BYOB? Obama, Nixon, wine, and Chinese state dinners

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By Jim Boyce

This post at Obama Foodorama reports that China President Hu Jintao hosted U.S. President Barack Obama at a state dinner earlier this week and served him both red and white Great Wall 2002 wines. Does that count as an assassination attempt? (Kidding, just kidding). In any case, the leaders ate “Chinese-style beef steak” and roast grouper while listening to current hits such as “We Are the World” and “I Just Called to Say I Love You”, before heading off for a night of baijiu shots and KTV.

Quite a shift from 1972, when Richard Nixon visited. At a state dinner with Zhou Enlai, it was Nixon who provided the wine. From the wine blog Dr. Vino:

Hugh [Davies of Schramsberg], 42, told me that in 1972, his dad, Jack, got word from the Nixon White House that they would need 13 cases of Schramsberg 1969 blanc de blanc. And those cases had to be delivered to Travis Air Force Base. Hugh said that it was all a bit mysterious but his dad loaded up the cases into his jeep, drove them over to the Base where he got paid and left the wine.

Then three weeks later, images of Nixon’s historic trip to China were broadcast back to the US. And there was good old Nixon raising a glass of Schramsberg with Premier Zhou En Lai in a “toast to peace.” Hugh said that Barbara Walters reported from Tiananmen Square that Nixon and Zhou had just toasted with the Schramsberg “blank de blank.” Thirteen cases must have kept the whole delegation happy!

Now, instead of U.S. Presidents bringing their own wine to China, they are getting a taste of the local grapes, assuming those Great Walls aren’t among the Chinese bottles that also include bulk Chilean, Australian, or other wines…

(Big hat tip to Mr Miyagi)

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