase Club with his flask in his golf bag and having drinks parties at the White House, and even rumors that the Justice Department was confiscating alcohol and delivering it to the White House.”
A: “When prohibition ended, Franklin Roosevelt allowed wine to be served at the White House again. Mrs. Roosevelt said she thought it should be simple and domestic, which was not a good thing because the wines then were not very good. The American wines were not very good. And then of course, during the Kennedy administration, we saw such an emphasis on everything French and elegant and such focus on every detail. By the time Ronald Reagan came it was only American wines.”
Q: “So with the current presidency, did they drink a lot of Delaware wine?
A: “Every president has the opportunity to serve a wine from their state. Gerald Ford served Michigan wine. It was the only time it was ever served at the White House. George Bush served Texas wine and I don’t think there were too many additional requests for it. The problem that President Biden has is that Delaware has fewer wineries than any other state.
Q: “We’ve spoken quite a bit about presidents and their role and their interests and their habits with wine. What about the first ladies? Are there a few or one or two or three of those that in your mind stand out because of their interest or service or something special about them and why?”
Okay now, it was a marathon Q and A so we are signing off on it here before the wine gets warm. Get the answer in the book!!! Merci………
