PM Modi in US: Know more about Patel Red Wine that will be served at White House State dinner

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s State dinner at the White House on June 22 has become the talk of the town. Earlier on Wednesday, US First Lady Jill Biden said she has asked Chef Nina Curtis to work with the White House staff to create a stunning vegetarian menu for PM Modi, who is a devout vegetarian.  

The menu includes lemon-dill yogurt sauce, crisped millet cakes, summer squashes, marinated millet and grilled corn kernel salad, compressed watermelon, tangy avocado sauce, stuffed portobello mushrooms, creamy saffron-infused risotto, rose and cardamom-infused strawberry shortcake. 

Along with the millet-based menu, Stone Tower Chardonnay 'Kristi' 2021, Patel Red Blend 2019, and Domaine Carneros Brut Rose, will be served to the guests. 

PATEL Red Blend 2019 is from a Napa Valley winery owned by Raj Patel, who came to the US from Gujarat. This wine, which is a fine blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, retails for $75 a bottle, according to the winery's website. 

Patel moved from India to Northern California in the 1970s. After completing his studies in BioChem at UC Davis, Patel took up wine production after an internship at Robert Mondavi Winery. 

He took up wine manufacturing in the 2000s. PATEL Wines’ first release was 100 cases of a 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. Robert Parker of The Wine Advocate reviewed the wine, scoring it a 95, and The Wine Advocate has scored the subsequent vintages at 94 or above.  

After years of research and cultivating relationships with growers, Patel was able to add limited-production wines to the brand, including a Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon, an Atlas Peak Malbec, and a Rutherford Sauvignon Blanc. His winery currently produces around 1,000 cases and sells out each year. 

Reviewing the wine produced by Patel, US-based wine editor and enthusiast Virginie Boone said: “The wine combines Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot into a seamless whole, still tightly wound in tannins and encased in refined oak." 

Watch: Hot stocks on June 23, 2023: Easy Trip Planners, Adani Enterprises, HCC, Eros International and more

Watch: 131-year-old biscuits brand Britannia embraces AI for 'Biscuitland' ad; images will leave you spellbound. Watch Britannia’s AI ad

Watch: Titan Submersible Implosion: OceanGate announces demise of five passengers after discovery of debris; Simpsons' prediction of Titan's fate

Modi’s State Dinner 

White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford and Guest Chef Nina Curtis present dishes from the menu during a media preview in advance of Thursday's State Dinner.  

California-based chef Curtis was quoted by PTI as saying: "It is truly a pleasure to be able to work with the First Lady and help her to bring her culinary vision to life... we have curated a menu that really showcases the best in American cuisine and also then seasoned with Indian elements and flavours," she said. 

"We are also very excited that India is leading efforts to celebrate the International Year of the Millets. We have incorporated marinated millets into our menu and the Indian cuisine elements throughout the menu," the chef said. 

Here is what the guests will dine on: 

First Course 

Marinated Millet and Grilled Corn Kernel Salad 

Compressed Watermelon 

Tangy Avocado Sauce 

Main Course 

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms 

Creamy Saffron-Infused Risotto 

Upon Request 

Sumac-Roasted Sea Bass 

Lemon Dill Yogurt Sauce 

Crisped Millet Cakes 

Summer Squashes 

The State Dinner will also have performances by Grammy Award Winner Joshua Bell and Penn Masala, a South Asian acapella group from the University of Pennsylvania. 

Penn Masala has performed around the world, including at the Indian International Film Academy (IIFA) Awards, and in the Hollywood feature film and soundtrack for Pitch Perfect 2, which received an American Music Award for Best Soundtrack in 2015. 'The President's Own' United States Marine Band Chamber Orchestra will also be performing. 

Besides, décor for the diner will feature elements from American and South American cultures, including imagery of the peacock, the bald eagle, and the Indian and US national birds, respectively. The colour scheme, comprising blues, greens and saffron, pays homage to the Indian flag as well as First Lady Jill Biden's favourite colours.

"The inspiration for our design really began with the peacock, India's national bird. From the invitations to the programmes to the pavilion, we wanted to evoke that breathtaking feeling when it extends its tail, unveiling its colourful beauty, majesty, and strength," White House Social Secretary Carlos Elizondo said.  

(With inputs from agencies) 

Also read: PM Modi’s US visit: Biden administration may ease visa for skilled Indian workers

Also read: PM Modi to meet Apple's Tim Cook, Google's Sundar Pichai, Microsoft's Satya Nadella, other tech CEOs: Report

Watch: India Tour of West Indies: BCCI announces squad for the ODIs and Tests of the month long series, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Mukesh Kumar in

Also watch: The Kerala Story, Break Point, Tiku Weds Sheru, Extraction 2, Black Mirror, Jee Karda: OTT series, movies to binge watch this weekend