Cheers to wine! Let’s Celebrate the Judgment of Paris
It’s France versus California! Game on!
It’s an actual wine holiday!!
Let’s Celebrate!!
Wine holidays are the best!
Actual wine holiday? Like a paid holiday?
Well, no. But still fun!
Wine holidays are made-up days celebrating a grape variety or a special drink! What’s the downside?!?!! None!
Not every person agrees on when Chardonnay Day is. There are the National Chardonnay Day people and the International Chardonnay people. For national Chardonnay Day what nation are we talking about! It is a war of competing hashtags!
Who cares!?! It’s Fun!
Then we get to a wine holiday that is an actual anniversary! With a specific date!
The date is May 24th! Yep, that’s the anniversary date. Mark your calendars. Not really. Celebrate whenever you want, of course.
( The anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition also has an actual date, too! It’s in December. I’ll remind you closer to the date. I have a great post on how to celebrate that one. If you are feeling super festive now, check it out here.)
Just in case you don’t know: the Judgment of Paris was originally known as The Paris Wine Tasting of 1976.
When you first heard Judgment of Paris did you think Greek Mythology? Google does.
This is way better!
Just like history, you don’t know it is important until after the fact.
Stephen Spurrier, a British wine seller, who sold only French wines came up with the marketing idea to have California Wines compete with French wines at the tasting. It was a marketing idea to help his business.
Some of the California winemakers did not want to participate. They thought they were being set up. Fortunately, they changed their minds.
There were 9 French judges who tasted the wines blind (meaning the bottles were covered and the judges did not know which wines were which.) Spurrier was sure that the French wines would win. The judges were also sure. Spoiler alert: They did not.
This was big stuff! California versus France. This was David and Goliath. This was the tortoise and the hare.
Let’s set the stage first:
Way back in 1976, California wine was not what it is today. At all.
No expensive wines with outrageous tasting fees. Not even close. It is what some people refer to as The Good Ol’ Days.
While there had been wine making in the United States in the 1800s, Prohibition really damaged the industry. While there were great winemakers doing wonderful things in California after Prohibition, the wine stage belonged to France.
When I have mentioned in other posts about Old World Wine and New World Wine, California is totally New World.
Europe is Old World, and France considered themselves the head of that world.
The wines chosen for this event were Chardonnays from Burgundy and Napa. (Chardonnay is not a Bordeaux wine. )
For the red wines it was Bordeaux red wines versus California Cabernet Sauvignon. Bordeaux wines are usually a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but let’s not worry about that. The wines chosen were the really best from both California and France.
The Shocking Result:
Nine French judges with experienced palates tasted all the wines. While the results were not unanimous, the winner of the white category was Chateau Montelena’s 1973 Chardonnay from Napa. The red category was won by Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon. It was also from Napa. Napa, California wins!
The French judges were not happy. In fact, one of the judges tried to take back her vote. Rather than being humbled, there was shock and disbelief on the part of the French. The French newspapers did not report on the event. Not surprising at all.
They claimed it was no big deal, and that it was just a stunt. They said it was just a lighthearted event, not to be taken seriously.
They were not good sports, shall we say.
Why is this important? Why are we celebrating?
This started to bust the myth that the best wines were all in France. Suddenly there were winemakers from the New World that were being noticed. Barriers were being broken.
Preconceived notions were being challenged!
There were various rematches of the Judgment of Paris through the years. Some French judges announced that France’s wines would be better if they aged. Still the California wines won. Some other challenges, France won. It didn’t matter. New World wines could compete with the best. Woo!!
The wines we all drink today, assuming you are not just drinking expensive Bordeaux wines, are being enjoyed because wine makers realized that they could be creative and expand horizons.
Even some Old World winemakers were pushing the boundaries of tradition and getting creative. They did not want to be bound by the rigid rules and regulations that controlled winemaking.
It was happening in Italy, too. If you want to know more about Super Tuscans in Italy, read my post on the best red blends that are not Bordeaux. Cabernet Sauvignon in Italy?!?! Rules were being shattered. Prices were rising, too, but that is a different story.
New World wines started to be appreciated for their increasing quality. Exploration of style and variety were growing and expanding. As great as both France and Napa are, the worldwide wine landscape was gaining attention everywhere. In California alone, Sonoma and Santa Barbara and Paso Robles were making delicious wines.
Great wine was being found in so many places! South America and Australia both have fantastic wines these days.
Passion, creativity and dedication were leading to extraordinary wines! It was no longer possible to confidently say where a wine was made. This was big stuff!
All of this sounds like a movie. Which is what it became.
To celebrate this great event see if you can find the 2008 movie Bottle Shock. It does a great job giving you a sense of the time and place.
Meanwhile, take a moment on this Anniversary to celebrate!
Try some different wines! See if you can taste the difference between French and California wines.
