The Judgment of Paris

[Really Nice!]

The most significant news story ever written about wine was just four paragraphs long...

"It is amazing that after 30 years, people are still talking about the Paris tasting," says Warren Winiarski, owner of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, which won the red wine category. "Even at this late date, the French still find it too painful to write about."

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"That is definitely California. It has no nose," one judge said of a 1973 Batard Montrachet from Burgundy.

Book about the event from the only journalist who covered the event will be available on September 13, 2005.

[Phil Ward]

Really Nice,

Thanks for the links. It will be nice to read the actual account from Mr. Taber's perspective.

Thanks, again.

Phil

[ctgm]

I have no affiliation with either and happy to drink good wine from any country in the world, but I do think that the tasting was farily meaningless, especialy with the reds.

1973 was a very good vintage for red and white in california. 1973 white burgundy is OK but nothing special and for red bordeaux it was dreadful.

[Rebel Rose]

Enophiles now acknowledge that great wine can come from almost anywhere - - Italy, Spain, New Zealand or any place with the right weather for grape growing. In 1976, that was heresy.

Overcoming that attitude with class and quality was a huge and exciting step forward for the California wine industry.

"I've interviewed presidents of France. I've interviewed presidents of the United States, but the story that I did that will go down in history is the Paris tasting."

[Capaneus]

I have no affiliation with either and happy to drink good wine from any country in the world, but I do think that the tasting was farily meaningless, especialy with the reds.

1973 was a very good vintage for red and white in california. 1973 white burgundy is OK but nothing special and for red bordeaux it was dreadful.

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Sure, from this late perspective. But in 1976, the notion of *any* New World wine measuring up to Burgundy and Bordeaux seemed ridiculously far-fetched to most. It rocked the wine business, gave California the boost it needed to once and for all get over the damage done by prohibition and become what it is today, and, eventually, along with Parker's influence, got the French to deal with deep-rooted problems in their own industry.

All in all, not a bad day's work.

[Bux]

I have no affiliation with either and happy to drink good wine from any country in the world, but I do think that the tasting was farily meaningless, especialy with the reds.

1973 was a very good vintage for red and white in california. 1973 white burgundy is OK but nothing special and for red bordeaux it was dreadful.

←

I agree that the scores were really meaningless, but the effect of that tasting was a shockwave that did not go unnoticed. As Capaneus already noted, it didn't matter if American wines were the equal of French wines or not, what mattered was that they could no longer be ignored. Their biggest critics changed their tune when the drank the wine before seeing the label. Bear in mind that the event, was pretty much a non-event when it was held. Taber himself admits that when he covered the tasting, he had little expectation his story would make the pages of Time, which is why almost no other representatives of the press were even there. The organizer, Steven Spurrier, an Englishman with a wine shop in Paris, hadn't expected the results. He was just trying to drum up some interest for his little wine shop. The rest as they say is history.

The book offers some background and history leading up to the tasting in Paris and a good deal of research into the development of the California wine industry. It's presented in an absorbing manner and I'm tempted to say the material is well edited, but I should also disclose that my daughter was the editor. Tabor is probably a more enthusiastic supporter of the changes in wine making technology brought about in California than I am, but I don't hardly think his book represents the anti-Mondovino position and I found it be a much fairer appraisal of what for lack of a better term may be referred to as scientific manipulation in the process of winemaking that that of Mondovino.

The Judgment of Paris is getting good quotes and pre-publication press.

"The Judgment of Paris is a fascinating recounting of that historic event that was like a lightning rod to the budding wine scene in California. It is a must read for anyone interested in wine."

-- Daniel Johnnes

[Phil Ward]

I pre-ordered my copy last week.

My book seller says available 9/30.

