The Judgement of Paris was a critical turning point in the wine industry

The Judgement of Paris Wine Tasting

The Judgment of Paris was a wine tasting between the French and United States, California to be exact. This tasting was put together by a British wine expert named Steven Spurrier. This tasting was judged by nine french wine experts. There was a total of ten wines entered California had four white wines, which were smuggled in by tourists because they wouldn't get through customs fast enough, and the french had six white wines. California received top three out of four in the white wine tasting. Then the red wines which is far more prestigious than whites, California had six Cabernets and the french had six Grand Cru Bordeaux and again California took the top spot although Steven had let it slip that they had already won in the whites and the judges desperately tried to determine the french wine from the Cali wines. The French stated that it wasn't a fair tasting due to the fact that every wine ages differently, but the California red wines beat the french and it was considered a “shot heard round the world” this tasting set the bar for Californian wines.

This tasting dramatically caused wineries to spread all around California. Had California not accepted the challenge of the Paris wine tasting they would not be able to profit off of 157 million cases between 1976 and 2001 I'm sure this has since gone up.

Sources: Steinberger, M. (n.d.). The Judgment of Paris. Retrieved July 13, 2015, from http:// www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/wines_world/2006/05/the_judgment_of_paris.html The Day California Wines Came of Age. (2001, May 7). Retrieved July 13, 2015, from http:// www.bloomberg.com/bw/stories/2001-05-07/the-day-california-wines-came-of-age