Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
15th out of 51 books
—
26 voters
Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine
The Paris Tasting of 1976 will forever be remembered as the landmark event that transformed the wine industry. At this legendary contest -- a blind tasting -- a panel of top French wine experts shocked the industry by choosing unknown California wines over France's best.
George M. Taber, the only reporter present, recounts this seminal contest and its far-reaching effects,...more
George M. Taber, the only reporter present, recounts this seminal contest and its far-reaching effects,...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
November 21st 2006
by Scribner
(first published 2005)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,067)
You have to read this book in Sips not Gulps! Also helps if you are interested in wine, wineries, and wine making. The book came out in 2005, but is mostly about the revolution of wine making in the mid 1970's. We visited my husband's brother in Napa California in 1978(?) and visted the Mondavi, Sterling, Beringer and Christian Brothers wineries (amongst others). This really makes the book interesting to me.
Some interesting (to me) asides:
(circa 1968), Dr. Gerald Ivancie, a Denver peridontal sur...more
Some interesting (to me) asides:
(circa 1968), Dr. Gerald Ivancie, a Denver peridontal sur...more
Wonderful book. I read it because I enjoyed the movie, Bottle Shock, based on this book. Sometimes it is important to read the book before seeing the movie. I needn't have worried. The book and movie are barely related! The movie is a fun story. The book is a great depiction of the history of winemaking in France and California. It centers on the event of the movie and. like the movie, notes that making good wine has become a global activity. It was interesting to learn how the French wine laws...more
So I picked this up thinking it would be dry and boring and put me to sleep, but what a pleasant surprise. Actually a revelation! I got to 100 pages without sleeping before I got too tired to continue and even then I didn't want to put it down.
I could have never imagined that a book on wine could be so enjoyable but what makes the difference I think is that Taber tells a story about people instead of the product, and what happens is that you become very involved in these peoples' quest to make...more
I could have never imagined that a book on wine could be so enjoyable but what makes the difference I think is that Taber tells a story about people instead of the product, and what happens is that you become very involved in these peoples' quest to make...more
In 1976, a Paris-based British wine merchant Steven Spurrier organized a blind tasting of California and French wines in honor of the American bicentennial. Since his motive was publicity for his wine shop, he was disappointed when only one journalist, George Taber of "Time," accepted his invitation to attend. Although the judges were all French, an American red and white both won - a 1973 Stag's Leap Cabernet and a 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay - and Taber had a story that turned into a sen...more
In 1976, a wine shop in Paris arranged a blind tasting of French and California wine. In a surprise to everyone involved, the California wines WON!! This seemingly small event set the stage for California wine, especially from Napa Valley, to move onto the world stage.
Several years ago, my husband and I took a Spring Break trip to San Francisco and spent a few days wine tasting in Napa Valley. We are not wine experts, not even close. Then came the movie "Sideways" and a few years later, the mov...more
Several years ago, my husband and I took a Spring Break trip to San Francisco and spent a few days wine tasting in Napa Valley. We are not wine experts, not even close. Then came the movie "Sideways" and a few years later, the mov...more
This book is really three books interwoven into one.
The first part, and the reason I decided to read the book, is about the 1976 Paris Wine Tasting. I saw the movie "Bottle Shock" and thought that it would be fun to read book upon which it was based. (Be forewarned, the movie took a lot of liberties with the story and the similarities are few.) This part of the book is highly engrossing. It's hard to believe that a wine tasting covered by a single journalist (George Taber from Time Magazine) ha...more
The first part, and the reason I decided to read the book, is about the 1976 Paris Wine Tasting. I saw the movie "Bottle Shock" and thought that it would be fun to read book upon which it was based. (Be forewarned, the movie took a lot of liberties with the story and the similarities are few.) This part of the book is highly engrossing. It's hard to believe that a wine tasting covered by a single journalist (George Taber from Time Magazine) ha...more
One would think from the title of this book it was all about the tasting and the surprising victories by rookie Napa Valley wineries vs. the established elite of France. Yes, it eventually got around to describing the actual event and the "blowback" that resulted (the French are still pissed off and in denial that we kicked their asses). But I especially was that most of the book described the early risk takers and the overall history of California wine country. Especially, in such an incredible...more
This is the book that the movie Bottle Shock was supposedly based on. In fact the movie had very little in common with the book, aside from the names of a few of the people involved and the underlying premise of a blind taste test of red and white wines in Paris, some originating from wineries in California and others from well-known French vintners. None of the characterizations of people common to both book and movie (chiefly Steve Spurrier and Jim Barrett) match, and Bo Barrett, around whom t...more
I heard about this book and the controversial judgement of Paris a few months ago when touring Grgich Hill Winery (the winery established as a direct result of the Paris tasting in 1976). I've always loved the Grgich cabernet (the Yountville reserve is spectacular) and I was eager to read about the process of wine making and the history of the estate.
