Official State Visit of U.S. President D. Trump to the United Kingdom, September 2025
Chapter 1
“At one table, centuries converge; history glimmers in silver, and diplomacy sparkles in the glass”
In mid-September, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, paid a state visit to the United Kingdom. Among the various protocol events, a state banquet was held in honor of the American guests — the traditional format of royal receptions by the British Crown. The venue chosen for the occasion was Windsor Castle, specifically St George’s Hall, the palace’s principal ceremonial hall.
In the halls of Windsor Castle reigned a solemn grandeur. The lofty stone vaults, dark oak paneling, ancient tapestries, and portraits of monarchs created a sense of centuries-old continuity. The glow of candles and crystal chandeliers was not blinding — it merely softened the brilliance of silver candelabra and the depth of crystal goblets. Here, no one drank “for merriment”: rare wines and well-aged whisky served as the language of tradition and diplomacy, reminders of old alliances and victories. Every sip was a token of respect for the past and a pledge of confidence in the continuation of these customs.
Over one and a half hundred guests were invited to the banquet. Among those present: the royal family, the U.S. president with his wife, members of the British cabinet, diplomats, the business elite, and representatives of culture. By official protocol, Trump was seated next to the King and the Princess of Wales, while the First Lady — Melania Trump — was placed beside the Queen and the Prince of Wales.
Organizational Details
► The Table
• Type: one long banquet table (sometimes referred to as an “imperial-style dining table”), stretching 50 meters, as protocol had carefully calculated the width of space allotted to each guest and the total seating for 160 guests.
• Shape: a classic rectangle, without a horseshoe or “U” shape — meant to emphasize equality among those seated “next to the King.”
• Material: solid oak, antique; in Windsor’s collection, these tables can be dismantled and reassembled in sections (a “modular” design to adjust the length).
• Meaning: such a table is not merely furniture but political theater:
→ its length underscores scale;
→ the single straight line symbolizes “equality” and order;
→ antique craftsmanship and formal settings evoke the continuity of the British monarchy.
Thus, the table itself becomes part of the ritual, no less important than the wines or the menu.
► Place Settings and Décor
• Tablecloth: immaculate white linen, pressed smooth (traditionally ironed directly on the table).
• Tableware: silver-gilt pieces from the royal collection, crafted by 19th-century masters.
• Cutlery: up to 6–7 items per guest (forks, knives, spoons, glasses for each wine and for water).
• Glassware: crystal (most often Baccarat or Cumbrian Crystal). At Trump’s banquet, each guest had several glasses before them.
• Décor: flowers from the royal gardens and hundreds of candles in silver candelabra — an arrangement that appeared simple but had been refined by decades of ceremonial practice.
🇬🇧 👑 Alcohol Traditions of the British Court
🍺 The Middle Ages and the Tudors (15th–16th centuries)
• The royal table was a demonstration of power.
• Food: roasted swans, peacocks, venison, wild boar, game pies.
• Presentation: enormous feasts with dozens of dishes served simultaneously.
• Drinks: ale and mead were primary; wine (French and Portuguese) was a luxury reserved for the elite.
• Notable detail: under Henry VIII, banquets could include 40–50 dishes in a single evening.
🇫🇷 🍷 For comparison — France in the same era:
• Already practicing “gastronomy as art”.
• The royal court invited the best chefs (Guillaume Tirel, known as Taillevent, author of the first cookbook Le Viandier).
• Food: intricate pies, roasts with sauces, early experiments with sugar and exotic spices.
• Wine: more common than in England — Burgundy, early Champagne, claret.
• Etiquette: more formalized dining rituals, richer place settings.
👑 🍷 The Stuarts (17th century)
• Wine became an essential part of court life.
• Under Charles II (1660s), port entered court etiquette after alliances with Portugal.
• French wines, especially Bordeaux, came into vogue.
• The tradition of “state toasts” began to take shape.
👑 🍷 The Georgian Era (18th – early 19th century)
• The reigns of Kings George I–IV.
• A key moment: the blossoming of culinary arts and the rise of “modernized” service.
• Food: elaborate sauces, French techniques, haute cuisine desserts.
• Drinks: port, sherry, and claret (Bordeaux) became standard at the royal table.
