I found this on rec.travel.europe and thought it would be of interest
here

Earl Evleth > wrote in
:

> Times have changed since then, we now have good wines from
> the rest of the world. Australian exports are soaring.
> Chile and South Africa are in the running.
>
> ******
>
> Vintage rematch set for wine tasting
> By MICHELLE LOCKE, Associated Press Writer Wed May 24, 3:58 AM ET
>
> NAPA, Calif. - The U.S. wine industry has changed a lot since a
> handful of little-known California reds and whites left French
> winemakers blue.
>
> Thirty years after a tasting event in Paris broke perceptions of New
> World wines as plonk, the once-sleepy Napa Valley is a world-known
> tourist destination and U.S. wine is a cash crop.
>
> Winemakers are reflecting on a generation of growth as they mark the
> May 24 anniversary of those seminal sips with a vintage rematch.
>
> "It's kind of amazing," said Warren Winiarski, whose Stag's Leap Wine
> Cellars took top red wine honors in 1976. "This is the nature of this
> story ‹ that it unfolds slowly and reveals itself slowly."
>
> The tasting, dubbed the "Judgment of Paris" by Time magazine, is a
> milestone in the American wine industry and encouraged California
> producers to set their sights higher.
>
> "It affected everybody that had any interest at all in wine," said
> Shari Staglin. Back in '76, she and husband Garen were still only
> dreaming of opening what would eventually become Staglin Family
> Vineyard. "It gave us a belief in our ability to do as well or better
> than the greatest wines in the world."
>
> The tasting was put together by English wine merchant Steven Spurrier,
> who owned a shop and wine school in Paris. He was interested in the
> California wines but expected the French to win. In a recent telephone
> interview, Spurrier said he put in "some of the very best," to make
> sure of that.
>
> But not only was Stag's Leap's 1973 cabernet sauvignon the top red,
> another California winery, Chateau Montelena, scored top white with a
> 1973 chardonnay. The feat was captured by Time magazine correspondent
> George Taber in a brief but pithy report rife with quotes from judges
> unable to tell the wines apart ‹ something many California winemakers
> consider the most important outcome of the tasting.
>
> "If it hadn't happened in Paris, if it hadn't happened with a panel of
> French judges, it would not have had the validity and surprise that it
> has had," said Spurrier, now a wine consultant.
>
> Another sign of changing times: The original Time article noted that
> the U.S. winners were rather expensive ‹ $6 and up. These days, $100
> isn't unusual for a big name Napa cab.
>
> Spurrier staged a re-tasting for the 1986 anniversary, and California
> wines again took top places, although this time the No. 1 red was a
> Clos du Val 1972 cabernet sauvignon.
>
> The 30th anniversary rematch involves simultaneous testing between a
> mostly American panel of judges in Napa and European experts in
> London.
>
> The stakes this time are higher.
>
> Some California wineries declined to send in new wines for the modern
> part of the tasting. Some Bordeaux producers also balked at another
> round of blind taste tests.
>
> "Nobody wants to come out on the bottom," said Peter Marks, director
> of wine at Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts, which
> is hosting the Napa Valley part of the tasting.
>
> In a compromise with French producers, the judging of the original
> reds that competed in '76 will be tasted blind. (Whites don't
> generally age well so they're not part of the re-enactment.)
>
> But a second tasting of modern vintages from France and California
> will be tasted semi-blind, meaning judges will know the nationality
> but not the name of the wine.
>
> "The feeling was the competition has served its purpose, now we're
> looking at the tasting of the younger wines as a celebration," Marks
> said.
>
> Modern wines to be tasted include a Staglin cabernet sauvignon,
> something Shari Staglin called "the most exciting, exhilarating
> honor."
>
> Also taking part is Clos du Val.
>
> "I like the challenge," said Clos du Val co-founder Bernard Portet.
> "Whether Clos du Val ends up No. 1 doesn't matter really. It's like
> the Olympics. The name of the game is to participate."
>
> For the older wines, the competition is an interesting chance to see
> how well they've held up.
>
> "After 30 years, you would wonder how the wines have evolved," said
> Winiarski. "Have they kept their quality? Do they still reveal their
> beauty and their character after all this time?"
>
> ___
>



--
Joseph Coulter
Cruises and Vacations
http://www.josephcoulter.com/