By Joseph Temple

For most Americans, President Thomas Jefferson is remembered as a key author of the Declaration of Independence and the main architect behind the Louisiana Purchase. Oenophiles however view Jefferson as a trailblazer for American viticulture, strongly advocating for quality wines produced inside the United States.  “No account of the history of wine in America is complete without at least a bare summary of ‘Jefferson and wine,’” wrote historian Thomas Pinney.

Experiencing the best that Europe had to offer during his time as the American Minister in Paris and later as the first Secretary of State, Jefferson firmly believed that this winemaking expertise could successfully cross the Atlantic.  “We could, in the United States, make as great a variety of wines as are made in Europe, not exactly of the same kinds, but doubtless as good.”  More than two hundred years later, this statement has come to fruition as vineyards across America – from Jefferson’s home state of Virginia to the Napa Valley – compete with the best from around the world.

And in honor of his pioneering efforts, we present eight historical footnotes on President Jefferson and his passion for wine:

When it came to wines during the pre-revolutionary period, men of privilege drank either Madeira or Port – the result of what Jefferson described as “our long restraint under the English government to the strong wines of Portugal and Spain.”  So how did this man develop a liking for the wines of Italy and France, which would have been highly unusual at the time?  Many biographers point to his mentor George Wythe who befriended Jefferson while he was studying law in Williamsburg and the person who most likely introduced him to the wines of Bordeaux.  Another possible influence were the Hessians – Germanic mercenaries fighting on the side of Britain during the American Revolution – who exposed Jefferson to the wines of their native lands after being captured in Virginia.
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Throughout the thirteen colonies, Americans had a strong affinity for alcohol.  In fact, during colonial times there were more taverns per capita than any other business.  Unfortunately, this resulted in everything from bar room brawls to broken homes, eventually giving birth to the Temperance Movement.  But instead of prohibition, men like Thomas Jefferson proposed another solution to combat the problems caused by whiskey and other high-alcohol spirits.  “No nation is drunken where wine is cheap; and none sober where the dearness of wine substitutes ardent spirits as the common beverage.  It is, in truth, the only antidote to the bane of whiskey,” wrote Jefferson.
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On a mountaintop near Charlottesville, Virginia stands Monticello – a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to America’s first commercial vineyard venture.  The story begins in November of 1773 when an Italian physician named Philip Mazzei was searching for the perfect spot to make wine.  Stumbling upon this neo-classical home, Mazzei and Jefferson met and discussed the idea of growing European rootstocks on Virginian soil.  Jefferson was so impressed that he gave Mazzei 193 acres on the south side of Monticello for forming “a Company or Partnership, for the Purpose of raising and making Wine, Oil, agruminous Plants, and Silk.”  Although the partnership would be derailed by both frost and a revolution, the idea that wine could thrive in the Commonwealth of Virginia was more than two hundred years ahead of its time.
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By Frederick Wildman and Sons, Ltd [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

As a diplomat sent to Europe by the Confederation Congress, Thomas Jefferson would have the opportunity to taste many wines during his stint as Minister to France.  He absolutely loved Champagne and while in Burgundy, he was partial to the vineyards of Chambertin.  But his all-time favorite were white Hermitage wines from northern Rhône.  A region known more for its Syrah, Jefferson described white Hermitage as “the first wine in the world without a single exception.”  He was enthralled with it so much that during his presidency, the oenophile-in-chief ordered five hundred bottles to be placed in the White House wine cellar.
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Back when the White House was known as the President’s House, nobody knew how to throw a party like Thomas Jefferson.  During his eight years in office, over 20,000 bottles were purchased from Europe and in less than a fourth-month period, over 200 bottles of Champagne were consumed at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  With an annual salary of $25,000 that included entertainment expenses, Jefferson threw financial caution to the wind by spending over $7,000 on wine in his first term alone.  Author James Gabler writes, “his expenditures for food and wine ran a footrace with his income.  Income usually lost.”
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Being an oenophile in the early 1800s – especially one who preferred wines from France – was a struggle to say the least.  Any bottle you ordered could easily break or spoil on the long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.  And if there wasn’t the constant threat from pirates who might raid the ship, sailors and boatmen could easily finish the wine and refill it with water by the time it reached the unsuspecting shores of America.  Knowing all these variables, Jefferson invested an enormous amount of energy in making sure his product arrived safely and in tact.  John Hailman in Thomas Jefferson on Wine writes, “Jefferson had to specify in each letter the ship, the captain, the ports of exit and entry, how the wine should be packaged, and how he would get payment across the ocean … that he took such pains shows just how much he desired fine wine.”
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When President James Madison declared war against the British in 1812, one of the biggest advocates for military action was Thomas Jefferson who said it would take “a mere matter of marching” before the United States conquered all of Canada.  But as the War of 1812 turned into a two-and-a-half year stalemate, the prolonged battle against the greatest navy in the world would leave this ex-president high and dry.  With his suppliers from France cut off, Jefferson would tell a wine merchant that war with Britain “at length left me without a drop of wine.”
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In today’s world, having just one wine cellar is cause for celebration.  But can you believe that Thomas Jefferson possibly had over a dozen!  Between his two at Monticello, one at the Virginia Governor’s Mansion, two at the White House and numerous others from Philadelphia to Paris, Jefferson wasn’t very far from his collection of wine.  And while you can still see his cellar at Monticello, the one at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue was lost forever when British troops burned the entire building to the ground in 1814.
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Sources:

Craughwell, Thomas J. Thomas Jefferson’s Creme Brulee: How a Founding Father and His Slave James Hemings Introduced French Cuisine to America. Philadelphia: Quirk Books, 2012.
Gabler, James M. Passions: The Wines and Travels of Thomas Jefferson. Baltimore: Bacchus Press Ltd., 1995.
Hailman, John. Thomas Jefferson on Wine. The University Press of Mississippi, 2006.
Taber, George. Judgement of Paris: California vs. France and the historic 1976 Paris tasting that revolutionized wine. New York: Scribner, 2005.
Wallace, Benjamin. The Billionaire’s Vinegar: The Mystery of the Most Expensive Bottle of Wine. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2009.

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By Alpha (originally posted to Flickr as Wine – Bistro Vue) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Question: I started a wine cellar last year and having fun adding to it. Getting conflicting advice on whether to buy smaller grower Champagnes and Burgundies or the more well-known brands. Your thoughts?

Answer: Collect both. It is trendy to support the underdog farmer in both Champagne & Burgundy and there are some outstanding wines being made. However they are rarer and more difficult to obtain because of their small production with distribution issues. The bigger firms and the negociant wines are usually easier to find at retail.  Don’t be a snob. Dom Perignon produces a lot of bottles (the number is secret) but still makes stunning Champagne from high yields in 2004 or for laying down in your cellar like the delicious drinking 1990. Pol Roger 1990 or 1996 are other good examples. Remember too that Grower Champagnes usually don’t have much quantity of reserve wines to add to their non-vintage blends compared to the bigger houses. Similarly in Burgundy the unique vineyard site and the vintage year can be as crucial as the producer. Meursault Perrieres 2010 is a great buy for your cellar whether from Viticulteur Domaine Roulot or the large firm Bouchard Pere. Keep in mind that currently many producers both small and big are focused on quality in their decision making and motivated to make a fine wine. Be open minded in your search for collectable bottles.

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By Arnold Gatilao from Fremont, CA, USA (Risotto with White Truffles from Alba) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Tis the season for fresh Alba white Italian truffles (trifola d’Alba). I have experienced the hopeful hunt with truffle-searching dogs to find them and have attended the exciting Tartufo Bianco D’Alba with the 84th one just held October 11-November 16. They were so aptly described by Brillat-Savarin as “the diamond of the kitchen”. I agree. So fortunate and spoiled to have been treated to these jewels many times over the last month. They are one of my joys of life so I always seek them out in the late Fall of each year. So different from all the other truffles including the black truffles usually from Perigord France which are better cooked. Alba white truffles have a delicate earthy unique aroma that evokes the enchantment you usually only feel from a perfectly aged fine wine. A good trick is to put a big one under a fruit ripening dome at your reception and concentrate the magical aromas for everyone in the room when the lid is lifted. I love them by themselves or with any food item. However recently I feel strongly that they are being overused with too many food matches. Recently I was served them shaved over poached sole in beurre blanc, spicy agnolotti with chanterelle mushrooms, prime New York strip, and twice with braised short ribs of beef.  Please get the most out of these treasures by serving them with simpler dishes that are less assertive themselves. I still recommend risotto, pasta or a plain omelette as the very best pairings! Follow the educated lead from Alba itself by serving them with home made many yolk tajarin (like a tagliatelle) for best enjoyment of this remarkable product.