• Wines were now served in courses rather than en masse.
• Large royal cellars were established, giving rise to the concept of a “royal collection.”
While dining in France was evolving into an art form, in England it remained more a display of strength and hunting trophies. England held on longer to its simplicity and “meat-heavy straightforwardness.” Wine and gastronomy entered the tradition more slowly. Only by the 19th century did British royal dinners begin to approach the French style.
👑 🍷 🥃 The Age of Queen Victoria (1837–1901) and Edward VII (1901–1910)
Victoria inherited a system where wine was already the “center of protocol,” but added moral rigor and restraint. Edward VII relaxed this strictness and shaped the banquets into something closer to what we imagine today — a fusion of gastronomic pleasure and diplomacy.
• Champagne firmly established itself at the royal table.
• Port and sherry: the classic digestifs of the British elite. Vintage port, in particular, became linked with Oxford and Cambridge clubs, diplomacy, and festive banquets.
• Whisky: in the 20th century, Scotch whisky became part of both royal and diplomatic protocol, underscoring the unity of the United Kingdom. For Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III, special casks were often selected (Bowmore, Royal Lochnagar).
By the 19th century, British royal banquets had essentially adopted the French system — yet infused it with distinctly British symbols (port, roast beef, pudding).
👑 🍷 Queen Elizabeth II (1952–2022) and Alcohol
• Gin and Dubonnet — her favorite aperitif. Every day before lunch she would drink a glass of gin mixed with the French aperitif Dubonnet, with a slice of lemon and ice.
• Champagne — almost always present at banquets, most often from Bollinger or Krug. The British magazine Drinks Business noted that her private collection included around 300 bottles of Champagne from different houses.
• Wine — she favored light whites and sweet wines (for example, German Riesling or Sauternes), though without particular obsession.
• Port and sherry — traditional choices for the royal family’s Christmas celebrations in Sandringham or Windsor.
• Whisky — the Queen herself rarely drank whisky, but she patronized Scottish distilleries; for instance, Royal Lochnagar holds the title of “royal distillery.”
• Her style: stability and loyalty to long-standing British habits.
👑 🍾 King Charles III (2022–present)
• Preferences: known as a moderate wine enthusiast. Prefers light wines, including organic, and supports local producers (particularly English sparkling wines).
• Sustainability: Charles III was among the first monarchs to connect wine with sustainable agriculture. His support for estates such as Wiston aligns with his environmental philosophy.
• Whisky and beer: unlike Churchill or Prince Philip, Charles is not known as a great admirer of stronger spirits. Yet under his reign, “royal” releases of Scotch whisky have become more common (e.g., Bowmore Queen’s Cask).
• Sobriety and moderation: he deliberately avoids excess. For him, alcohol serves more as a symbol of protocol and cultural gesture than a personal indulgence.
• In this way, the son shifted his mother’s emphasis: from “imperial traditions” to showcasing British innovation and sustainability.
🇺🇸 🍷🍺 🥃 Alcohol and U.S. Presidents
Early Presidents (18th–19th centuries)
• George Washington owned one of the largest distilleries for rye whiskey in the United States.
• Thomas Jefferson was an avid wine lover (especially Bordeaux and Burgundy), though at that time wine in America was rare and costly.
• In general, the first presidents often drank cider, brandy, and port — a legacy of colonial culture.
The 19th Century
• Bourbon and American whiskey rose in popularity.
• Champagne began to appear more often at official receptions as a symbol of respectability.
• At the same time, temperance played its part: some presidents (like Andrew Jackson) publicly condemned drunkenness, though private gatherings could be generous.
The Progressive Era and Prohibition (early 20th century)
• Theodore Roosevelt enjoyed strong drinks and Champagne, and was well known for his toasts.
• Woodrow Wilson — the last president before Prohibition — also partook of wine and whiskey.
• During Prohibition (1920–1933), presidents officially maintained a “dry” image, but drinks still found their way into the White House through informal channels.
The Second Half of the 20th Century
• Franklin Roosevelt loved martinis and even devised his own variations.
• John Kennedy — Champagne and daiquiris, symbols of style at social gatherings.
• Lyndon Johnson — famous as a Scotch-and-soda man.
