Official visit of U.S. President D. Trump to the United Kingdom, September 2025
Chapter 1 can be read here…
Chapter 2
“State banquets are always diplomacy in three acts: the speech, the menu, and the alcohol. The first may be forgotten, the second can be digested, but the third is remembered forever.”
Wine List (continued)
♦ Domaine Bonneau de Martray, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2018 (Burgundy, France, white)
► About the wine and the estate
• Bonneau de Martray is a historic Burgundian domaine, owning vineyards on the legendary Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru slope. Remarkably, almost all of its holdings are classified as grand cru. In 2017, the estate was acquired by American Stanley Kroenke (owner of the Arsenal football club and California’s iconic Screaming Eagle winery).
• Grape variety and style: 100% Chardonnay.
• Aging: partly in new oak (no more than 30%), to maintain balance.
• 2018 characteristics:
→ Aromas: white flowers, citrus, pear, hazelnut, and limestone minerality.
→ Palate: rich, but with the classic Burgundian “nervy” acidity; creamy texture, balance of fruit and minerals.
→ Finish: long, with hints of honey, spice, and flint.
→ The 2018 vintage was warm and sunny, producing wines of fuller, riper style.
→ Alcohol: about 13.5% ABV.
→ Price: currently around $430 per 750 ml bottle.
→ Pairing: a powerful, fresh white wine with both minerality and acidity. Ideal with fish dishes, white poultry in cream sauce, and meals with mushrooms or truffle. It was likely the main white wine of the evening, poured for those preferring white over red with the main course — organic Norfolk chicken ballotine wrapped in zucchini with a delicate sauce. The wine’s creamy texture and subtle oak meshed perfectly with the dish’s dairy-vegetable palette, adding depth without heaviness.
→ Acquisition: very likely purchased specifically for the Trump visit.
► Symbolism of the choice
► Symbolism of the choice
• France: This selection balanced the American Monte Bello. No British banquet could omit Burgundy — the “sacred classic.”
• Charlemagne: The vineyard name goes back to Emperor Charlemagne, who, according to legend, once owned these lands. Serving the “wine of Charlemagne” to an American president was not just gastronomy, but a cultural and historical gesture.
• 2018 vintage: At just 7 years old during the banquet, it was the youngest of all wines presented. A choice of a “fresh” vintage signaled relevance and dynamism — not only old cellars, but also the best of the recent harvests. 2018 was widely acclaimed as an excellent Corton-Charlemagne year, a vintage the estate could proudly show at a state-level dinner.
• American connection: The current owner, Kroenke, is an American billionaire — yet another bridge between Old and New World.
♦ Pol Roger, Extra Cuvée de Réserve 1998
► About the wine and the house
• The Pol Roger house, founded in 1849 in Épernay, is one of Champagne’s oldest and most aristocratic. It has a special bond with Britain: Pol Roger was Winston Churchill’s favorite champagne. In gratitude, the house even created a special cuvée — Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill (first released in 1975).
• Composition and style:
• Extra Cuvée de Réserve 1998 — a vintage champagne from the 1998 harvest. A blend of the three classic grapes: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier.
• Aging: around 8–10 years on the lees.
• 1998 characteristics:
→ Aromas: ripe apple, pear, almond, brioche, light honey.
→ Palate: dry but rounded, with minerality and creamy texture.
→ Age at the time of the banquet: 27 years, of which 10 years were spent on lees and 17 in bottle — champagne at the peak of maturity, with nutty and honeyed notes.
• Alcohol: about 12.5% ABV.
• Price: today around $220 per bottle.
• Serving: mature, aged champagne is often served with dessert or as the wine for the final toast. Here, it accompanied vanilla ice cream bombe with raspberry sorbet. The mature notes of biscuit, nuts, and honey in the wine echoed the vanilla and lifted the sorbet’s acidity. A final toast on a high note, with an unmistakable “Churchillian” subtext.
• Acquisition: most likely drawn from long-standing royal collections.
► Symbolism of the choice
• The presence of Pol Roger is a tribute to Winston Churchill, who once declared: “I cannot live without champagne. In victory I deserve it, in defeat I need it.”
• Anglo-French bridge: champagne is inevitable at a royal banquet, but Pol Roger highlights a distinctly “British line,” unlike Moët or Veuve Clicquot, more commonly poured at receptions.
• 1998 vintage: symbolically marks the turn of the millennium — just as Ridge Monte Bello 2000 did, it’s a “generational vintage.”
Thus, the banquet menu built a consistent sequence of alcoholic offerings, each carrying its own symbolism: cocktail (British–American) → sparkling Wiston (England) → white Corton-Charlemagne (France) → red Monte Bello (USA) → champagne Pol Roger (France).
Digestifs
The end of the dinner was accompanied by digestifs (after dessert).
♦ Warre’s 1945 Vintage Port
► About the wine and the house
• Warre’s is the oldest British port house in Porto, founded in 1670. Since the 17th century, port has been an essential part of Anglo-Portuguese relations: it virtually became the “national drink” of the British aristocracy.
• Characteristics (from collectors’ tastings):
→ Color: already showing brick hues, but with remarkable concentration for its age.
→ Nose: dried fruits, fig, dates, orange zest, chocolate, tobacco, subtle coffee and spice notes.
→ Palate: deep, velvety, harmonious; tannins long since softened, but still with power.
