Wine Event: President Obama and the First Lady eat at the “Green” Restaurant Nora and have a “Green” Spottswoode Wine

Picture: The President and the First Lady leaving Restaurant Nora

For First Lady Michelle Obama's first birthday in the White House, President Obama took her out for an early, surprise dinner on Saturday night, January 16, 2009, to Restaurant Nora, a DC eatery that is famous for it commitment to healthy and organic food. As wine, they had a 2008 Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc from California. The Spottswoode Estate vineyard has been farmed organically since 1985. But if you consume it on the East Coast, this wine has a high carbon footprint, at least higher than wines that are shipped over from Europe.

Chef Benjamin Lambert, who cooked the birthday dinner, told Mary Ann Akers of the Washington Post that he cooked a special lamb dish for Mrs. Obama, and pan-seared Maine lobster and saffron risotto for the President.

Nora Pouillon is a pioneer and champion of organic, environmentally conscious cuisine. Born in Austria, Nora promotes and embodies healthy, sustainable living. Her inspiration in the kitchen comes from her parents who understood the value of simply prepared seasonal foods. When Nora came to the US, in the late 1960s she was disturbed by the amount of processed and chemical-laden foods Americans were eating. That’s when Nora began her search for seasonal and organic food and her crusade for healthier living.



Nora opened Restaurant Nora, in 1979 and was immediately recognized for her ability to create not only healthy but also delicious organic dishes. In 1999, twenty years later, the restaurant became the nation's first certified organic restaurant. Only three other restaurants have since achieved this goal.

Spottswoode produces four wines in very limited quantities: the Spottswoode Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, the Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc, the Lyndenhurst Cabernet Sauvignon, and the recently-introduced Field Book, Spottswoode’s first-ever Rhone style wine. The Spottswoode Estate vineyard has been farmed organically since 1985 and has been certified by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) since 1990.

Spottswoode Sauvignon Blanc
Sensitively farmed to preserve the land, grapes from our own estate and from a handful of small, family-owned vineyards are blended to create this classically-styled Sauvignon Blanc.

We make this wine in the same careful way that we tend our vineyards and gardens, producing only a limited quantity of each vintage. Our Sauvignon Blanc expresses that which we feel is best about this varietal—tropical fruit, notes of citrus and lemongrass, spice and a crisp minerality, all balanced with a subtle creaminess.


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