| For many people the California wine industry largely | | | | Paris tasting. It is important to note that these |
| arrived on the national scene in 1976, when much to | | | | tastings only have included the red wines because |
| everyone's surprise (even some of those sitting in | | | | white wine will typically not age for that long of a |
| movie theatres recently) two California wines won in | | | | time. At the ten year mark California own once again |
| a blind taste test in France. California won the | | | | taking the top 2 spots, while they took the top 4 |
| competition both for Chardonnay and in even more | | | | spots at the 30 year mark. |
| surprising fashion, Cabernet Sauvignon. Many people | | | | It is interesting that these tasting results, originally |
| realize that Stag's Leap won the Cabernet Sauvignon | | | | thought of as ground breaking in 1976 were in |
| tasting and that Chateau Montelena won the | | | | actuality not the first time that California wines had |
| Chardonnay tasting, but there are a number of | | | | outscored their French counterparts. In New York |
| interesting facts that seem to be left by the waste | | | | city 6 months earlier the American wines also won |
| side by both the movies and the generally known | | | | the tasting, but the results were never taken |
| history of the event. | | | | seriously by the international wine industry because |
| At the conclusion of the original event many within | | | | the judges were all American (therefore it was |
| the French wine industry have said that there were | | | | thought they would have a preference for American |
| two major problems with the tasting, the red wines | | | | wine) and they thought the French wines may have |
| were too young to tell which was better (theirs | | | | traveled poorly from Bordeaux. |
| would age better) and that 11 judges was not | | | | I hope you've enjoyed these little known facts about |
| enough people to make a real determination. | | | | the aftermath of the Paris tasting of 1976. It was |
| To combat some of these complaints California | | | | certainly a turning point for the wine industry in many |
| winemakers organized a tasting event in San | | | | ways. To start it encouraged more wineries in the |
| Francisco in 1978 which included close to 100 tasters. | | | | new world to attempt to craft great wine, but |
| The results 20 months after the original taste were | | | | perhaps most importantly it led to an exchange of |
| incredibly similar, a California wine won both contests | | | | ideas between new and old world producers. This has |
| again. | | | | led to quality improvements everywhere in the wine |
| Never willing to admit defeat the French wine | | | | industry and is the major reason why we can |
| industry has organized two additional tastings of the | | | | reasonably expect to find good wine for under $20, |
| original wines, the first on the 10 year anniversary | | | | which in large part was unheard of 50 years ago. |
| and again on the 30 year anniversary of the original | | | | |