Phil

[George Taber]

I'm George Taber, the author of Judgment of Paris, and I'm going to be joining this electronic discussion. I don't mean to intimidate the free exchange of opinion, but I thought I might be able to answer some questions about the event and/or the book and contribute to the discussion. One question came up in an earlier message about the vintages of the various wines at the tasting. There were six California wines and four French wines in both the Chardonnay and Cabernet tastings. The California Chardonnays were 1972, 1973 and 1974. Four were from 1973 and one from 1972 and 1974. The winning Chateau Montelena was 1973. The four French Chardonnays were three 1973 and one 1972. The California Cabernets were split between 1969 and 1973. There was one 1969, one 1970, two 1971, one 1972 and one 1973. The winning Stag's Leap Wine Cellars was a 1973. The four French Cabernets were three 1970 and one 1971. The 1970 vintage in Bordeaux is still listed as "outstanding." If you have any questions, you can post them here. I'll be checking this regularly or send them directly to me at gmtaber@verizon.net

[Brad Ballinger]

George,

Thanks a bunch for dropping by, and for your openness to share your perspective and answer any questions. I'm looking forward to reading the book.

Maybe I'll find out in the book, but I'm curious to know now -- are you a wine enthusiast? If so, were you one before covering this event, or did covering the event open that door? And what kinds of wines do you like?

Regarding the event itself, I think we're still polishing the medal here in the United States (and I don't think we'll ever stop). There's no doubt that the judgment was a boon for the California wine industry in this country. But California wines have still never sold in Europe. Do you attribute that to anything? If the answer is "read the book," I'm okay with that.

[Rebel Rose]

Thank you for joining us, George!. How fun to have you here to answer questions about the book!

How and why did you choose the name, Judgment of Paris? Do I sense a double meaning in the title? That perhaps the incident caused us to look at French wines, people and attitudes differently?

I have also pre-ordered a copy. Can I get an autograph?

[chromedome]

I don't think you'll intimidate the free flow of expression...if anyone has a "tough" question for you, you'll still hear it. Of course, you're running the risk of being swamped by questions, but I guess that's still easier than a book tour. At least here you can just log off when it gets to be too much...

Welcome aboard. I look forward to reading your book.

[Bux]

. . . .

How and why did you choose the name, Judgment of Paris?  Do I sense a double meaning in the title?  That perhaps the incident caused us to look at  French wines, people and attitudes differently?

. . . .

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Hmm, in the original and mythological Judgment of Paris, Paris, the judge, was not only subject to considerable promise of bribes by the three contestants, but, to my understanding, made his decision on the basis of the most appealing promised reward. The short version is that the king of Sparta did not take kindly to the loss of Helen his queen and that Trojan civilization was destroyed in the war that followed.

I didn't sense any blatant attempts at bribery from any of the contestants in either the contemporary reports or in George Taber's book, but I'll leave him to comment further on what parallels he might draw. A google search will discover that Judgment of Paris has not been an uncommon title others have chosen as a catchy title for a number of diverse articles. It was the title chosen by Taber, or by Time's editors and it stuck well enough to be used as the title for the book. You can read the original surprisingly short article Judgment of Paris, as it appeared in TIME on June 7, 1976, on the Chateau Montelena web site. You can click through to read contemporary media coverage of the tasting soon after it became an event as well as articles written on the 20th anniversay of that tasting. Leave it a winner to document the tasting for posterity.

[George Taber]

George,

Thanks a bunch for dropping by, and for your openness to share your perspective and answer any questions.  I'm looking forward to reading the book.

Maybe I'll find out in the book, but I'm curious to know now -- are you a wine enthusiast?  If so, were you one before covering this event, or did covering the event open that door?  And what kinds of wines do you like?

Regarding the event itself, I think we're still polishing the medal here in the United States (and I don't think we'll ever stop).  There's no doubt that the judgment was a boon for the California wine industry in this country.  But California wines have still never sold in Europe.  Do you attribute that to anything?  If the answer is "read the book," I'm okay with that.

