Diplomacy

The crowning moment at last week's Moscow meeting was the ceremonial toast between George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev. The chosen potable: Summit Cuvee, a California sparkling wine made especially for the occasion. The bubbly blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir was made by the Iron Horse Vineyards in Sonoma County, Calif., just west of -- you guessed it -- the Russian River. Gary Walters, chief usher at the White House, serving as First Wine Taster, made the selection. "The Soviets enjoy a little more sugar in their sparkling wines," says Walters. So the White House asked the winery to sweeten three cases of its Iron Horse 1987 Brut ($21). This was Iron Horse's third summit: it was served in Geneva in 1985, when Ronald Reagan and Gorbachev first met, and in 1987 in Washington.