Thomas Jefferson Dropped Over $10,000 On This Drink While In Office (That's Over A Quarter Million Today)

Thomas Jefferson was known for many remarkable accomplishments, from his time at the helm of our country to his role in drafting the Declaration of Independence and founding the University of Virginia. But it was during his diplomatic stint abroad in France, starting in 1784, that his legacy as a connoisseur of wine came into full bloom. While many presidents have been known to have a favorite drink, Jefferson's love of wine became more than a favorite and somewhat of a passion bordering on obsession — one he spent over $10,000 on (over a quarter million today) while in office.

Rather than simply appreciating a glass of wine over dinner, Jefferson became enthralled with the fields of viticulture and vinification. He studied wine-making methods from grape to bottle, traveling to Burgundy and Bordeaux, and meeting with the world's foremost winemakers to better understand their craft. In 1817, he went so far as to say that the United States' wine tastes were limited by the British government and a preference for strong wines from Portugal and Spain. Until that time, and under the yoke of British colonialism, heavier wines were en vogue. While importing lighter French and Italian wine was a new and pricey endeavor, Jefferson can largely be credited with shaping the American palate for the types of wine that we drink today. 

Thomas Jefferson spent over $16,500 on wine during his two presidential terms. While this may not seem exorbitant, you have to remember this was in 1801, and his annual salary was only $25,000. This makes his spending on wine alone about 8% of his income across those eight years. That sum equated to the purchase of over 20,000 bottles of wine during his presidency. That's a lot of Nebbiolo, Hermitage, and Montepulciano — some of his favorites. He even famously enjoyed wine as part of a bizarre dish called Drunken Loaf — French bread soaked in red wine and topped with macaroni and cheese.

Jefferson no doubt splurged on copious wine, especially from France and Italy, and the lore of his refined taste endures to this day. In the 1980s, a prized bottle of 1787 Lafite wine, inscribed with the initials "Th. J.", was sold at auction for $156,450 — the highest price for a single bottle ever paid at that time. That makes Costco's $6,999 six-pack of Lafite Rothschild look like a steal. While we'll never know if the bottle in question genuinely belonged to Thomas Jefferson, his reputation for being associated with the acquisition of expensive wine lives on.