Italian PM woos Obama with Super Tuscans

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi came armed with a trio of Super Tuscans with which to woo US President Barack Obama during a visit to the White House this week.

photo credit: The White House

Obama joked that it would be “insulting” not to try the Sassicaia, Ornellaia and Tignanello given to him by Renzi during a state visit to the White House in Washington. During the visit, the duo reportedly shared a glass of Tuscan wine together.

“I brought a few bottles of wine for Barack, because I know that he’s a great expert,” Renzi said during a joint press conference.

“I felt it would be insulting for me not to sample it. I will give you a report on whether it is up to the quality we expect,” Obama quipped during a press conference.

During the conference, Obama spoke of the importance of establishing strong and lasting commercial ties with the wine industry.

America has grown to become the largest importer of wine in the world, surpassing both France and Italy. The export of Italian wine to the US is big business for Italy – exports topped the €1 billion mark for the first time last year.

Interest surrounds the wines served at the White House during summits and state dinners. Last August Obama backed wines by African-American winemakers, which were served at the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit dinner.

Among the wines on pour were Black Coyote 2013 Sauvignon Blanc and Vision Cellars 2010 Las Alturas Pinot Noir.