Michelle and Barack Obama’s amazing Italian wine journey

Saturday, May 20 was not any old Saturday for us. Filippo Bartolotta and the Le Baccanti & MaMa Florence staff had the honor of taking Michelle and Barack Obama on a one-of-a-kind trip to learn about the best wines in Italy with the legendary chef: Massimo Bottura. At first, it seemed too crazy to be true. But, as often so true, it turned into a magical, unique evening where the excitement and all the thrill of the moment came together beautifully. Filippo’s perseverance and Vanessa’s organizational chops made the dream come true: the Amazing Italian Wine Journey to discover the Italian wines that made history, wines that have been in the cellar for over 50 years, still incredibly alive, paired with dishes by the world’s best chef, Massimo Bottura.

The American Ambassador, John Phillips, whom we had met at events that Le Baccanti organized at the White House, made the evening possible. The tasting used the Mystery Wine Challenge method with ten wines for tasting, two of which were mysteries, and a customized game card made with dates important to the Obamas. A Barolo from 1961 and a Brunello from 1964 marked their birth dates and the Sassicaia of 2009 was in memory of his winning the Nobel Prize in Oslo. This is an evening we’ll never forget at Le Baccanti and has gone down in our history, further proof of the excellence of what we do and our skill at inspiring new projects and taste adventures.