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Sour Grapes: When California Beat France’s Vintners

On this day 40 years ago, French wine experts had a big `mon dieu!` moment.

26/05/2016

Paris has lent its name to some of history`s important international moments. There was the Treaty of Paris, which ended the war between Great Britain and the United States, and, much more recently, the Paris agreement, which last year committed almost every country in the world to addressing climate change. In between those two, there was the so-called Judgment of Paris, the outcome of which was once described as a `vinous shot heard round the world.`

On May 24, 1976, a group of French wine experts gathered in the capital for a blind wine tasting. The event was organized by Steven Spurrier, a British sommelier who ran a wine school and shop in the center of town. American visitors had brought him wine from California, and Spurrier became curious to see how it would stand up to French wines, regarded as the best in the world. Spurrier and the judges, as well as other sommeliers and observers, went into the tasting thinking the California offerings didn`t stand a chance, and that the tasters would be able to discern the flavors even when their identities were hidden.

Image courtsey and full article can be found at source Theatlantic.com

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