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1976 California – France Wine Tasting


Lately, all across America a new wine has been popping up on store shelves called Yellow Tail. “Australia’s Yellow Tail, which sells several different varietals specifically blended to American tastes, is the quintessential example of the Australian approach to the world market.” Australian producers want their wines to be in the same class as Budweiser beer, Johnnie Walker scotch and Smirnoff vodka. Something the wine industry has never accomplished. From 1990 to 2003 French wine production has dropped 22.3 percent, while US and Australian production has increased 60.7 and 156.3 percent. During this same time period French exports have dropped 25.2 percent, while US and Australian exports have increased 169.2 and 506.7 percent.

What in the world is taking place in the wine industry? The French have long dominated and now we see the Americans and Aussies muscling their way into Frances once vaunted industry.

It all began in 1976, when an American ex-patriot who owned a small wine shop in Paris decided to have a wine tasting competition. Steve Spurrier was aware the California wineries were making some technological advances in wine-making as well as producing some very fine wine. He wanted to begin selling California wines in his shop and thought a testing would be a great introduction. Spurrier held the tasting at the Intercontinental in Paris and invited Time magazine journalist George Taber to come witness it. At this time American wines were considered to be a substantially lower grade of quality then the French so interest in this tasting was non-existent. George would have never showed up if not for a slow day and as a show of support for his friend Spurrier. Outside of Spurrier, Taber, the judges, Spurriers co-sponsor Patrica Gallagher the only people to show up were two employees of another hotel. “Jean-Pierre Leroux, who was head of the dining room at the Paris Soffitel hotel, an elegant rival, although not at the same level as the Intercontinental. The other was Gerard Bosseau des Chouad, the sommelier at the Sofitel, who had learned about the tasting while taking a course at the Academie du Vin. Bosseau des Chouad had told Leroux about it and the two of them had come to the Hotel uninvited on a lark. They were quiet in awe of the assembled big names of French wine and cuisine. Since no one had asked them to leave, they watched the proceeding in nervous silence.”

What took place next made history. “Spurrier and Gallagher had previously decided that this would be a blind tasting, which meant that the judges would not see the labels on the bottles, a common practice in such events. They felt that not allowing the judges to know the nationality or brand of the wines would force them to be more objective. The two did not perceive the tasting as a Franco-American showdown, but it would have been too easy, they believed, for the judges to find fault with the California wines while praising only the French wines, if they were presented with labels.”

When the first round of tasting began it was obvious the judges were trying to distinguish California from French. Christian Vanneque later commented “how the other judges seemed tense and were trying too hard to identify which wines were Californian and which were French. He simply wanted to determine which wines were best.” Once the judges finished tasting the reds, Spurrier announced the scores and leading the list was Chateau Montelena, 1973. “When he finished, Spurrier looked at the judges, whose reaction ranged from shock to horror. No one had expected this, and soon the whole room was abuzz.” At first George Taber, the journalist of record thought possibly a French wine had won. “Chateau Montelena is Californian, isn’t it?” He asked. “Yes, it is, “, replied Gallagher.

“The scores of the individual judges made the results even more astounding. California Chardonnays had overwhelmed their French counterparts. Every single French judge rated a California Chardonnay first. Chateau Montelena was given top rating by six judges; three of the top fours wines were Californian.”

“As the waiters began pouring the reds, Spurrier was certain that the judges would be more careful and would not allow a California wine to come out on top again. One California wine winning was bad enough; two would be treason. The French judges, he felt, would be very careful to identify French wines and score them high, while rating those that seemed American low.”

Once the judging was complete Spurrier announced another California wine, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars took first in the cabernet tasting. A hushed silence overtook the room and Odette Kahn as an editor realized what had just taken place and approached Spurrier demanding her scorecards.

“I’m sorry, Madame Kahn, but you’re not going to get them back.”
“But they are my scores!”
“No, they are not your scores. They are my scores!”

The testing made history and forever broke the myth of French superiority in wines. The French to this day have not participated in another California versus French blind tasting. The California vineyards are world renowned for their technological sophistication as well as consistent high quality. Leading the technological front has been UC Davis and Fresno State College. While French wines often suffer poor vintages due to extreme weather fluctuations, the California vintages benefit from a moderate yearly climate. The tasting also opened up the world wine market. No longer were the Great Growth vineyards considered the leading wine producers. America showed everyone a world class wine could be grown outside the Burgundy (white) and Bordeaux (red) regions of France.


Resource: Taber, George Judgment of Paris 2005
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"An activist is the person who cleans up the water, not the one claiming its dirty."
"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to stand by and do nothing." Edmund Burke (1729-1797), Founder of Conservative Philosophy