The vintage served was 1983 when our first vintage of Sparkling was 1980. I have always felt, though this is pure conjecture, that they chose our Blanc de Blancs because Ronald Reagan liked to wear the white hat. And, for security reasons we were asked to ship the cases in unmarked boxes to Andrews Air Force Base. At the time, we were told that the wine selection had to be signed off by every member of Cabinet because it was considered such a high level diplomatic decision. He recommended Iron Horse because of the quality of our wine (of course!), but also because it was perfectly “ themed.” The Reagan Administration paid as much attention to the “optics” as they did the issues and we fit in as an American winery, rooted in the town of Sebastopol, near the Russian River. David became the unpaid, unsung wine advisor to the White House, consulting with the Social Secretary, the Chief Usher and the chef to pick wines to match a particular occasion, diplomatic goal and the richness of a sauce. Iron Horse was chosen for this historic event by a Sacramento wine merchant named David Berkley, who knew the Reagans from their days in the Governor’s Mansion. Being friendly personally does not achieve everything, but it becomes a lot harder to achieve your common goals if you’re not being friendly.” Matlock was the White House's senior coordinator of policy toward the Soviet Union and the one who rehearsed with Reagan prior to the Geneva Summit, playing the role of Gorbachev. We wanted to create an environment where representatives from the two sides could speak privately if we thought we had a problem rather than going to the press and having a big brouhaha. It was also a signal to the bureaucracy that it was okay to be friends with the other side. wrote in Reagan and Gorbachev, “Including private dinners was built on the idea that the two leaders must not only respect each other but also like each other to accomplish. They both knew they should speak, and each was looking for a little reassurance from the other.” Jack F. Agree to speak for three minutes each, along the lines of the toasts you gave at dinner,’ I urged. Each was hesitant, I surmised, to risk being seen on worldwide television while the other might level criticism. You each must say something.’ I sensed reluctance. But what would the leaders do? I said to the president and Gorbachev, ‘You can't just sit there while a statement is being presented. The agreed statement, I thought, would shape up satisfactorily. There would be a final ceremonial meeting at the International Press Center. We then moved into the library for coffee.” “Arrangements for the next day were not at all settled. They spoke with warmth in their toasts at the dinner table, and the toasts had real content. Reagan’s Secretary of State George Schultz wrote in his memoire, “Nancy Reagan had orchestrated a wonderful dinner that night at Maison de Saussure. See Document 24: Geneva Summit Memorandum of Conversation. Both sides emphasized that the Geneva meeting started something that would lead them to more significant steps in improving bilateral relations and the global situation, 'with mutual understanding and a sense of responsibility,” putting into text that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.

Recorded in the National Security Archive, the toasts which are now de-classified and available online, became the basis for the joint statement released the next day. and was reportedly limited to just 16 people. It was the residence of the Aga Kahn, who vacated it for the President and Mrs. The Reagans hosted the Gorbachevs for dinner at Maison Saussure, a grey stone 18th century chateau on a 20 acre park about three miles from Geneva and just a few yards away from the lake. And for all these years, my family has taken complete credit for ending the Cold War. It was amazing how quickly their relationship evolved. All of the historians agree that the two superpowers were poles apart until that moment when they clinked glasses with Iron Horse. California Sparkling, Food & Wine Pairings, Iron Horse History, Special Production |ģ0th Anniversary of the Reagan-Gorbachev Summit Meeting Thirty years ago this month (November 19th), Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met in Geneva, Switzerland for their first Summit Meeting.

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