When British Prime Minister David Cameron visits President Barack Obama this week, one detail may stay bottled up: the labels on the wines the White House pours at the state dinner tomorrow night. 
 
 For Obama’s first three state dinners, honoring the leaders of India, Mexico and China, the White House released the name, year and appellation of wines -- all-American -- paired with each course. 
 
 Part of a tradition observed by previous presidents, including George W. Bush, that disclosure stopped after Obama’s dinner last year for Chinese President Hu Jintao. One of the wines served on Jan. 19, 2011, was a top-rated 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington state that originally sold for $115 a bottle and went for as much as $399 by the time of the dinner. The price the White House paid per bottle was not made public. 
 
 At the next state dinner, on June 7, 2011, for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the menu made public by the White House didn’t include details on the wines. 
 
 “An American wine will be paired with each course,” stated a note at the bottom of the menu released by the White House. So went as well the menu released for the Korean State Dinner honoring President Lee Myung-Bak on Oct. 13, 2011. 
 
 Tyler Colman, who writes the Dr. Vino wine blog and teaches at New York University, said in an interview that the shift in menu protocol may reflect political considerations given the sluggish U.S. economy. 
 
 “They’re probably sensitive to displays of wealth at a time when the economy is not firing on all cylinders,” said Colman, whose blog had noted the absence of wines on the German state dinner menu the White House released. 
 
 No ‘Picnic’ 
 
 Still, keeping the wine list under wraps undercuts promotion of U.S. winemakers at a time when markets in developing nations such as China have potential to be “really hot” for U.S. labels because of the rising middle- and upper- income classes, he said. 
 
 A state dinner “isn’t a picnic or casual get-together,” and it’s justifiable from diplomatic and trade standpoints for the White House to spend money to showcase fine American wines, Colman said. 
 
 Dorothy Gaiter, wine and food editor for the quarterly France Magazine and a former wine columnist for the Wall Street Journal, said Obama was private about his wine preferences before his election. 
 
 ‘Good for America’ 
 
 If the Obama White House has decided to stop publicizing which American wines are served at official events, she said, “I don’t understand this. It’s good for America.” 
 
 Rick Small is co-owner of the Woodward Canyon winery in Lowden, Washington, whose 2009 Chardonnay was among the wines poured for the German dinner. 
 
 He and his wife noticed the shift because they had gotten billing on the menu when their wine was served at a Clinton administration dinner. He said he didn’t know why the practice was changed and that it probably does help the industry overall to have U.S. wines publicized by name. 
 
 At the same time, Small said, it’s an honor to be chosen at all. “You’re not going to get pushy about it since they picked your wine,” he said. 
 
 The White House declined to comment for this article or to make available Daniel Shanks, the usher who has managed wine selection since the Clinton administration, or social secretary Jeremy Bernard. First Lady Michelle Obama’s office referred questions to the White House press office. 
 
 No Disclosure 
 
 White House deputy press secretary Josh Earnest declined to disclose which wines were served at the German or Korean state dinners, identify wines from non-state dinners, make menus of past meals available for inspection or answer questions about the shift in practice. 
 
 Earnest also declined to say whether the White House would release the names of wines at the Cameron dinner. 
 
 The White House has promoted its release of other documents and data. On March 8, it announced a website, www.ethics.gov, to expand access to government databases tracking White House visitor records, lobbying disclosures and Federal Election Commission reports. 
 
 “From the day he took office, the president committed his administration to work towards unprecedented openness in government,” said the official statement announcing the site. 
 
 At the state dinner for Hu, the 2005 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley from Washington state, one of the wines poured that night, was $115 a bottle at release, the winery’s general manager, John Ware said in an interview. 
 
 Turning Point 
 
 The wine earned a rare 100-point rating from wine critic Robert Parker. By the time of the White House dinner, Ware said, it sold for $300-$350. It was listed for as much as $399 per bottle, according to wine websites. 
 
 Ware said the winery was approached by the White House and asked to choose which of its wines to serve. The price the winery charged the White House was “closer to the $115” than to $399, Ware said, while declining to name the price. 
 
 Afterward, he said, the winery’s profile in Asia got a “pretty significant” boost. 
 
 The White House selection drew derision. 
 
