September
brings with it the cool nights and warm days of harvest, the process of
crushing and fermenting of grapes into wine, and this year, the beginnings of a
story to “set the record straight.”
This
month, the second movie about the legendary Judgment
of Paris begins shooting. The first movie, based loosely around the Paris
Wine Tasting of 1976 was Bottle Shock,
released in 2008. Made in the comedy-drama format, former Times reporter George
Taber and British wine authority Steven Spurrier have said that the movie was not
factual, and according to Spurrier, contained “many, many pure inventions.”
 |
| Judgement of Paris |
After
five long years, Spurrier and Taber will get to tell the real story of the
blind wine tasting, held 37 years ago in Paris, that transformed the wine
industry forever.
 |
| Steven Spurrier |
In
1976, Spurrier was a British wine merchant in Paris who supported and promoted French
wines. He organized the Paris Wine Tasting as a means to promote these wines
around the world. The “best of the best” in the French wine world were invited
for a gala tasting in May at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Paris.
 |
| Winemaker Mike Grgich |
 |
| In Order of Prefrence |
A
total of nine judges from the French wine industry took part comparing four
white Burgundies against six California Chardonnays and ranking them in order
of preference. When the judging was completed and the scores tallied, the top
ranking white wine was a 1973 Chardonnay from Chateau Montelena in California, crafted by winemaker, Mike Grgich.
 |
| Warren Winiarski |
 |
| In Order of Preference |
In
the red wine category, four red Bordeaux’s were compared to six California
Cabernets, again in a blind tasting. After the scores were collected, a 1973
Cabernet
Sauvignon from Stag’s Leap in California was found to be superior to the French
wines. The wine was made by Stag’s Leap owner and winemaker,
Warren Winiarski.
 |
| George Taber |
 |
| French Judges |
George
Taber was a journalist for Time
magazine in 1976 and the only reporter who attended and reported on the blind
wine tasting and its astounding outcome - that U.S. wines had defeated France’s
most renowned wines for both top positions!
The
French refused to take the results seriously. They immediately began casting
doubt on the competition, claiming that the French wines Spurrier had selected
had been too young or of poor quality.
But when Taber’s
story, Judgment of Paris, appeared in
the June 7, 1976 edition of Time magazine, it was the turning point for California wines. This blind tasting showed
that the French had acknowledged winemakers in America could make
world-class wines. It was the end of the reign of French wines as superior to
all others, and revolutionized the wine industry throughout the world.
 |
| 1976 Judging |
The
Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 has been duplicated all over the world. All of the judging’s held since then have ended with similar results.
 |
| Taber's Book |
In
2005, Taber wrote a book, “Judgment
of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that
Revolutionized Wine". It was published in 2006 by Scribner. Taber had decided
it was time to set the record straight.
 |
| Robert Kamen |
Now,
it looks like a movie, based on Taber’s account, will finally be made. Robert
Kamen, a Hollywood screenwriter, wrote the screenplay. He’s also written Lethal Weapon 3, The Karate Kid 1, 2 and 3, and A Walk in the Clouds (another wine movie.)
 |
| Tom Hiddlestone |
Italian
businessman Jonathan Rotella will produce the movie with backing from Steven
Spurrier, one of the original participants in the event.
Rumors
abound that English-born Tom Hiddlestone may play Spurrier in the movie.
 |
| Warren Winiarski |
The
film will focus on Polish-born Warren Winiarski, the winemaker from Stag’s Leap, and his dream to craft award winning wines in California. When he and Steven
Spurrier meet, Spurrier is striving to be a well-known Paris wine retailer. The
two begin working together and both realize their dreams.
While
I enjoyed the movie Bottle Shock
(give me a romantic story about an underdog and
wine, and I’ll toast it every time), it’s time for the full story about the
competition to be told by those who were there.
Which makes you wonder - what if George Taber had not been present at the judging that day in May? How long
would it have taken for the wine world to evolve to where it is today?
 |
| June 7, 1976 Cover |
After
all, it was this four-paragraph article in the Modern Living section of Time magazine that has helped to usher
in changes, and assist in advancing the wine industry to where it is today.
No
release date has been set for the movie Judgment of
Paris, but if you want to celebrate with a bottle of one of the winners, when
the film comes out, be prepared.
One
of the few remaining bottles of Chateau Montelena Chardonnay sold at auction in 2010 for $11,325. A bottle of Stag’s Leap 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon now brings over $10,000, if you can find it.
But
it would be money well spent because, not only are these bottles of historical
significance; apparently, they cellar well…
~
Joy
Then
in January 1920, Prohibition went into effect. This was the result of the
Volstead Act, a federal law that made it illegal to manufacture, transport or sell
alcohol in the U.S. Most of the ghost wineries in Napa came about because of the
impact of Prohibition, which ended 13 years later, in 1933.
By
then the Great Depression had swept through the country. During this long
period of economic hardship, few people had any money to spend on such luxuries
as alcohol.
Put
it all together and these elements forced many wineries to close. Some were
simply abandoned by owners who could no longer pay to keep them, leaving buildings,
equipment and vineyards to evolve into a state of deterioration.
It
was not until the 1970s that the California wine industry, and Napa Valley, was
able to get back on its feet. Some of the old ghost
wineries were taken over and the rich histories of the early wineries began to
be preserved and enhanced. 
There
are many more living legends scattered around Napa Valley. If you’d like to
learn more, author Irene W. Haynes wrote a book in 1980 called “Ghost Wineries of Napa Valley: A Photographic
Tour of the Last Century”. The book is a pictorial history of more than 65
ghost wineries; some decrepit, or long gone, others rescued and revived. 
These ghost
wineries offer us a glimpse back at the first dynamic California wine industry
of more than 100 years ago, and a chance to experience their rebirth as we link past and present together in order to keep that spirit alive.
