©2007, The Birmingham Post
In 1951, Alexis Lichine introduced his book "Wines of France", with the opening statement: "The greatest wines on earth come from France". Prior to 1976, no-one seriously challenged that assertion, because everyone believed that French wine was in a league of its own.
By comparison, California's wine industry is relatively recent, with a heritage of not much more than 200 years. Following a boom in the late 19th century, when the European wine trade was crippled by the vine-louse Phylloxera, Prohibition introduced immediately after the Great War proved disastrous.
Although restrictions were lifted in 1933, it altered the American taste for wine and liquor. There was no longer a demand for fine wine, only basic "jug" or sweet-fortified.
Nevertheless, UC Davis, the wine research station remained a beacon and, throughout the 1960s, there was a renaissance in the appreciation of food and wine. Farmland, particularly in the Napa Valley, was re-planted with vines and new wineries producing fine Cabernets and Chardonnay were established under the control of open-minded winemakers. The rapid development caused the leading wine critic, Harry Waugh, to comment in 1969 that, "really thrilling changes are taking place."
Meanwhile, across the "pond", a wine-loving Englishman, Steven Spurrier purchased a small wine shop in Paris called the "Caves de la Madeleine", and in adjacent premises, established a wine-school for English-speakers, known as "L'Academie du Vin". Located in the Anglo-American quarter, the school proved successful, and not just with Anglophones, it was also appreciated by the French.
Always looking for novel ways to promote the business, Steven and his business partner, American Patricia Gallagher, dreamt up the idea of a comparative tasting of the Bordeaux First Growths from the much-vaunted 1970 vintage. It was a first in France and attracted a great deal of publicity.
Both were aware of the great improvements within Californian winemaking, so decided to stage a tasting in Paris to coincide with the Bicentennial of American Independence in 1976. Thus, in the months prior to the event, Spurrier and Gallagher visited California to make their selection and settled on a choice of 12 wines from leading producers. 6 Cabernets were to be pitted against 4 First and Second Classed Growths from Bordeaux, and 6 Chardonnays against 4 Premier and Grand Crus Burgundy. Spurrier, a great advocate of French wine, saw no contest; France would win hands-down.
Using his connections, Spurrier persuaded 9 leading French wine experts to a tasting of Californian wine. There were 8 men and one woman, Odette Kahn, then editor of the Revue du Vin de France, the leading French wine magazine.
Press releases were sent out to the media and leading journals, along with personal invitations to the wine-writers of Le Monde and Le Figaro. In the event, only one journalist attended, George Taber from Time magazine.
Staged in May 1976 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Paris, Spurrier explained to the judges, for the first time, that they were participating in a tasting of both Californian and French wines, which were to be tasted blind and marked out of 20.
The whites were served first, and they provoked an unusual degree of discussion. Spurrier collected the results and, at the half-way point, announced that Chateau Montelena 1973, a Californian, was placed first. The reactions of the judges were a mixture of shock and horror.
During the second half, the judges were more circumspect and gave more extreme scores. Nevertheless, the results for the reds were equally surprising. In first place was Stag's Leap Wine Cellars 1973. California 2, France 0.
As the final results were announced, Odette Kahn demanded the return of her scorecards. Other judges expressed "sour grapes", but the magnitude of the event was not fully grasped until the next issue of Time magazine. Headlined, "The Judgment of Paris", the article concluded, "The unthinkable happened: California defeated all Gaul".
Naturally, a great deal of hostility and animosity ensued. Seen as an Anglo-Saxon conspiracy, Spurrier was personally vilified and shunned, yet his intentions throughout had been entirely honourable. He genuinely loved French wine, and had no idea that his carefully chosen examples would be beaten. It was simply inconceivable.
Reflecting on the event some 25 years later, the leading American wine critic, Robert Parker, summed up the ramifications in a nutshell. "The Paris Tasting destroyed the myth of French supremacy, and marked the democratisation of the wine world. It was a watershed in the history of wine".
Two foundations of conventional wisdom were shattered. Firstly, outstanding wine could be made beyond the hallowed terroir of France. Secondly, that great wine-making was not an inheritance, but could be taught and implemented, following the guidelines laid down by the leading wine-schools and authorities.
The event not only demystified wine, but planted the seeds of the globalisation that we see today. While New World winemakers were still encouraged to visit and work in France, French winemakers were now making the reverse trip. There have followed many leading French investments, particularly in California and South America.
As a footnote, in 2006, on the 30th anniversary, the event was re-enacted using only the reds. Two simultaneous tastings were conducted, one in London, and the other in the Napa Valley, with equally surprising results. By a unanimous decision on both sides of the divide, the Ridge MonteBello 1971 Cabernet Sauvignon was scored in first place. Indeed, Californian wines occupied the first five places.
Moreover, it had always been maintained, at the original event, that the Californian wines would show better when young but, as the wines matured, the French, which were more austere in their youth, would triumph. The result has fairly and squarely put paid to that myth, and confirmed that the Californian wines are also capable of ageing.
For the full story, read "The Judgment of Paris" by George Taber (ISBN 978-0-7432-5).