Rule No. 1 for a successful dinner party: don’t talk politics. It’s one of the most divisive topics out there and something that nearly everyone has a strong opinion on. During this election season it’s an especially hard topic to avoid talking about. You know why.
As November approaches, something political will inevitably enter the conversation, though. And even if you and your company all agree on a certain presidential candidate, there’s a good chance two people will disagree on at least one issue, so why not make that issue about presidential wine lists?
Not every president drank wine (Franklin D. Roosevelt, the man who brought legal alcohol back to the United States, was especially fond of gin martinis), and presidential dinner menus are harder to find the further back in time you go. Presidential wine lists might be hard to come by again if Donald Trump wins the election, considering how the guy abstains from alcohol completely. Minus a few exceptions, here are some wine choices (and today’s prices via Wine-Searcher), from President Eisenhower to President Obama.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953-1961
1937 Chateau Coutet Barsac $350
1952 Beaune Greves $195
1952 Pol Roger $546
John F. Kennedy, 1961-1963
1958 Puligny-Montrachet Pucelles – Not listed, $565 for 1978 vintage
1955 Corton Grancey $236
1952 Dom Perignon $994
Lyndon B. Johnson, 1963-1969
1962 Wente Pinot Chardonnay – Not listed
1959 Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon – Not listed, $155 for 1965 vintage
1959 Almaden Blanc de Blancs – Not listed
Richard Nixon, 1969-1974
1967 Bernkasteler Doktor – Not listed, $44.44 for 1973 vintage
1962 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild $390
1961 Pol Roger $585
Gerald Ford 1974-1977
1971 Tabor Hill Trebbiano – Not listed
1969 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon $129
1970 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs Reserve – Not listed
Ronald Reagan, 1981-1989
1982 Stoney Hill Chardonnay $80
1983 Adelsheim Pinot Noir – Not listed, $30 for 1992 vintage
Charles Fournier Blanc de Blancs – Not listed
George W. Bush, 2001-2009
2004 Newton Chardonnay $20
2003 Peter Michael Les Pavots $115
2004 Schramsberg Brut Rose $27
Barack Obama, 2009-
2008 Dumol Chardonnay $76
2005 Quilceda Creek Cabernet $200
2008 Poet’s Leap Riesling $33