Although Taber delves a little too deeply into the personal backgrounds of the various winemakers involved as opposed to covering the Paris event i...more
Although Taber delves a little too deeply into the personal backgrounds of the various winemakers involved as opposed to covering the Paris event i...more
WHY I PICKED IT UP:
I'd heard good things, and I wanted to learn more about recent history of wine.
NOW THAT I'VE READ IT:
I absolutely loved this book. It is well written, very interesting, and I enjoyed the balance of talking about wine, wine making, life stories, and state of the current industries.
The book is broken into a couple sections. To me, the main sections were:
1) Recent history of wine, profiles on key players/wineries, stories behind some of the wines in the 1976 Paris Tasting.
2) The...more
I'd heard good things, and I wanted to learn more about recent history of wine.
NOW THAT I'VE READ IT:
I absolutely loved this book. It is well written, very interesting, and I enjoyed the balance of talking about wine, wine making, life stories, and state of the current industries.
The book is broken into a couple sections. To me, the main sections were:
1) Recent history of wine, profiles on key players/wineries, stories behind some of the wines in the 1976 Paris Tasting.
2) The...more
This was a fun and interesting read. I enjoy wine very much but don't pretend to know much about it, although I do have some personal experience working at a vineyard and a winery as a kid. I don't think a reader needs to be a wine aficionado to enjoy this book at all, but there are sections that will be more interesting to those readers who do know a little bit about the process of wine-making than to those who do not know anything. This book is so much more than "just" wine, however...it's wri...more
1 like · like · see review
view all 7 comments
After seeing "Bottle Shock," I was curious for more background on the famous Paris 1976 wine tasting in which California wines triumphed. George Taber was the only reporter present that day, so he has the inside scoop. The book follows a different path from "Bottle Shock," and covers the history of several California wineries that became famous after that day. The story is well told and personally I found it more instructive than the movie. At the same time I learned quite a bit about how wine m...more
I read this as part of my wine education when applying for my brokers license... This is such a great eye opener for wine snobs as well as the simple wine 'enthusiast' as I declare myself to be to date. It rocked the wine world & proved forever; that the judgement of wine is dictated by; nose & mouth & hence the drinker to decide without labels, makers or even regions (set aside terroir) as a factor. It's in the glass & on your tongue. Simple. This true story is my "check" agains...more
I enjoyed this book, although it often delves a little too deeply into the process of making wine and the minutia of leading winemakers' lives. A great read for anyone who loves the art and science of making wine, and especially those who can appreciate how wine made outside of France, particularly in California, Australia, and Chile, has exploded in the last few decades. It even touches on recent wine trends, including accessible wines that can be enjoyed shortly after they are bottled. (While...more
Loved every page. If you saw "Bottle Shock" and think you know the story, read this for something much, much closer to the truth. Journalist George Taber lays out the story as it really happened, with a rich and detailed history of winemaking in California to help the reader understand the context in which the famous France vs. California tasting occurred. I'm very interested in wine and wine history, and I live in both California and France, and I have worked in the wine industry, so I was perh...more
Last weekend my sister, brother-in-law and I saw this great little Netflix film: "Bottle Shock." It was a comedy and dramatization of the "Judgment of Paris", the 1976 Paris Wine Tasting at which French experts judged California wines to surpass the best wines produced in France. Of course I had to read the story, because the book is always better than the movie ;-)
Indeed, the real story is even more fascinating. Written by the only journalist present to cover the event, the focus is on the indi...more
Indeed, the real story is even more fascinating. Written by the only journalist present to cover the event, the focus is on the indi...more
I enjoyed this book ...a fascinating story of the rise of California winemaking. Entertaining and informative! I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about the important historic 1976 Paris Tasting (The event showed that the US could make wine as good as the French), A Chateau Montelena Chardonnay and a Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon beat their French counterparts and shocked the wine world. More importantly, the results encouraged other countries to experiment with...more
The actual May 1976 blind tasting in Paris of French & California wines takes up little of this book- which makes sense given that is was very low-key event. Spurrier meant to introduce what he thought were intriguing wines (Californians) to a handful of notable French palates. The blind tasting was meant to be a bit of a tease, a lark. He had no idea his 2 hr tasting would unleash a revolution in the wine industry.
