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Our Judgement of Paris wine class pits two favorite wine countries in an epic battle of uncorked fury. Our series of VERSUS classes are hugely popular, and this is one of the shining jewels. France was the undisputed heavyweight champ of the wine world until 1976, when California unseated the Gallic winemakers at the Judgement of Paris wine tasting.
In this class, we don’t replicate that tasting. Instead, we bring in a series of fresh new faces in this battle of the bottles. Who will win? That’s up to you.
What is the Judgment of Paris?
The story starts with George Taber, a reporter for Time Magazine, back in 1976. He was the only American journalist at a wine tasting in Paris that pitted French wines against Californian wines. He witnessed a surprise upset that elevated California wines in the eyes of America and the world: the panel of respected French sommeliers named the American wines as superior.
George’s reporting on what came to be known as “The Judgement of Paris” dramatically affected the American wine-buying public. By the early 1980s, Napa had become shorthand for luxury-level wines.
We first met George at a winery owned by a mutual friend. He had just published an account of that historical tasting, and the book soon became an international bestseller.