• Ronald Reagan — championed California wines (especially from Napa), helping to popularize the American wine industry.
• Richard Nixon — a connoisseur of top-tier Bordeaux (Château Margaux, Château Lafite). Famously, he would have a “great bottle” poured discreetly for himself while guests were served something simpler.
The 21st Century
• Bill Clinton — appreciated both French and American wines, though moderately.
• George W. Bush — a teetotaler.
• Barack Obama — often highlighted his respect for California wines and ordered them for state dinners.
• Joe Biden — avoids alcohol.
• Donald Trump — almost never drinks (a personal stance tied to family history), though he owns the Trump Winery label.
📌 Summary
• For U.S. presidents, alcohol has always been part of their public image: some were vintners, others gourmets, still others teetotalers.
• Unlike the British monarchy, with its steady ceremonial traditions, in the White House beverages more often reflect the personal habits of its occupant and the spirit of the era — from Washington’s whiskey to Reagan’s Napa wines and Obama’s California selections.
Thus, at the royal table in Windsor Castle sat a British king, embodying tradition and symbolism, and an American president — a resolute abstainer. This contrast between two worlds — old and new, Europe and America — made the banquet especially telling.
Menu
Not all of the dishes served at the banquet were listed, but the three principal courses were:
• Starter / First Course: pea panna cotta with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh herbs.
• Main (white meat / fish): organic Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in zucchini, with a light sauce.
• Dessert: vanilla ice cream bombe with a core of raspberry sorbet (Kentish raspberries).
Wine List
The alcohol menu included a cocktail, four key wines, and rare digestifs.
Cocktail
♦ Transatlantic Whisky Sour — a “blend” of Johnnie Walker Black with notes of marmalade, topped with pecan foam and marshmallow toasts laid on a star-shaped biscuit.
This was a creative variation of the classic Whisky Sour, decorated with a few inventive flavor elements.
Whisky Sour is a timeless American cocktail, one of the most iconic in the world — a true veteran of the bar. It originated in the U.S. in the mid-19th century (by the 1870s it was already widely mentioned in American newspapers), consisting of whiskey (strong), lemon juice (sour), and sugar (sweet). Yet the very idea of mixing such ingredients goes back to the naval traditions of the 18th century: sailors added lemon (against scurvy) and sugar to rum or brandy. Hence the entire “sour” family of cocktails. No single inventor is known; its creation is attributed either to anonymous bartenders on the U.S. East Coast or to British naval officers who brought the “sour” idea back from sea voyages. It became the archetype for a whole family of sour cocktails (Daiquiri, Margarita, and others).
In this case, the drink was given a distinctly British accent — the base spirit was Johnnie Walker Black Label, a Scotch whisky with a touch of smoke. Additional flavor came from orange marmalade. On top: pecan foam and a thin marshmallow, lightly toasted as if over a campfire, resting on a star-shaped biscuit. The symbolism required no footnotes:
• America: the sour-cocktail tradition, marshmallows, the campfire culture of cozy evenings.
• Britain: Scotch whisky, orange marmalade.
An ideal aperitif-bridge to the first course.
► Alcohol Strength
In its standard recipe, the cocktail carries around 20–25% ABV (roughly half the strength of straight whisky), though this depends on the dilution with ice and other non-alcoholic ingredients.
► Symbolism
• Whisky Sour — a classic American cocktail, underscoring U.S. identity.
• Johnnie Walker Black — a Scotch brand, echoing both Britain’s heritage and Trump’s own maternal Scottish roots.
• Orange marmalade — a British tradition.
• Marshmallow — a nod to simple American homeliness, campfires, warm memories — a playful contrast to the banquet’s formality.
The cocktail may thus be read as an aperitif.
Wines
♦ Wiston Estate, Cuvée 2016 (Southern England, Sparkling)
This wine carried deep symbolism: not a French Champagne, but an English sparkling wine, poured at one of the most solemn receptions of the British monarchy — a tradition only about 20 years old. Today, English Sparkling Wine has become a source of national pride, and it is now the wine of choice for the opening toast at royal banquets.
► About the Wine and the Estate
• Producer: Wiston Estate — located in the South Downs of West Sussex, established in 2006, though the lands have belonged to the Goring family since 1743. It is a modern star of English sparkling wine.
