Wining and Dining...White House-Style.

'Round these parts everyone is getting excited about the pending inauguration. It seems highly fitting that Barack Obama will be sworn in as our nation's president the day after this nation celebrates the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It's a good sign.

In the wine business, much has been made of the wines to be served at the inauguration luncheon. Turns out all three courses will be paired with three different wines...produced from wineries of which I have had some dealings with.

The first two wines - the 2007 Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc and the 2005 Goldeneye Pinot Noir - are both produced by the same company (albeit different wineries and fruit sources), Duckhorn. Over the past three years I've gotten to know the Duckhorn folks well. We'd dine together at my winery during the Hospice du Rhône weekend, and we'd occasionally see each other across the U.S. on business. The wife of Jeff Roberts, Duckhorn's VP of Vineyard Operations, became such a fan of my wines that they became members of our wine club. Turned out that Pete Przybylinski, Duckhorn's VP of Sales and Strategy, and I have a Georgia heritage in common. Not only did Pete attend the University of Georgia (where he graduated from the Terry College of Business), but we both attended the same Atlanta-area high school, Crestwood. Pete was six or seven years behind me, though. The Duckhorn team are all great folks. Proof positive that good wine really does make it a small world.

The final wine to be served at the inaugural luncheon is a sparkling wine from Korbel. I had the opportunity to dine with Korbel's owner, Gary Heck, about 13 years ago. That evening still ranks as one of the most uncomfortable meals I've ever had.

I was single at the time, still having not had met Amie, the lady who would become my wife. I received a call from a buddy of mine in Atlanta, Jim Favret. Jim and I have known each other for decades, having both worked in the wine business there. Jim called to ask if I'd be willing to be a blind date for an acquaintance of his. It appears this lady was in need of a date to her company's holiday party. She worked for one of the other wineries owned by Gary Heck. "There's a few cases of great wine in it for you if you say 'yes'" Jim explained. I called this young lady and offered my services as her date...after all, 24 bottles of wine and a night on the town seemed a whole lot more fun that sitting around Paso Robles for the weekend.

Before I made the trip up to Sonoma County, my blind date had called to ask if I owned a tuxedo. "Of course," I replied, "but do the employees really dress up that much for this party?" Every other winery holiday party I'd ever been to were pretty informal affairs. She convinced me that everyone was going to dress up in their finest, and pleaded with me to pick her up wearing my tux. Imagine my surprise when we showed up to the dinner and more than half the attendees were in jeans, caps and cowboy boots! Even ol' Gary Heck himself was dressed up in a modest, two-piece suit. I tell ya...I would have felt less uncomfortable if I was wearing a wine barrel. I gave my date a weak smile, and thought to myself, "at least it can't get any more uncomfortable for me." Of course, I was wrong.

As the call to dinner was made, my date shoehorned us into the table at which Heck and his wife were sitting. He smiled, and introduced himself with a look that had "you don't belong here, son" all over it. I tried to return a smile which said, "Don't I know it, pops". As everyone was seated, Heck stood up and delivered the obligatory rousing company CEO speech that I knew was coming. In this end-of-year pep talk to his troops, Heck said words to the effect that in the coming year that their wine company was going to crush the competition and leave them all in the dust. That speech only served to compound our mutual discomfort when - during dinner table small talk - he asked what I did for a living. And it didn't help that he recalled reading about me in a recent wine industry publication.

Needless to say, I was never invited back to any of their soirées.

Over the course of the last decade I've had the great fortune of spending time at the White House. A friend of mine serves as one of the Ushers assigned to the residence. Going there - especially post-911 - is a rare treat...a real Frank Capra-esque type of moment.

That's me with Amie and our mothers on the front walkway leading up to what those who work there refer to as the Executive Residence. On my last time to the White House, I was able to bring them (and my father, who was busy snapping this photo) with me, and we had and enjoyable few hours inspecting the grounds and most of the Residence. One of the highlights of the trip was watching my mother-in-law, Mary, frolic with the Bush's two dogs on the lawn...right underneath the windows of the private residence. Sadly, a few months later, Mary lost her 18-month struggle with cancer. Being able to share that moment with her remains a very special memory for Amie and me.

Every time I've exited the gates of this amazing home I am struck with the thought that only in America could a humble businessman like myself be welcomed into a place so important as this. It's an amazing thing, and regardless of where you find yourself on the political spectrum, you've got to admit that it's pretty cool knowing that something like that must happen all the time.

Through my friend the Usher I learned an interesting piece of White House trivia which I'll share with you. I'm sure you're familiar with the concept of a State Dinner, right? They're very formal affairs at which the President and a visiting dignitary walk in, offer each other a toast, and enjoy a four-course meal paired with wines. Simple enough, right? Well, how long do you think the average State Dinner takes? From the time the President and his guest walk in, to the time he and his guests adjourn from the dining room? Two hours? Four? Five?

Nope. Fifty-five minutes. That's right...less than an hour. As my friend explained to me, "You're not their to eat." True enough, I reckon.

Wherever dinner table you happen to be sitting at this Tuesday, I ask you to raise a glass of something tasty and say a prayer of thanks. Thanks that no matter how bad things seem to be right now, we Americans really have got it good. I know I will...and I'll damn sure be spending more than 55 minutes enjoying myself.