We know the Founding Fathers liked their wine, and it turns out our current government officials do as well. After signing the Iranian nuclear deal, respective Secretaries of State and Energy John Kerry and Ernest Moniz toasted to diplomacy with the same type of wine the Founding Fathers drank after they signed the Declaration of Independence: Madeira.
The bottle was gifted to Moniz by Robert Sherman, the U.S. Ambassador to Portugal before he left Vienna as an homage to the bottle consumed by the Founding Fathers way back when. Sherman told Moniz not to drink it until he and Kerry had signed the deal with Iran.
Whatever you think about the Iranian deal, it’s safe to say that consuming that bottle was a lot of fun. Madeira is a Portuguese fortified wine that clocks in at an ABV of 19-21%. It can be sweet, dry, and aged anywhere from five to twenty years. We’re guessing this particular bottle was a Reserva – aged for at least twenty years – because Sherman declared it was “special.”
In addition to Kerry and Moniz, the wine was enjoyed by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman, State Department Chief of Staff Jon Finer, and National Security Council Senior Director Robert Malley. This is perhaps the only thing that might motivate the staff at VinePair to go into politics.