Napa, Sonoma, Marin Ingredients In Historic White House Toasts

NAPA VALLEY, CA — Napa Valley wine filled glasses at the White House’s recent dinner for China’s president, but Sonoma and Marin counties also had a part in the pour.

Together, those local ties connect the dinner to a diplomatic toast that made history more than half a century ago.

When Wall Street bankers, Silicon Valley moguls, Hollywood studio heads, and French luxury executives—including Jamie Dimon, Elon Musk, David Ellison, and Bernard Arnault—raised their glasses at the state dinner hosted by Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump for Chinese President Xi Jinping, they held a Napa Valley sparkling wine chosen to recall a historic toast between the two countries.

Guests began with Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs, a choice the White House linked to President Richard Nixon’s 1972 “Toast to Peace” with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in Beijing.

The winery provided the connection, but the two toasts featured different bottles.

Schramsberg identifies the 1972 wine as its 1969 Blanc de Blancs, made from Chardonnay. Thursday’s Blanc de Noirs is made from Pinot Noir.

Schramsberg’s roots reach back to German immigrant Jacob Schram, who established a winery on Diamond Mountain in the 19th century. Jack and Jamie Davies restored the estate in 1965 and set out to produce sparkling wine.

Their Blanc de Blancs reached the dinner in Beijing seven years later.

Schramsberg says its sparkling wines have appeared at official state functions during every U.S. presidential administration since Nixon.

The winery’s Presidential Dinner Set gathers four wines it says have been poured most often at official U.S. functions: J. Schram Blancs, Brut Rosé, Blanc de Blancs, and Crémant Demi-sec. Thursday’s Blanc de Noirs does not appear in the four-bottle collection.

The set’s Blanc de Blancs shares the style of the wine served at Nixon’s 1972 dinner, though it comes from a different vintage. Schramsberg lists Chardonnay as the sole grape in the bottle currently sold in the set.

The collection also reflects the winery’s grape sources beyond Napa Valley.

Schramsberg lists fruit from Sonoma, Napa, Marin, and Mendocino counties in three of the wines. Its Crémant Demi-sec contains Napa County grapes exclusively.

Melania Trump led preparations for Thursday’s dinner. The White House described its menu as a combination of American ingredients and subtle Chinese influence.

The first course paired a yellow squash velouté with wild mushroom fricassee, crispy pancetta, and scallion oil. The second brought sesame-crusted sea bass together with braised baby bok choy, roasted garden eggplant, and a fresh herb sauce.

Dessert combined vanilla crémeux and sour cherry confit with walnut frangipane. White House honey supplied the ice cream served alongside it.

Red carried through the East Room décor. Red blossoms filled urns, while red linens, dahlias, and ranunculus covered the tables. The place settings featured the Reagan State Service and vermeil from the White House collection.