 The day after the Hu dinner, the anti-Obama website Gateway Pundit carried a posting entitled, “Sacrifice Is For the Little People... Obama White House Serves $399 Bottles of Wine at State Dinner.” 
 
 Comedian Stephen Colbert said that, given the U.S. debt held by China, the Hu dinner “should have been a sweatpants- potluck with box wine and a sleeve of Oreos.” 
 
 Social Secretaries 
 
 Other changes were taking place at the White House at the time. Between the Chinese and German state dinners, the White House changed social secretaries, hiring Bernard that February. 
 
 Since the start of his presidency, aides also have avoided endorsing specific brands such as which golf clubs Obama favors. 
 
 Not all wines served by the administration are shielded. At Vice President Joe Biden’s dinner last month for Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, the list included a 2010 Sauvignon Blanc and 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Hall winery in California’s Napa Valley. The wines sell for $22.99 and $48.99 per bottle, respectively, on the wine.com website. Vintner Kathryn Hall was U.S. ambassador to Austria during the Clinton administration. She didn’t return calls for comment. 
 
 Wine has been regularly served at the Executive Residence since 1800, except from 1877-1881 under President Rutherford B. Hayes, Shanks wrote in 2007 for an article for the Journal of the White House Historical Association. 
 
 Kennedy and Nixon 
 
 In the 20th century, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon were known for their familiarity with French wine. The policy of serving American wine took hold in Lyndon Johnson’s administration, according to an article in last month’s Wine Spectator. Ronald Reagan, a former actor and California governor, raised the profile of his home state’s wines. 
 
 Ulises Valdez, 42, of the Valdez Family Winery and Tasting Room in Cloverdale, California, said he is “still celebrating” having his 2008 Silver Eagle Vineyard Chardonnay served at the White House for the Mexico state dinner on May 19, 2010. 
 
 Valdez snuck into the U.S., from Mexico, as a teenager and found work picking grapes. He got amnesty during the Reagan administration. Today he owns a vineyard management company and the winery. “This is the beauty of the U.S. --if you’re a hard worker and good and honest you can do it,” he said. 
 
 White House menus can be a point of pride and business builder for individual vintners whose wines are chosen. 
 
 China Sales ‘Quadrupled’ 
 
 Kerry Murphy, proprietor of DuMOL Wines in Orinda, California, whose wines have been served at the White House since 2002, said he’s become a collector. “God knows how many menus I have -- I love ’em,” he said. 
 
 “I’ve been blessed by the association,” Murphy said. “It sets the wine to high standards,” he said, because the White House “can buy whatever they want.” 
 
 His Chardonnays sell for $50-$60 per bottle. 
 
 After his 2008 Russian River Chardonnay was served at the Hu dinner, he said, “our sales in China quadrupled.” 
 
 “I think that has a lot to do just with exposure from that one dinner,” he said. ’’It makes me feel good because we’ve got some dollars coming back’’ to the U.S. from China. “That’s a patriotic thing in itself.” 
 
 To contact the reporter on this story: Margaret Talev in Washington at mtalev@bloomberg.net 
 
 To contact the editor responsible for this story: Steven Komarow at skomarow1@bloomberg.net ||||| After bringing in prominent guest chefs for their first two state dinners, the Obamas relied on in-house Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford and Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses this time around. They created a "quintissentially American" state dinner menu for Chinese president Hu Jintao at the request of his delegation, Obama Foodorama reported. 
 
 Accordingly, the menu featured American classics like poached maine lobster, dry-aged ribeye steak with onions, stuffed potatoes, apple pie with vanilla ice cream, and an all-American wine selection. 
 
 The full state dinner menu: 
 
 First D'Anjou Pear with Farmstead Goat Cheese 
 
 Fennel, Black Walnuts, and White Balsamic Second 
 
 Poached Maine Lobster 
 
 Orange Glaze Carrots and Black Trumpet Mushrooms Wine: DuMol Chardonnay "Russian River" 2008 (California) Lemon Sorbet Main 
 
 Dry Aged Rib Eye with Buttermilk Crisp Onions 
 
 Double Stuffed Potatoes and Creamed Spinach Wine: Quilceda Creek Cabernet "Columbia Valley" 2005 (Washington State) Dessert 
 
 Old Fashioned Apple Pie 
 
 with Vanilla Ice Cream Wine: Poet's Leap Riesling "Botrytis" 2008 (Washington State) ||||| Lots of people enjoy wine with dinner. 
 
