What wines were served at the Trump State banquet?

The State Dinner included a starter of steamed halibut with watercress mousse and asparagus spears, followed by a main of saddle of Windsor lamb with herb stuffing and a Port sauce.

Dessert was strawberry sale with lemon verbena.

Wines on offer included the Windsor Great Park Vineyard 2014 sparkling wine, Queen Elizabeth’s sparkling wine made from a vineyard managed by Laithwaite’s in Windsor Great Park.

Decanter’s Simon Wright described it as ‘Elegant on the nose with nuanced autolytic characters of brioche and custard, alongside crisp citrus and stone fruit. The palate has a firm acid line cutting through the creamy mouthfeel.’

Another English sparkling on offer was the Hambledon Classic Cuvee Rosé NV.

Château Lafite Rothschild 1990 was also served at the dinner, as well as Louis Jadot’s Domaine Duc de Magenta, 1er Cru Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle Monopole, Chassagne-Montrachet 2014.

These were followed by servings of Churchill’s 1985 Vintage Port.

Trump is famously teetotal, so did not taste any of the wines.

See also: How wines are chosen for State dinners 

What happens at a State Banquet?

At a State Banquet, ‘around 150 guests are usually invited on the basis of their cultural, diplomatic or economic links to the country being hosted,’ according to the Royal Household.

‘Before dinner is served, The Queen makes a speech and proposes a toast to the visiting Head of State, who replies and in return proposes a toast to Her Majesty.’

In the Queen’s speech on this occasion, she said ‘I invite you all to rise and drink a toast to President and Mrs Trump, to the continued friendship between our two nations, and to the health, prosperity and happiness of the people of the United States.’

See als0 – Xi Jinping dinner: Haut-Brion 1989, English sparkling wine uncorked