←

Brad: Bear with me if I'm not getting the answer to you correctly. I'm still a novice at these online chats. To answer your questions from the top:

I have had an interest in wine for many years. I grew up in California in the 1950s before there was much of a Napa Valley, but I had some local pride. I lived in Europe for a long time both as a student and journalist, which increased my interest in wine. The main reason I ended up that day at the tasting was that I had taken the introductory course at the Académie du Vin in Paris, a wine school run by Steven Spurrier, who staged the event. They were looking for press coverage and asked me to attend. So I went, never expecting that California wines would come out on top in both the red and white categories. Since I started working on the book five years ago, I have become a more serious student. I took the week-long wine course at the Culinary Institute of America in the Napa Valley and have tried a lot. I still don't consider myself an expert, but a serious amateur. I have wine with dinner every night. As far as my tastes, I think one of the great things about wine is that you never run out of new wines to try. In addition to French and California wines, I'm a big fan of Chile, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Portugal. My knowledge of Italian wine is weak, but I hope to correct that weakness soon.

Good California wine at least is now available in Europe, which is a big change from the years I was living there. And in Britain at least is very popular. A couple of years ago, Australia passed France as the number one wine in Britain. California is now pressing France to move into the number two slot. A lot of that wine is Gallo Sonoma County, but more expensive wines like Stag's Leap and Mondavi also have a small but loyal following.

[George Taber]

Thank you for joining us, George!. How fun to have you here to answer questions about the book!

How and why did you choose the name, Judgment of Paris?  Do I sense a double meaning in the title?  That perhaps the incident caused us to look at  French wines, people and attitudes differently?

I have also pre-ordered a copy.  Can I get an autograph?

Rebel Rose:

"Judgment of Paris" was the title of the original Time story. It was put on the story by an editor in New York, but since I studied Latin and Greek and school I always liked the classic connection and suggested it to the publisher. They surprised me by accepting it. Even if people don't know the story of Paris and Helen, the title still makes sense. If you do know the story, it has even more meaning.

Thanks for buying the book. I'd love to autograph it. I don't know how to work out the logistics. Let me try to figure that out.

[Brad Ballinger]

Good California wine at least is now available in Europe, which is a big change from the years I was living there. And in Britain at least is very popular. A couple of years ago, Australia passed France as the number one wine in Britain. California is now pressing France to move into the number two slot. A lot of that wine is Gallo Sonoma County, but more expensive wines like Stag's Leap and Mondavi also have a small but loyal following.

←

From my last trip to Great Britain (in 1999), I was becoming aware of Australian wines' increasing market share. Spain was also gaining more of a foothold in Britain at the time. Around that time, Gallo was undertaking a HUGE marketing effort in much of Western Europe, but it was still too early to know if the gamble would pay off. It appears now to be doing so, at least in Britain.

I also think with more "New World" style wines (read primarily California and Australia) being produced in France, Italy, and Spain, one could make the point that there is a long ripple effect from the 1976 wine battle royal.

[JohnL]

I think a big factor is that in Europe there is a long history of wine production and drinking. That is most areas produced wine for drinking by the people who lived in the area in question.

For eg--in the Loire they drink local wines produced in the Loire. In Piedmont why would the local citizens drink anything from Tuscany or Sicily--and vice verse?

Thus it is no wonder that it has been a long time for Europeans to even have many options in terms of availability of wines produced in other parts of their own countries let alone the rest of the world!

It is also obvious that politics are involved--why offer foreign produced wines in competition with the locally produced stuff?. Also transportation systems and geography are factors--it was probably quite difficult getting say, Piedmont wines down to Sicily etc. let alone into Germany.

[Rebel Rose]

Thanks for buying the book. I'd love to autograph it. I don't know how to work out the logistics. Let me try to figure that out.

George, when I receive my copy from Amazon, I will PM you for your address and send it to you with a return UPS label for your autograph. If that will work for you, perhaps others in the forum would like to follow suit.

