A Napa Valley sparkling wine took center stage at one of the highest-profile diplomatic dinners of the year. At the White House state dinner on September 24, 2026, honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, guests toasted with Schramsberg Blanc de Noir, selected by the Office of the First Lady.
The choice was a deliberate historical nod. The same wine was served at the 1972 Toast to Peace between President Richard Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai in Beijing, the landmark encounter that began the thaw between the United States and China. More than five decades later, it returned to the table for Xi's first visit to Washington in over a decade.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted the dinner in the East Room, with a guest list that included business leaders such as Amazon's Jeff Bezos and Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, along with Supreme Court justices, the Federal Reserve chair, and cabinet officials. The First Lady's office said the menu showcased American ingredients with subtle Chinese influence.
The three-course meal opened with yellow squash veloute with wild mushrooms, pancetta, and scallion oil, followed by sesame-crusted sea bass with baby bok choy, roasted eggplant, and sauce verte. Dessert was vanilla cremeux with sour cherry confit and walnut frangipane, plus ice cream made with honey from the White House's own beehives.
For Schramsberg, founded in Calistoga and long associated with official American hospitality, the pour is another chapter in its role as the country's ceremonial sparkling wine, and a moment of global visibility for Napa Valley.