 Few enjoy seeing the bill. 
 
 Joe Lentini, after a business dinner at Bobby Flay Steak at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, experienced sticker shock. 
 
 Dear readers, let's see Lentini's experience as a cautionary tale: make sure you know what you're ordering. 
 
 
 
 Lentini said he isn't a big drinker and he'll maybe drink a glass of wine once a month. 
 
 "I don't know much about wine at all," the Hazlet man said. 
 
 A week ago, he and two others of his party of 10 decided to share a bottle of wine, he said. 
 
 The host of the dinner -- the guy who would be paying the bill -- told Lentini to pick a bottle, Lentini said. 
 
 "I asked the waitress if she could recommend something decent because I don't have experience with wine," Lentini said. "She pointed to a bottle on the menu. I didn't have my glasses. I asked how much and she said, 'Thirty-seven fifty.'" 
 
 The drinkers at the table agreed to the price and they ordered, Lentini said. 
 
 Soon, the sommelier -- the wine steward -- presented the corked bottle at the table. Lentini said he was having conversation with his companions and didn't really pay attention, but he approved of the bottle. 
 
 
 
 A taste of the wine was served for him to sample. He approved, he said, and the bottle was placed on the table. 
 
 "It was okay. It was good," Lentini said of the wine. "It wasn't great. It wasn't terrible. It was fine." 
 
 When dinner was over, the check was handed to the host, who was sitting opposite Lentini at the round table, Lentini said. 
 
 "[The host] was sitting across from me and he handed the bill to person next to him, who handed it to the next person until it got to me," he said. "I showed the gentleman next to me and we were shocked. We couldn't believe it." 
 
 The total bill was $4,700.61, including tax. The bottle of wine, Screaming Eagle, Oakville 2011 -- cost $3,750. 
 
 
 
 "I thought the wine was $37.50," Lentini said. 
 
 Lentini said he called the waitress over and said there was a problem. He said he explained that he never would have ordered such expensive wine, and repeated that when he asked about the price, the waitress said "thirty-seven fifty," not "three-thousand, seven-hundred-and-fifty." 
 
 The waitress disagreed, and a maître d'/manager was called over. 
 
 "I said the waitress told me it cost 'thirty-seven fifty,' not 'three-thousand, seven-hundred and fifty dollars,'" Lentini said. 
 
 The maître d'/manager offered to give separate bills, so the dinner bill, which wasn't being disputed, could be paid. 
 
 Next, Lentini said he was told the best price the restaurant could offer was $2,200. 
 
 Lentini said he couldn't afford that, but to be able to leave, he and two other diners agreed to split the $2,200 bill. 
 
 The diner sitting to Lentini's left at the table, Don Chin, said he heard what Lentini heard when the wine was ordered. 
 
 "Joe had asked for a suggestion on the wine and the waitress pointed to a wine," he said. "Joe asked the price and she said 'thirty-seven fifty,' not 'three-thousand, seven-hundred and fifty,' which is what I would have said, so we all thought it was $37.50." 
 
 When the bill came, "We all had a heart attack," Chin said. 
 
 Marcia Lentini was sitting to Joe Lentini's right at the table. 
 
 "My husband said to the waitress, 'I don't know much about wine. Can you pick for me?'" Marcia Lentini said. "He asked her how much, and she said, 'thirty-seven fifty.'" 
 
 "But then it was $3,750. Who would expect that in a restaurant?" she said. 
 
 
 
 BORGATA'S COMMENTS 
 
 Borgata said it conducted a thorough investigation of the incident, and it believes the proper practices were followed. 
 
 "As the leading culinary destination in this region, we consistently serve as many, if not more high-end wine and spirits without incident," executive vice president Joseph Lupo said. "In this isolated case, both the server and sommelier verified the bottle requested with the patron." 
 
 Lupo said that fact was confirmed surveillance footage. We asked Borgata to share the footage, which does not have audio, but it said it could not. 
 