For those who are interested, as I am, in a little more information about George:

Judgment of Paris

And I see that Amazon now has a photo of the cover posted. Very cool cover. Was that your idea or the publisher's?

lively tales of colorful amateurs and immigrants making good, partly through willingness to experiment with new techniques. While the outrage of some of the judges is funny, this is a serious business book, too, sure to be required reading for American vintners and oenophiles.

This snippet from the Amazon blurb is intriguing. Can you tease us with some personal comments on your interactions with the California vintners? And what does it mean by a "business book"?

[Phil Ward]

Geogre Taber says:

<<Thanks for buying the book. I'd love to autograph it. I don't know how to work out the logistics. Let me try to figure that out. >>

George, As I mentioned I also pre-ordered the book. As we both live in NJ, I would be happy to buy you a glass or two of wine at a mutually convenient restaurant and have you sign my copy.

I live in central NJ, between Lambertville and Flemington.

Thanks for the offer to sign the book and for posting here, as well.

All my best,

Phil

[George Taber]

Thanks for buying the book. I'd love to autograph it. I don't know how to work out the logistics. Let me try to figure that out.

George, when I receive my copy from Amazon, I will PM you for your address and send it to you with a return UPS label for your autograph. If that will work for you, perhaps others in the forum would like to follow suit.

For those who are interested, as I am, in a little more information about George:

Judgment of Paris

And I see that Amazon now has a photo of the cover posted. Very cool cover. Was that your idea or the publisher's?

lively tales of colorful amateurs and immigrants making good, partly through willingness to experiment with new techniques. While the outrage of some of the judges is funny, this is a serious business book, too, sure to be required reading for American vintners and oenophiles.

This snippet from the Amazon blurb is intriguing. Can you tease us with some personal comments on your interactions with the California vintners? And what does it mean by a "business book"?

←

That method for getting the autograph on the book is fine. Send me an email, and I'll send you my address. I see that you live in Paso Robles. Although I grew up in Riverside, my memory of California is fading, but I think that's in mid-state. I'm doing a book signing in Capitola at the Book Cafe on October 4 at 7:30. Is that far from you? Maybe we could hook up there. I'm doing some other book signings in the Napa and Sonoma valleys as well as in Southern California, but I think that Capitola would be closest to you. But, as I said, you proposal will work fine.

As for the dust jacket, that idea came from the publisher. I liked it a lot.

Not sure what they meant by "business book." I was a business journalist for about 30 years, so maybe that showed through in the book. The book tells in detail the history of the three main wineries and there's a lot of the trends in wine production and consumption around the world, but I wouldn't consider it a business book.

[George Taber]

Geogre Taber says:

<<Thanks for buying the book. I'd love to autograph it. I don't know how to work out the logistics. Let me try to figure that out. >>

George, As I mentioned I also pre-ordered the book. As we both live in NJ, I would be happy to buy you a glass or two of wine at a mutually convenient restaurant and have you sign my copy.

I live in central NJ, between Lambertville and Flemington.

Thanks for the offer to sign the book and for posting here, as well.

All my best,

Phil

←

I used to live in New Jersey, but moved to Rhode Island in late April. Real estate taxes got too much for me in retirement. But I will be back in New Jersey in October for some book events. Perhaps we could hook up then. I'll be in and around New Jersey from Octobr 20 to 24. I lived in Princeton, so I know the Lambertville-Flemington area well. What time and place would work for you?

[Bux]

George, on the assumption that some of the members might be interested in meeting you and might well miss an announcement in the local papers, let me invite you to contact us so we can alert members.

Edited July 31, 2005 by Bux (log)

[Really Nice!]

You can read the original surprisingly short article Judgment of Paris, as it appeared in TIME on June 7, 1976, on the Chateau Montelena web site.

←

Ah, the nostalgia of it all...

"The U.S. winners are little known to wine lovers, since they are in short supply even in California and rather expensive ($6 plus)."

