By Joseph Temple

This year marks the 50^th anniversary that Richard Milhous Nixon was elected as the 37^th President of the United States.  With a passion for drinking only the finest wines, not since Thomas Jefferson had there been a bigger oenophile occupying the Oval Office.  However, this particular subject remains largely unknown when discussing the Nixon legacy—until now! To learn more, have a look below at ten interesting anecdotes that may or may not change your perception of one of the twentieth century’s most polarizing figures.

1. Nixon’s interest in wine dates back to his days as a lawyer living in New York City after losing the 1962 California gubernatorial election. During this period, he would always have a bottle of his favorite vintage waiting for him whenever he dined at the 21 Club.
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2. Nixon was infamous for drinking first-growth Bordeaux (Chateau Margaux was his favorite) while serving his guests vin ordinaire. In some social circles, this became known as “pulling a Nixon.”
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3. During one such incident, while entertaining ten congressmen on board Sequoia, the presidential yacht, Nixon ordered his stewards to serve them six-dollar wine while he drank a thirty-dollar bottle of Chateau Margaux, wrapped in a towel.
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4. Aide Alexander Butterfield would be given memos from Nixon about vintages he desired — what Butterfield described as “beaver patrol projects.”
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5. Nixon would tell Time Magazine in 1972 that “Sometimes, for an important state dinner, I’ll pick a wine. I do know something about wines.”
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6. Although he preferred French wines, Nixon was also eager to promote his home state of California. During his visit to China in 1972, he gave premier Chou En-lai a bottle of Schramsberg sparkling wine. After this fact was revealed, the winery was overwhelmed with orders.
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7. According to Henry Kissinger, Nixon was known to slur his words and/or become combative and vulgar after two glasses of wine.
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8. To celebrate the signing of the Paris Peace Accords, Nixon asked for the best wine he had: a 1957 Lafite-Rothschild to go with his steak. But this time, everyone got to taste the wine!
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9. In his diary, H.R. Haldeman wrote, “Usually it’s just served to the P, and the rest of us have some California Beaulieu Vineyard stuff.”
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10. In addition to drinking wine, Nixon also consumed vodka, scotch, brandy and rum.
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Sources:

Haldeman, H.R. The Haldeman Diaries: Inside the Nixon White House. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1994.
Sullivan, Charles L. Napa Wine: A History. San Francisco: Board and Bench Publishing, 2008.
Reeves, Richard. President Nixon: Alone in the White House. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002.
Page, Karen and Dornenburg, Andrew. The Food Lover’s Guide to Wine. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2011.
Will-Weber, Mark. Mint Juleps with Teddy Roosevelt: The Complete History of Presidential Drinking. Washington DC: Regnery History, 2014.
Woodward, Bob & Bernstein, Carl. The Final Days. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2013.
Zraly, Kevin. Windows on the World Complete Wine Course. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 2006.

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Question: Why do some wineries make pinot noir wine by including the stems of the grapes in the fermentation process?

Answer: Yes this is one of the continuing mysteries of the art of winemaking. Some winemakers like to include some stems and use some whole bunches while others don’t. Possible advantages include not only a lowering of the temperature of the fermentation but more bright freshness, finesse, and floral nuances in the wine with a better rounder texture plus elegance. Contrary views often point to old style rustic green herbal notes not wanted resulting from an over complication of the pure grape juice. As vines get older and global warming contributes to riper stems this topic is heating up once again. However in the Okanagan BC opinions are still divided among winemakers. Henricsson Vineyards in Naramata is including 55% stems in their pinot noir but Matt Mavety at Blue Mountain in Okanagan Falls is not including any stems in his. Consider this and decide for yourself what style you prefer.

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By Joseph Temple

Last month, an article in the Mail Tribune uncovered some startling statistics regarding Oregon’s booming cannabis industry and the threat it now poses to the state’s wine growers.  Discussing the situation in two counties located in southern part of the Beaver State, journalist Damian Mann reports that:

1. The local cannabis industry employs 439 people with a total payroll of $12.58 million while the wine industry employs 355 with a payroll of $10 million.

2. The average wage for someone in the cannabis industry is $33,731 while vineyards pay just $25,478.

Although the sample size is relatively small, a larger question remains: could the situation in southern Oregon be the canary in the coal mine for the wine industry across America as the trend towards marijuana legalization ramps up?

According to a study done in 2014, California, Washington, and Oregon – three of the four largest wine growing states – constitute approximately 94% of all domestic production. At the same time, these three states have also legalized marijuana with California representing the most seismic shift when voters approved Proposition 64 in November of 2016. And although it is still against federal law to sell and distribute the plant, anybody who looks at a map of states that have either fully legalized or decriminalized marijuana can clearly see it growing like an ink blot.

But what does this all mean for wine growers?  Well for starters, the value of real estate just went up dramatically if one switches from harvesting grapes to buds. The Sacramento Bee reports that a prime acre in the Napa Valley dedicated to making wine is estimated to be worth $365,000. However, if the same plot of land was used for cannabis production, that price tag skyrockets to a reported $1.1 million!

“There’s a new agricultural product coming to town. I think we’ll see some of these grapevines be ripped out for cannabis,” said one expert. “If you can plant 1 acre of cannabis and make … a million or more per year, that’s a hell of a lot better than vineyards.”

This trend may be accelerated because some see cannabis as a healthier alternative to alcohol consumption. A 2017 poll conducted by Marist/Yahoo News found that while 75 percent of all respondents believed that wine is much healthier beverage than other alcoholic drinks, 72 percent said they believe that cannabis is much safer than alcohol. “Personal health is particularly important to older consumers. Medical cannabis is now legal in 29 states, and its association with medicine has undoubtedly assuaged consumer fears about cannabis use,” writes the North Bay Business Journal.

What do you think? Can marijuana overtake the wine industry in terms of vineyard acreage? And could it compete directly with wine sales or is it apples and oranges?

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Question: Which grape varieties are allowed in the production of Champagne?

Answer: You usually see only the classic grapes of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier being used these days. However there are actually a total of 6 authorized varieties with 3 secondary ones (often sensitive to frost) less often seen because of their tiny production and usually only in the Aube (region south of Troyes): Arbanne, Petit Meslier, and Pinot Blanc Vrai. Champagne Moutard grows all 6 grape varieties and did release a unique “Cuvee aux 6 Cepages”. Look for these lesser known unique Champage varieties.

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Question: What is happening with increased vineyards being planted in England and Wales?

Answer: Topical question. Production presently is around 2/3 bubbles, 1/4 white wine and the rest around 10% red & rose. Stats for last year show about 135 wineries now with over 700 vineyards. There has been a big increase occurring resulting in a doubling from just over 1000 hectares to 2500 in the last 8 years. Climate change is bullish for quality English sparkling wine! Monitor it.

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