Thomas Jefferson’s Contributions to Wine
In addition to Thomas Jefferson’s contributions to political philosophy and the development of the American Republic, he was also a great collector and admirer of famous wines. Jefferson’s writings on wine provide a wonderful insight into 18th– and early-19th-century traditions and social behaviors surrounding wine. In addition, these writings also offer an intriguing look into the wine business and art of winemaking at a time when technological advancements—in bottling and corking procedures, for example—had sparked significant transformations that foreshadowed today’s global wine industry.
How He Got into the Winemaking Industry
Despite his limited encounters with wine in his early life, Jefferson became one of the foremost wine experts of his day. The arrival of Italian wine trader, Philip Mazzei in Virginia was a turning point in Jefferson’s wine journey. Mazzei was encouraged by Benjamin Franklin to relocate to the United States to establish a domestic wine business. Mazzei soon piqued Jefferson’s interest in wine, which he passionately pursued when he traveled to Paris in 1784 as the American ambassador in France.
Did You Know: Thomas Jefferson tried multiple times to plant vineyards on the grounds of his former home, Monticello in Virginia. None of his attempts had any really success in his lifetime, however today the estate now produces a small amount of wine each year from vineyards located on the property.
His Wine-Tasting Tour
In February 1787, Jefferson embarked on a three-and-a-half-month journey through the famous winemaking regions in Southern France and Northern Italy. The 3,000-mile journey included stops at Burgundy’s Meursault and Montrachet, Rhone Valley’s Condrieu, and Northern Italy’s Turin. When Jefferson returned to France, passing through Nice and heading north to Bordeaux, he sampled the region’s best wines, including Château Margaux, La Tour de Segur (Chateau Latour), Hautbrion (Chateau Haut-Brion), and Chateau de la Fite (Chateau Lafite-Rothschild).
Although the trip improved Jefferson’s palate, it also brought awareness regarding the unprecedented challenges of establishing a winemaking business in America. It famously caused him to write to a fellow Virginian that vines are the parent of misery and that those who produce them “are always impoverished“. It was in Paris that Jefferson would begin his long tradition of collecting and storing hundreds, if not thousands, of bottles.
Jefferson’s Favorite Wines
The collection of various wines turned into a habit that kept the notoriously squandering Founding Father in debt for most of his life. The bottles and casks Jefferson had ordered during his wine tour began arriving at his door, adding to the almost 600 bottles he already had in possession. Jefferson’s cellar grew by 124 bottles from Montrachet (one of the world’s best white Burgundies), 124 bottles from Meursault (another famous Burgundy wine), 250 bottles of Frontignan Muscadet, and 180 bottles of Chateau Margaux in just four months. When Jefferson returned to the United States, Alexander Hamilton criticized him for his commitment to French ideas and luxury, accusing him of having “abjured his native victuals“. Even some of Jefferson’s friends and allies were perplexed by his bizarre new wine preferences.
When he took office in 1801, he stocked the White House cellar with a mix of the popular wines of the time along with his favorite wines. At the time fortified or sweetened wines, such as Sherry and Madeira were popular. Moreover, Jefferson also kept a good supply of nearly everyone’s favorite: Champagne, which he had discovered during his second European wine tour that included the Rhine and Moselle River Valleys.
These wines served as the foundation of Jefferson’s daily informal dinners at the White House, which he hosted in the company of eight or ten movers and shakers. Although these dinners were generally successful in aiding Jefferson’s mission, they occasionally created controversy. For instance, a newly-appointed British ambassador objected to the informal tone of the event at which he and his wife had expected to be honored guests. With a $25,000 annual income that was required to cover all of his expenses, Jefferson spent an average of $3,200 per year on wine during his first term. Nonetheless, following his reelection, his annual spending decreased considerably to under $1,000. The Australian Wine Industry
Parting with His Expensive Wines
After leaving office, he reduced his collection of costly wines and developed a cellar of less expensive imports. For example, Jefferson replaced his Chateau Margaux with cheaper wines from Southern France and Italy, particularly the Rhone and Languedoc. He was in such desperate financial circumstances that he had to sell his library to the government to earn money.
Jefferson passed away before his dream of an American winemaking industry could come to fruition. However, wine is now produced commercially in every state in the continental United States, including at Jefferson’s former home, Monticello. Indeed, Jefferson would have been overjoyed by the Judgment of Paris, a blind tasting on July 4, 1976, in which the underrated California wines defeated their top French equivalents.
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References:
Thomas Jefferson on Wine (University Press of Mississippi, 457 pp., $38)