 Lupo said the host of the dinner confirmed the price of the bottle before the bill was presented, yet he chose not to "say anything to management." 
 
 "Due to these factors along with very detailed accounts from multiple sources regarding the incident, Borgata is confident there was no misunderstanding regarding the selection," Lupo said. "We simply will not allow the threat of a negative story that includes so many unaccounted and questionable statements to disparage our integrity and standards, which Borgata takes great pride in practicing every day.” 
 
 Indeed, the host, who asked not to be identified, did confirm to Bamboozled that he asked about the price of the bottle before dinner was completed, but he said he did not hear and was not part of the conversation when Lentini ordered the wine. The host said the bottle was already opened and possibly empty when he learned the price, so he didn't see a reason to say anything. 
 
 
 
 LESSONS TO LEARN 
 
 We weren't at the table so we don't know what was said when the wine was ordered, but we wanted to learn more about the process so consumers don't end up in Lentini's shoes. 
 
 John Foy, a wine consultant and wine columnist for The Star-Ledger, said the server should be held responsible. 
 
 "The person serving the wine has the obligation to make the price of the wine immediately clear," he said, noting that he used to own three restaurants. "That's because $3,750 is a big number for anybody, except for perhaps hedge fund managers." 
 
 He said not only should a server point to the wine on the menu, "it is very important that the server enunciate that price absolutely clearly," he said. "Short of that, the restaurant has to eat the cost of the bottle." 
 
 Foy told the story of a regular customer of his who often ordered bottles costing $100 to $200. One night, Foy said, there was a mix-up because two wine names were similar, and the customer was served -- and drank -- a $600 bottle. When the customer disputed the bill, Foy said, he removed the charge. 
 
 We looked at the wine menu with Foy. The highest priced bottle on the menu is $30,000, followed by two bottles for $16,000, one at $12,000 -- but those are six liters, and not a fair comparison, he said. There's a $5,200 dessert wine, and then a wine bottle for $4,501. 
 
 So Lentini was served the second most expensive bottle on the menu. 
 
 Foy questioned why the server, if Lentini said he didn't know anything about wine, didn't recommend one of the many $50 or $100 bottles on the menu. 
 
 T.J. Foderaro, Inside Jersey magazine's wine columnist, called it "absurd" for a waitress to recommend a $3,750 bottle to a guest who doesn't regularly order such bottles. 
 
 "And even more absurd that she’d answer `thirty-seven fifty' when asked the price, knowing full well that most people would understand that to mean $37.50," Foderaro said. 
 
 But again, we don't know what the waitress did or did not say. We only know what Lentini remembered, and what Borgata said it learned when it asked the employees who were there. 
 
 What we do hope is that you, dear reader, will take extra care to know what you're ordering so you don't end up with a surprise whopper bill. 
 
 Lentini says he will. 
 
 "I'm going to ask for the wine list. I want to know exactly what I'm ordering," he said. "I will not ask a waitress to pick a bottle of wine." 
 
 
 
 Have you been Bamboozled? Contact Karin Price Mueller at bamboozled@njadvancemedia.com
– Last night, British PM David Cameron enjoyed his very first taste of March Madness, compliments of President Obama. At tonight's state dinner, he'll likely enjoy some American wine as well—but don't expect too many details about the winery, year, or appellation. That's because Obama put a stop to the tradition of revealing said info after his third state dinner ... following a brouhaha over the price tag. In honor of Hu Jintao's visit, the Chinese president was served a 2005 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington state that garnered a 100-point Robert Parker rating. The White House didn't say how much it paid per bottle, but it originally retailed for $115, and was selling for $300 and up by the time of the Jan. 19, 2011, dinner. So when Angela Merkel was honored at a state dinner in June, the released menu said nothing more than "an American wine will be paired with each course." Ditto for South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak's Oct. 13 menu. And while the move may ostensibly make sense ("they’re probably sensitive to displays of wealth at a time when the economy is not firing on all cylinders," says one wine expert), many argue the move hurts, instead of helps. Promoting top winemakers "is good for America," says one wine editor, and Bloomberg notes that state dinners provide a prime opportunity to show China and other new big wine importers what the US has to offer. To wit, Quilceda Creek saw a "pretty significant" uptick in Asia after Hu's dinner.