→ Finish: lingering, with hints of nuts and caramel.
• Alcohol: about 20% ABV, typical of vintage port.
• Price: an extremely rare, almost unobtainable bottle on today’s market.
• Provenance: almost certainly drawn from royal cellars.
► Symbolism of the choice
• 1945 vintage — a legendary year for port: the first harvest after the end of the Second World War. For the British monarchy and the American president, it stood as a historical sign of allied victory.
• In Portugal, conditions were perfect: warm summer, healthy grapes. The wines of 1945 are considered among the greatest of the 20th century, on par with the 1963 and 1977 vintages.
• Rarity: such bottles are virtually never found in the open market; to open one is to underscore the exceptional nature of the occasion.
• Thus, Warre’s 1945 was not just a dessert wine but a kind of “liquid monument of history” — victory, alliance, rarity, and solemnity in a single glass.
♦ Hennessy 1912 Cognac Grande Champagne
► The House of Hennessy
• Founded in 1765 in France by Irishman Richard Hennessy.
• Today, the largest and one of the most prestigious cognac producers in the world.
• Special significance: for centuries, Hennessy has been linked with European monarchies and diplomacy.
► The Grande Champagne terroir
→ Grande Champagne is the “premier cru” of Cognac.
→ Its chalk and limestone soils give the eaux-de-vie high acidity and extraordinary aging potential (100+ years).
→ Cognacs from this terroir grow more complex and profound with age while retaining freshness.
► Characteristics (from rare tastings)
→ Nose: dried fruits, toffee, orange zest, cinnamon, tobacco, old leather.
→ Palate: velvety, concentrated; flavors of chocolate, fig, nuts, and vanilla.
→ Finish: almost endless, with warm spices and woody notes.
→ Alcohol: about 40% ABV, typical for cognac.
→ Price: varies depending on condition and provenance of the bottle, ranging today from £800–£1,500 ($1,000–$1,900) per 750 ml.
► Symbolism of the choice
• 1912 vintage — a unique harvest: the last “peaceful” year before the First World War. The crop was of outstanding quality, with ideal conditions for long aging. That’s why 1912 cognacs are among the rarest today, true “witnesses of a bygone era” — the Belle Époque.
• Serving it in 2025 meant bridging two worlds: Europe before the catastrophes of the 20th century and the present day. A kind of “time machine” linking the royal banquet with Europe of over a century ago.
• Luxury and rarity: such cognacs are kept in archives of houses and castles, released only for extraordinary occasions.
• Diplomacy: Hennessy is a brand recognized both in the White House and Buckingham Palace. Its presence underscored the “international language of the elite.”
♦ Bowmore Queen’s Cask 1980 (Islay whisky)
• The Bowmore distillery, founded in 1779 on the island of Islay, is one of Scotland’s oldest whisky producers.
• Islay is famous for its smoky, peaty whiskies, though Bowmore is known as a more “refined” and balanced expression of the style.
• Bowmore has long been tied to the British Crown: special releases have been created for jubilees and official royal occasions.
► The Queen’s Cask limited series
→ “Queen’s Cask” refers to ultra-rare casks selected specifically for Her/His Majesty.
→ The 1980 vintage was aged for about 30 years in oak before being bottled for royal use.
→ Such releases are one-off and never enter commercial sale.
► Characteristics (from rare tasting notes)
• Nose: peaty smoke, sea salt, iodine, vanilla, orange zest, warm spices.
• Palate: powerful yet elegant; a fusion of smokiness, chocolate, honey, and nuts.
• Finish: exceptionally long, with a salty-peaty aftertaste and mineral “maritime” depth.
• Alcohol: typically 43–46% ABV for such vintages (sometimes higher if bottled at cask strength).
• Provenance: drawn directly from the royal cellars.
► Symbolism at the banquet
• Royal exclusivity: Bowmore Queen’s Cask is not just whisky — it’s a sign of access to the monarchy’s “forbidden reserves.” Virtually unobtainable; one can only taste it at state-level events.
• Scottish accent: the choice highlights the unity of the United Kingdom, as Bowmore represents Scotland.
• Rarity and grandeur: unlike port or cognac, collected worldwide, this whisky exists in only a handful of bottles — whisky from the “royal barrel.”
Conclusion
The royal banquet at Windsor was more than just dinner for a distinguished guest. It was a meticulously staged performance, where each wine and spirit spoke louder than any diplomatic speech.
A spectacle on plates and in glasses — a journey through time, alliances, and traditions. English sparkling wine showcased Britain’s modern pride, Burgundy’s grand cru recalled eternal Europe, California’s Monte Bello affirmed the transatlantic alliance, while the rare port, cognac, and whisky embodied memory and continuity.
When diplomacy falls silent, the glasses speak — and their voices can be heard across the centuries.
We close the Windsor chapter with its ceremonies, festive ribbons, and historic monograms — and realize: every great event has its reverse side. Somewhere between official fanfare and whispered conversations in the corridors, another tradition is born — less solemn, but no less significant; a tradition that knows how to laugh, and, in laughing, makes us think.
This shift from the official to the ironic, from the heavy gold medal to its cardboard “double,” will be our next stop. So let us put the glass back on the table, loosen the bow tie, and take off the tuxedo: the next story will be about those who taught science to laugh at itself — the “Ig Nobel Prize.”
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