An Evening with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson: Dinner, Wine, and Conversation

DINNER WITH TWO 18TH C GOURMETS A Book Review by Wilson G. Duprey / Gail Unzelman Bibliographer, novelist, and wine historian James Gabler has pro-duced another capital book. An Evening with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson-Dinner, Wine, and Conversation is a marvelous mix of biog-raphy, travel, American diplomatic his-tory, and wine history. The author has used a dream device to place a professor of American history, Jack Osborne-who is also a well-versed wine historian and connoisseur of wines-in the dining room of Thomas Jefferson's elegant mansion on the Champs-Elysees in Paris. His fellow dinner guest is Benjamin Franklin. Prof. Osborne is informed of the evening's menu and then asked to choose the wines for the dinner. Jack is familiar with the wines that Jefferson had acquired for his cellar and is honored with the request. The wines and the menu: 1783 Dorsey's Champagne Aperitif 1784 Meursault Goute d'Or Normandy oysters 1784 Montrachet Spaghetti, tossed with olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and an-chovies 1784 Haut Brion Beef ? la mode, served with 1784 Ch. Margaux potatoes & two kinds of peas from Jefferson's garden 1784 Ch. Yquem Ice cream in puff pastry. The dinner produced lively conversation on into the night. One of the most interesting parts of this book is Thomas Jefferson's story-mostly in his own words taken from his voluminous papers, both archived and published. He tells about his 3? month trip through southern France and into northern Italy, over the icy Alps (part of the way by mule back), tasting wines and keeping meticulous notes on the wines and their histories. He canvassed the wines of Burgundy, the M?doc and Bordeaux, and everything in between, whether grand ch?teau or tiny vineyard. He checked the composition of the soils, met the owners and asked about vineyard practices, and often ordered wines to his liking for his Parisian cellar and his cellar at Monticello. He of course met many of the wine merchants, some of whom he had dealt with for years. He soon learned that buying wine bottled at the vineyard provided more certainty of getting what he ordered, for there was much blending of wines by the merchants. In Italy he learned of the wine Nebiule (today's Nebbiolo) among many others new to him. He was also able to smuggle out in his pockets some of the supposedly superior Piedmont rice to send home to a South Carolina friend-who planted it, and found Carolina's rice more to his liking. Throughout this journey Jefferson visited all the natural, architectural, and historical elements, including ruins, arenas, temples, and the famous Roman aqueduct near Nimes. Wherever he went he attended the plays, operas, and other local entertainments; he ate in fine restaurants, if possible, and tasted the local wines. Like other travelers of the time, he suffered the indignities and barbarities of the taverns and hotels along the rural roads. But nonetheless, he enjoyed his time and received a first

Take out a two-dollar bill and look on its back. You will see the same picture that occupies the dust cover of this informative and illuminating novel involving the early history of the United States. The story is presented by means of two highly respected eighteenth century American patriots using some of their own statements adapted to a series of 21st century situations precipatated by Jack Osborne, the protagosinst interviewer and American History Professor. This book is a wonderful tribute by the author to his subjects; its material might well be woven into a fascinating stage play, both revealing and patriotic.

From "The 30 Second Wine Advisor" on WineLoversPage.com, Jan. 27, 2006: James M. Gabler's An Evening with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson: Dinner, Wine, and Conversation, is as much about history as it is food and wine. Gabler, a Jefferson scholar and wine lover who wrote the memorable 1989 wine-history book Jefferson and Wine, is back on familiar ground with the new volume, which came out just in time to celebrate Franklin's 300th birthday on Jan. 17. In contrast with Gabler's readable but scholarly approach in Jefferson and Wine, this one starts from a premise that's a bit more light-hearted: The narrator, a college history professor, falls into a deep sleep and, in a dream, is whisked back to 18th century Paris, where he enjoys a leisurely dinner with Jefferson and Franklin (both of whom really were resident in Paris at the time, around 1784). Prompted by questions by their visitor from modern America, Franklin and Jefferson both comment on issues of their time - and of our time - in their own words, actual quotes taken from their writings. Adding a dimension of food-and-wine interest, the narrative also goes into considerable detail about what's on the table and in the revelers' wine glasses, again drawing extensively on Jefferson's and Franklin's own words. This can lead to some engaging juxtapositions, as when Jefferson sips 1783 vintage Champagne from the monks at Hautvillers while likening the modern Patriot Act to "the Alien and Sedition acts that the Federalist Congress passed and President John Adams signed in 1798." In Jefferson's words, he goes on to say, "One of my first decisions after becoming president was to discharge every person under punishment or persecution under the sedition law, because 'I considered that law to be a nullity, as absolute and palpable as if Congress had ordered us to fall down and worship a golden image; and that it was as much my duty to arrest its execution in every state, as it would have been to have rescued from the fiery furnace those who should have been cast into it for refusing to worship the image.'" One assumes, as Gabler clearly does, that a latter-day Jefferson would have deep-sixed our Patriot Act with similar certitude. Then the story goes on as the dreaming professor, with a sommelier's skill, pairs a Goutte d'Or Meursault with Normandy oysters; Montrachet with a "macaroni" course sauced with olive oil, Parmigiano and anchovies; and a 1784 Haut-Brion and Margaux with boeuf a la Mode. Their Champagne aperitif, Jefferson notes, was a still white wine resembling a modern dry white Burgundy. "Sparkling wines were little drunk in France but were alone known and drunk in foreign countries, and sold for about an eighth more." There's nothing "dry" about the book, though. Its 264 pages of text are amply illustrated with contemporary drawings and extensively footnoted. The anachronistic dream framework might sound gimmicky, but it works. Like a well-aged Bordeaux from Jefferson's cella