What is your best matching dish with fresh Alba white truffles?

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By Joseph Temple

Boxed wine.

It is a product that elicits a strong reaction from both supporters and detractors since it first hit the shelves almost fifty years ago.  Advocates are quick to point out its eco-friendly and cost effective packaging along with the ability to minimize oxidation far longer than any bottle after it is opened.  But for oenophiles, its what’s inside the box that matters with many of them ranking wine stored in plastic bladders on par with the high-alcohol jug wines of the 1950s and 1960s.   And although a debate ensues between the two sides over whether the quality is improving, there is no doubt that with box wine accounting for half of all wine sales in Australia, Sweden and Norway and approaching nearly 20% in the United States, this corrugated concoction has left an enormous mark on the industry.

Makes you wonder who the first person was to think outside the box – or inside the box!

To know the story behind this invention, you have to cross the Pacific Ocean to the Commonwealth of Australia where it is known today as cask wine or “bag-in-box.”  The year was 1965 and vintner Thomas Angove had watched a fellow countryman figure out how to safely transport battery acid by placing it in a durable plastic bladder and enclosing it in corrugated fiberboard.  Taking this template and applying it to the sale of bulk wine, Angove stumbled upon a monumental breakthrough in the history of winemaking.

“This is ridiculous.  Nobody is going to buy wine out of a cardboard box and plastic bag,” declared Angove’s son after seeing it for the first time.  And indeed, the original concept that debuted in the mid-1960s was very different from the boxed wines that we enjoy today.  With the first design, consumers had to take the one-gallon bag out of the box, cut it themselves and then reseal the bag with a peg.   It was two years later that another winery revolutionized these boxes by connecting a dispenser tap to the bag, ending the labor-intensive task of pouring yourself a glass.
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But unfortunately for the advocates of boxed wine, the original intent of its sellers was to unload as much of their cheap undesirable product as possible.  This resulted in a reputation that the industry still fights against to this day  – that cask wine is the bottom of the barrel in terms of quality – a reputation that is most prevalent in the United States where old habits are particularly hard to break.

However, the tide may be turning in favor of this packaging for several reasons.  For starters, casual wine drinkers who aren’t collectors will appreciate the low cost, which is desirable in this sluggish economy.  And as companies evolve with more chic designs while advocates educate the public about the many myths surrounding boxed wines in various blog postings, a gradual demystification is starting to gain a foothold in America, especially amongst environmentally aware Millennials who will be the majority of wine consumers within the next few decades.  Much like the screw top, which also suffered from a reputation for being cheap but is now mainstream, perhaps boxed wine is ready to enter its own renaissance period?

Sources:

Taber, George. A Toast to Bargain Wines: How Innovators, Iconoclasts, and Winemaking Revolutionaries Are Changing the Way the World Drinks. New York: Scribner, 2011.

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By Steven Jackson from USA (Arborio RiceUploaded by Schwäbin) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
By jlastras [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Question: I have an ongoing argument with a fellow chef whether arborio or carnaroli rice makes the best risotto.  Would you please settle this for us Sid?

Answer: Flattering of you to ask but not sure I can. Arborio is a shorter grain rice most widely available in North America. Carnaroli is a longer grain newer strain which is becoming ever more popular. Some of the keys to a successful risotto include starting with a good broth and the skill in crafting your desired rich creamy texture by the release of starches through long patient stirring. You need skill because you want the finished risotto to flow perfectly cooked so the rice grains and the liquid are not too separate yet not overcooked so that it becomes thick, soft and too dry. You don’t want oatmeal. With arborio you have to be extra careful not to overcook it while carnoroli seems “starchier” and is easier to work with to get that firm right texture. Vialone nano is another alternative for a shorter grain less starchy lighter style rice. At home we usually prefer and use carnoroli but both are capable of producing an outstanding risotto dish. On our visits to Alba we still find arguments among chefs there as to their preference though there is a growing trend for carnaroli!

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