Book Review: Wine and the White House: A History

This big (400+ pages), beautiful (numerous full page color photos) book is an eclectic mix of everything one might want to know about America’s presidents and the wines they enjoyed, or at least served, since several did not touch alcohol, including our last two presidents.  The first president to be a true connoisseur of wine was also the most knowledgeable.  That, of course, was President Thomas Jefferson who while ambassador to France in the 18^th century toured that country’s famous wine regions, and who tried to grow European grape varieties at his Monticello estate in Virginia.  He was also instrumental in filling the White House cellar of the early presidents and encouraged the consumption of fine wines rather than the Madeiras commonly consumed at the time.

Thomas Jefferson’s Champagne Flute (credit: Monticello)

Wine and the White House covers myriad topics from the menus of presidential dinners going back to 1877, the selection of wines for visiting dignitaries, significant events in America’s wine history including the 1976 Judgement of Paris, the White House wine and decanter collection, and a history of presidential toasts. The history of wines served at White House dinners is particularly interesting.  Lyndon Johnson was the first to serve American wines. Ronald Reagan put the focus on California wines. And Gerald Ford served the first wines from Michigan, his home state.  Numerous states, including Illinois, Missouri, and North Carolina, have provided wines for White House events.

The author, Frederick J. Ryan, Jr., currently serves as Chairman of the White House Historical Association and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation and is a trustee of the University of Southern California and on the board of several other organizations. He was previously Publisher and CEO of The Washington Post, co-founder and CEO of Politico, and Chief of Staff to former President Ronald Reagan.  He has been a lover of fine wine all his adult life and early in his career co-founded a winery in California.

The second edition of Wine and the White House: A History was published in 2024.