What I loved about this book were the stories of young men who arrived from...more
What I loved about this book were the stories of young men who arrived from...more
I'll give it two and a half stars. As the title aptly states, this book describes the events surrounding the 1976 Paris Tasting, a blind wine tasting by France's leading experts where a Napa cabernet sauvignon and a Napa chardonnay took top billing as the best wines. Taber gives a very good build up to the actual tasting, first providing a short history of viticulture, then describing the world of wine in the late 1970s (read: France).
The best part of the book was the chapter that detailed the...more
The best part of the book was the chapter that detailed the...more
Clearly the definitive telling of the story by the only journalist who was actually there. Excellent detail about the historical roots of the California wine industry, and interesting discussions of the impact of the even on the global wine scene.
Also serves as a much-needed tonic to the gross fictionalization of this event in the movie Bottleshock. I saw the movie before reading the book, and can tell you that the truth is better than the Hollywood-ed up storyline in the movie.
Not just an account of the famous wine tasting that put California wines on the map. Taber goes into the history of California winemaking, giving first-rate biographical profiles of the California vintners that produced (and still produce) world-class wines. Also excellent are the chapters about the impact of the 1976 tasting, which spurred the development of New World wine regions and exposed Old World producers to innovative winemaking practices.
Interesting account of hte rise of the wine industry in Napa Valley, California - culminating in the 1976 Paris wine tasting where several Napa wines beat French wines in a blind taste test by French experts. I learned a lot about wine making, wine tasting and the wine industry that I didn't know before reading this book. Definitely a good read for anyone interested in California "vino". I enjoyed a nice Grgich Caberent Sauvignon while reading it.
A non-fiction book that tells an interesting story of how one wine tasting event, under unusual circumstances profoundly affected the California wine industry, as well as the post '76 future of global wine production. I will enjoy browsing the shelves at the wine store after reading this piece of significant wine history and will also enjoy tasting to a fuller degree!
The title's a bit misleading - I was swondering how one could write 300 pages about a single event - the 1976 blind tasting of the wines of France and California - in France - which the California wines won. In reality, this is the point to which the first 200 pages lead, by telling the stories of the three California vineyards and winemakers who placed high in the tasting. There's also good, but lesser coverage of the French vineyards and winemakers, but al in all, well-told tale - very thoroug...more
The first 2/3 was fantastic; great stories about the emergence (or reemergence) of the California wine industry after prohibition, and the "players" in the '76 Paris Tasting. The last 1/3 turned into an examination of the globalization of the wine industry. Interesting, but a great departure from the fun of the first part.
Oct 25, 2008
Adriana
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people interested in wine, food, or history
Recommended to Adriana by:
found it in my local bookstore
Great historical retelling from the perspective of a reporter who was there at the scene when the first time ever France's wines lost to another country. It really rocked the culinary and wine world who always based the standards of how to make wine and what wine best accompanies certain foods from what France's wine officials said. Taber gives good details about each winery and the wines selected. What surprised me was how he gave the history of the whole wine industry in both California and Fr...more
Overall this was a good book about the history of wines in California. There were parts that could be a bit dry but not too bad. It was interesting to read about the different influences from other countries that helped in developing the California wines.
If you have any interest in wine and the art of creating wine then you will enjoy this book.
If you have any interest in wine and the art of creating wine then you will enjoy this book.
Just isn't for me - a very long and biographical account of all of the folks who started up the wine business in California, namely Napa Valley. It's really more of a textbook than a fun read... but perfect for anyone who wants every single detail of how American wine came onto the world scene!
There's a good book in here, but infortunately the author couldn't find it. This book needed a strong editor to better shape the story. Too many meandering details that don't seem to build to a strong story arc. The subject is fascinating and I love the upstart hippish Californians who muddle their way to creating a great product. Add to that the pleasure of sticking it to the snobby French wine testers. The French wine world sounds like a very tradition bound, inbred business. And it's great to...more
1 like · like · see review
Excellent book with intriguing factual info about the rise of America as a wine power and how the wine world is shaped by politics and economic change. Warning, if you aren't a wine lover it may be a bit laborious for you. It is meant for the nerdiest of wine nerds.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