• Method of production: traditional method (the same as in Champagne) — secondary fermentation in the bottle.
• Grapes: the classic Champagne trio — Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. The balance varies across cuvées, but Cuvée 2016 is predominantly Chardonnay.
• Aging: on lees for about 4–5 years, lending aromas of brioche, nuts, and a creamy texture.
• Tasting notes (Cuvée 2016):
→ Color: pale gold with fine, steady bubbles.
→ Aroma: apples, citrus, flowers, almonds; subtle breadiness from aging.
→ Palate: dry, fresh, with bright acidity, minerality, and delicate creaminess. Often compared to quality Champagnes, especially those of the Côte des Blancs.
• Alcohol: about 12% ABV — typical for Champagne-style wines.
• Price: around £40–£50 in the UK ($50–$65).
• Pairing: most likely served with the starter — pea panna cotta with sun-dried tomatoes and herbs. Its bright acidity and citrus notes highlighted the dish’s green freshness and balanced the sweetness of the tomatoes.
• Royal Cellars: English sparkling wines have only been added to the Royal Cellars in the last 10–15 years, but are now regularly served at state banquets.
► Symbolism of the Choice
The decision to serve English sparkling was both political and cultural: a show of confidence that Britain today can rival France in sparkling wine. It was “patriotism in a glass.” Over the past 10–15 years, English sparkling wines have surged in reputation, outperforming many continental neighbors, and are now a staple in the royal residences. The organizers clearly wished to convey: “Here is our answer to Champagne.” Britain is no longer only the land of beer and gin; the modern monarchy is proud of its own sparkling wine.
Note: The name “Wiston Estate” has no connection to Winston Churchill — the resemblance is purely phonetic.
♦ Ridge Vineyards, Monte Bello 2000 (California, USA, Red)
► About the Wine and the Estate
• Producer: Ridge Vineyards (Santa Cruz, California) — one of the most respected wineries in the U.S. It became legendary after the “Judgment of Paris” in 1976, when Ridge Monte Bello stood among the American wines that challenged the best French bottles. Monte Bello is the estate’s flagship wine, grown on high-altitude vineyards (up to 800 m above sea level), which gives it unusual freshness and minerality for California.
• Blend and style: a classic Bordeaux mix (Cabernet Sauvignon + Merlot + Petit Verdot + sometimes Cabernet Franc). For the 2000 vintage: about 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the remainder Merlot and a touch of Petit Verdot.
• Aging: 18–20 months in oak.
• Tasting notes (2000 vintage):
→ Color: deep ruby with garnet hues (with age).
→ Aroma: blackcurrant, plum, cedar, tobacco, graphite.
→ Palate: powerful yet balanced; tannins softened into velvet by age.
→ Long finish with spicy and earthy notes.
• Alcohol: typically 13.5–14% ABV — noticeably lower than many sun-drenched Californian wines, underscoring its “European” style.
• Price: today ranges from $400–$800+ per 750 ml bottle.
• Pairing: served with the evening’s main course — organic Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in zucchini with a light sauce. While a bold red is unusual for poultry, state banquets always provide a strong red option for those who prefer it — and the choice of a cult American wine was diplomatically impeccable.
• Royal Cellars: most likely acquired specifically for Trump’s visit, as Monte Bello is not a traditional fixture of the Royal Collection.
► Symbolism of the Choice
• A gesture of respect toward the U.S.: a Californian wine at a banquet honoring the American president emphasized the cultural and diplomatic bond.
• A nod to the “Judgment of Paris”: Ridge Monte Bello was among the wines that proved California could rival France. Serving it in Britain was almost a reminder to the French: “Look — America can make great wine, too.”
• The vintage: 2000 symbolized the turn of the millennium. By the time of the banquet, the wine had aged 25 years — the perfect maturity for a Cabernet of such pedigree.
• Monte Bello is highly prized in Europe for combining California’s deep fruit and sun-driven energy with Bordeaux’s structure and long aging potential.
“The party’s just getting started!” (Animal House, 1978)
And indeed, we shall continue with the story of the wines and spirits served at this remarkable Windsor banquet — in Part II.
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