Dedicated royal watchers in the U.S. rose before the sun to watch the coronation of King Charles III this past weekend, and for those who needed something stronger than tea, there would be wine! But apparently not that much of it.
The tens of millions watching the events unfold on television were treated to the kind of well-choreographed (albeit soggy) pomp-laden spectacle we have come to expect from the Brits. While King Charles has said he wants to modernize the British Royal Family, starting with a “slimmed down” monarchy and a scaled-down coronation, the weekend lacked neither fanfare nor ceremony.
Charles held tight to some traditions, including being crowned on the famed Stone of Destiny, a 336-pound sandstone slab from Scotland that’s said to have been part of coronations since 700 B.C. He also chose to travel by the iconic gilded Gold State Coach, a reputedly uncomfortable 4-ton ride that was finished in 1762, a year after the coronation of George III, for which it had been commissioned, but which has nevertheless carried all of England’s freshly anointed monarchs since 1831, including Queen Elizabeth II.
But the coach wasn’t the only choice Charles made to honor his late mother. She also inspired his coronation wine. Charles served the Ilok Cellars (Iločki podrumi) Traminac (Gewürztraminer) Hrvatsko Podunavlje Premium 2019, from the far-eastern Croatian town of Ilok. It’s the same wine (but not the same vintage) that Mum served at her coronation 70 years prior.
Ilok’s wines found favor with the young Elizabeth, and in 1953, more than 900 cases of mostly Traminac wine from the 1947 vintage were delivered to the Royal Family to be served at her coronation. The vintage may have been chosen in honor of the year Elizabeth and Prince Philip were married. When now-King Charles and Queen Camilla visited Croatia in 2016, they were gifted one of the few remaining bottles of the 1947 vintage.
The taste for Ilok also appears to be hereditary. Prince William and Kate Middleton served an Ilok Cellars Traminac ice wine at their 2011 wedding, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle served Ilok Traminac Selected Berry Harvest at their 2018 wedding.
But you don’t have to be into Croatian wine to get in on the coronation celebration. There’s an official coronation British fizz available (for £45) to all of His Majesty’s subjects, both loyal and otherwise. The King’s longtime residence, Highgrove Gardens, has released a limited-edition “vintage sparkling wine” just for the occasion: The Royal Collection Coronation 2023 Sparkling Wine is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
How have they released a 2023 vintage sparkling wine in May? His Majesty’s officials have yet to confirm or deny that they are in possession of a time-traveling mechanical harvester, presumably fully gilded.
Emily Dendinger is a New York-based playwright, screenwriter and dedicated royal watcher.
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