Yesterday I stumbled on an article informing its readers of the wines served at the recent State Dinner at the White House... http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/jonbonne/2011/01/20/obama-steps-up-his-wine-game/ . My first thought was to assume that the decision maker involved here simply took the path of least resistance and chose wines high in ratings, but short on supply. This was an easy conclusion after a quick search revealed that each of these wines has a waiting list for purchase and sells out each vintage. Not only is this a dis-service to the wine industry, but its also a slap in the face to everyday people who want to enjoy wine on a regular basis.
Further research shows that there actually is a "process" to the selection of wines for these extravagent affairs... http://www.thewinenews.com/decjan0001/feat.html . The gentleman in charge of this process has been in his position since the Clinton Administration, served through the Bush Administration and now the Obama Administration. Therefore, I have no political agenda for my thoughts.
As someone who enjoys wine and has spent most of his adult life in the wine business, my concern is simple. That is, finding wines at reasonable prices that taste better than their price suggests. Similar to the characters in The Endless Summer on a quest for "the perfect wave", I am always on a quest for that perfect wine that over-achieves in its price to quality ratio. Never one to rely on the "Wine Gods" and their number system as a barometer of measuring the quality of a wine, I always found it fun and interesting to seek out the hidden gems from lesser known appelations that "deliver" when called upon.
I would like to think that the White House, and the wines it serves, should be a gauge of the American psyche in a challenging economy. Most people will never have the opportunity to even sniff the wines recently served at the State Dinner. Not just because the supply of them is so limited, rather that their prices are so prohibitive. If the White House were to have selected wines available to most people, this would have accomplished many good things. It would have helped local retailers selling those wines, and it would have help the producers of those wines to sell through their vintage and not have over stock leading into next year. Moreover, there are several wine producers who donate some of their proceeds to worthy causes. Why not select some of those wines, knowing that good deeds are being done with the purchase?
I have intentionally been vague and used supporting generalizations. Tomorrow I will make my suggestions based on the menu and show how taxpayers could have been saved thousands of dollars. Since we are picking up the tab at these events, we should spend wisely and support local businesses that could use the help right now.
FG