It seems to me that over the years Stag's Leap has garnered more publicity from winning this event with their cabernet than Chateau Montelena did with their chardonnay. Any idea as to why? Both grapes have gone through their marketing product life cycle of growth and maturity at different times and rates since this event, yet you can't write about Warren Winiarski [owner of Stag's Leap Wine Cellers] without mentioning the Judgement of Pairs. I seldom read the same when Chateau Montelena or even Mike Grgich [winemaker of the '73 Chateau Montelena chardonnay] is mentioned.

[George Taber]

George, on the assumption that some of the members might be interested in meeting you and might well miss an announcement in the local papers, let me invite you to contact us so we can alert members.

←

On the website judgmentofparisbook.com we're going to have my schedule of events when we get closer to publication (September 27), but I'll also post the full schedule, if that's okay. I'll be traveling from late September to late October.

[George Taber]

You can read the original surprisingly short article Judgment of Paris, as it appeared in TIME on June 7, 1976, on the Chateau Montelena web site.

←

Ah, the nostalgia of it all...

"The U.S. winners are little known to wine lovers, since they are in short supply even in California and rather expensive ($6 plus)."

It seems to me that over the years Stag's Leap has garnered more publicity from winning this event with their cabernet than Chateau Montelena did with their chardonnay. Any idea as to why? Both grapes have gone through their marketing product life cycle of growth and maturity at different times and rates since this event, yet you can't write about Warren Winiarski [owner of Stag's Leap Wine Cellers] without mentioning the Judgement of Pairs. I seldom read the same when Chateau Montelena or even Mike Grgich [winemaker of the '73 Chateau Montelena chardonnay] is mentioned.

←

Your impression is correct. Warren Winiarski of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars has gotten more publicity from the Paris Tasting than the others. That's mainly because he has promoted it more. His ads regularly mentions the Paris Tasting as does his website. He also donated money to the Smithsonian to do a project on the history of California wine. Part of that was an event held there to celebrate the 20th anniversary and to place the two winning bottles in the Smithsonian collection. Chateau Montelena from its rebirth in 1972 had a business plan to make a great Cabernet. The Chardonnay was only made to help with cash flow in the early years before the Cabernet was ready for market. So it won in Paris for its Chardonnay, but today it's better known for its Cabernet. It still makes a Burgundy-style Chardonnay that I think is very good, but its heart is with its Estate Cabernet. You're also right that Mike Grgich is the forgotten "winner" of the Paris Tasting. The press has always paid more attention to Barrett and Winiarski. The Napa Valley paper a few years ago did an exhaustive story about the Paris Tasting and didn't even mention Grgich. He's tried to correct that with some of his own events such as a big dinner in Napa for the 25th anniversary. He's also the driving force behind a 30th anniversary program set for next year. In my book I give Grgich equal billing with Barrett and Winiarski.

[Brad Ballinger]

I'm bumping this thread back to the top. I'm two-thirds of the way through Taber's book. It is a very good read. What I've come away with thus far. . .

1. The book gives a good history of winemaking in California from the days of the immigrants who first planted vines to prohibition to the making of jug wines to, eventually, the push for some to make world class wines.

2. Every winery owner and winemaker that wanted to make world class wines meant making wines like the great wines of France. But their proclivity toward experimentation soon had some of them trailblazing their own paths. For example, some thought the best red wines would be made from 100% cabernet sauvignon grapes while others thought blending in some merlot or cabernet franc (as is common in Bordeaux) would be a better approach.

3. Some winemakers were worried about making wines that were too high in alcohol. High ABV levels get a alot of play now, but I was surprised to learn it was also an issue in the 60s and 70s.

4. The winning wines had virtually no track record. The 1973 Montelena Chardonnay was only that winery's second release, and the 1973 Stag's Leap Cabernet might have been its first release. I mention this because criticism has often been directed toward newcomers that charge steep prices for their wines when they have no track record.

5. The organizer of the tasting, Steven Spurrier, actually thought the French wines would wine both red and white categories. And he didn't have a preference either way which wines would "win."

I'll probably have a few more observations to add after I finish the entire book.