Every now and then you come across a book that you assume was written specifically for your eyes. It appeals to your past, your aspirations, your education, your occupation. That's how I felt about "An Evening with Benjamin Franklin & Thomas Jefferson: Dinner, Wine & Conversation" by James Gabler. Many of you will be familiar with Gabler due to his last work, "Passions: The Wines & Travels of Thomas Jefferson," winner of the 1995 "Veuve Clicquot Wine Book of the Year" award. Now Gabler delivers a new work that once again has history as its focus but also spends a good deal of time focused on one of his own passions, wine. The premise is simple: A historian is catapulted back in time via a dream and placed on the doorstep of Thomas Jefferson's home in Paris. There are no time travel mechanics, alternative histories or black holes to consider in the historian's travel back. You simply suspend disbelief because doing so gets you to the red meat of Gabler's book: The chance to talk to Jefferson and Franklin with the knowledge of what came after them. Gabler's new book is remarkable on a number of levels. First, you have to understand that the title is an accurate reflection of the book's content. Yet, while the book is "fiction" it is also pure non-fiction all the way down to the more than 800 footnotes and the fact that much of what Franklin and Jefferson say to our historian are their own words, preserved in various letters and sources and faithfully reproduced in the appropriate conversations Gabler creates. But it is also a speculative book insofar as throughout Gabler has both Jefferson and Franklin reacting to news of what has transpired in the 200 or so years since they died. Still with me? You really must know my own background to appreciate why this book is such a thrilling one for me. Around 1988 I decided to get a masters degree in history. I was one of those fellows who sought out a higher degree merely because I didn't get enough of college by the time I was awarded my BA. My subject was history, specifically American history. While indulging myself in a MA in History I focused more specifically on American Diplomatic History. Luckily, the University I attended offered one of the top professors in the country who specialized generally in American Diplomatic History and the Historiography of American Diplomacy. One of the areas I spent a good deal of time studying was the diplomatic history and the foreign affairs of the Revolutionary period, that era covered in "An Evening..". At about the very same time in my life I was completely taken by wine and began to study it liberally. By the time I got my MA and realized that I didn't want a PhD, I had chosen to look into working in the wine industry. So as you can see, Gabler's "historical fiction" with its focus on the American Revolutionary period as well as substantially on wine is something I might jump into feet first. That said, "An Evening..." is largely a reminiscence. It

Published just in time to celebrate Benjamin Franklin's 300th birthday, James Gabler has produced a cleverly crafted and engrossing story of an imaginary encounter with Dr. Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. Journeying back in time through the vehicle of a vivid dream, the tale's narrator enjoys a sumptuous dinner in the company of Franklin and Jefferson in the latter's Paris residence as they discuss gastronomy, travel, politics and their public and private lives. Often the conversation is so intimate and reactions so plausible that the reader has the delicious feeling of eavesdropping on a very private affair. The work's fictional aspects do not obscure Mr. Gabler's careful research into the life and times of our founding fathers. The long dinner conversation, with detailed exploration of topics ranging from the history of wine châteaux to affairs of state, is most educational. As the three men savour oysters with Meursault, pasta with Montrachet, roast beef with Haut Brion and Margaux, and pastry with Yquem, Franklin and Jefferson reflect on their adventures and promote their opinions in keeping with historical fact. Even when the conversation is at it's most speculative, such as reactions to the events surrounding 9/11, their responses are informative. Jefferson cites his own experience with Islamic terrorists in the guise of pirates from the Muslim Barbary states who were such a threat to early American shipping. Even the events at Abu Ghraib find an analogy in the documented poor treatment of British and German prisoners taken in the battle of Saratoga. This is also a physically very attractive work with a beautiful dust cover and front plate and exquisite monochrome illustrations that contribute to its charm. Enlightening and entertaining, this new book from Mr. Gabler will delight anyone interested in food and wine, history, politics, travel or just a good read. Heartily recommended.