I was thrilled to hear that a Michigan wine was selected for the White House state dinner for Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Chateau Chantal’s 2013 Ice Wine was selected to pair with dessert, Maple Pecan Cake with Cocoa Nib Wafer and Butterscotch Swirl Ice Cream.
Chateau Chantal is a winery and bed & breakfast on Old Mission Peninsula. The winery was founded by Robert Begin, a former Catholic diocesan priest and Nadine, previously one of the Felician Sisters. How cool is it that they both decided on a different life and got married in 1974? They ended up following Robert’s dream of building a European style winery chateau.
There were only 500 bottles made of the 2013 Ice Wine. It comes in a special wooden box and is made from grapes frozen on the vine, and then pressed while still frozen. It is described as having “incredible sweetness and fruitiness, with all the delicateness of a fine Riesling wine.” It has notes of decadent apricot, toasted caramel, and baked apple. The wine retails for $70.
The wine graced a stunning tablescape:
A place setting during a press preview ahead of the state dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the State Dining Room of the White House, on Wednesday, March 9, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The full menu and details of the evening can be found here.
A display of bite-size sweets uses a photograph of the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop for the state dinner honoring Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the State Dining Room at the White House March 9, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Have you tried any presidential wines? If so, I would love to hear the details! I have mentioned the Casa Nuestra Chenin Blanc wine before that was featured at a White House picnic. Maybe someday I will try them all!
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