The State Dinner to be hosted by the White House for Prime Minister Modi on Thursday has a range of vegetarian dishes, starting with a marinated millet and grilled corn kernel salad and moving on to a main course of stuffed portobello mushrooms and creamy saffron infused Risotto. But one of the most interesting items mentioned in the official menu is a red wine blend from Patel Wines. Though it’s unlikely that the PM will partake of this option, even if the brand name comes from one of the most popular surnames in Gujarat, the inclusion has everyone wondering: who exactly is behind Patel Wines?
Patel Wines, in turns out, is owned by one Raj Patel and is based in California’s Napa Valley. According to the company’s website, Raj Patel was born in Gujarat and settled with his family in Northern California in 1972. He attended the University of California, Davis, where an internship with Robert Mondavi Winery inspired him to take up wine making as a career. Patel Wines was launched in 2007 and the company’s headquarters are in Oakville, California.
The 2019 red wine being offered at the White House dinner retails for $75 a bottle, which is actually not the top of the Patel Wine range. Patel Wines also offers up a Cabernet Sauvignon that retails at $130 a bottle and a Cabernet Sauvignon at $170 a bottle.
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