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| Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine | 
 enlarge | Author: George M. Taber
Publisher: Scribner
Category: Book
List Price: $16.00
Buy New: $6.71
You Save: $9.29 (58%)
New (31) Used (17) from $5.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  51 reviews
Sales Rank: 9286
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6 x 1
ISBN: 0743297326
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.22094436109047
EAN: 9780743297325
ASIN: 0743297326
Publication Date: November 21, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 A must read for wine lovers January 12, 2008
Received this book as a gift and was surprised how much information in contained in such an easy, interesting format. If you have vaguely remember something about American wines doing well in a French Venue, this is the book that will explain it all. The book goes further than the Paris Tasting and explores how the wine business has expanded world wide.
Essential reading for wine marketers (as well as wine buffs) December 23, 2007
Most wine books are for reference, being about a region or a producer, or a collection of tasting notes. This book tells a story, and it's the best such wine book I've ever read. Campbell Mattison's "Wine Hunter" is also a good book but "Judgment of Paris" is less sentimental, and much broader in scope.
I already knew about the 1976 tasting and had recently read the Decanter coverage of the rematch 20 years later. In spite of this I still found the book interesting.
I seldom drink Californian wine, little of the good stuff makes its way outside of the USA and it is usually far overpriced. But still I found the book interesting.
It's more than a book about the 1976 tasting and how it came about and what happened. It tells the story of the creation of many of the Californian vineyards, winemakers, and specific wines that ended up in the tasting. But the book is more than this. George Taber is a former Time staff writer (who was living in France in 1976 and was the only journalist at the tasting) and his global perspective shows. He covers the implications of the tasting for California and for all of the New World, and for France too.
So I recommend this book not only to those interesting in fine wine but also to wine marketers.
Thankfully the book is absolutely not a rah rah we beat the French jingoistic celebration. Taber correctly points out that the facts that show that it's a stretch of the data to say that the Californian wines beat the French ones (especially amongst the Cabernets), the more correct summary is that it showed they were very competitive. Which is quite amazing given the youth of the vines, winemakers and general US wine industry. I hadn't realised that many of the wines were from such new operations.
Today it seems less of a story that very expensive Napa wines are competitive with very expensive French ones, but then there was a price difference and a huge perceptual one.
I was intrigued to read that even back in 1976 many of the winemakers of the `Judgment of Paris' wines were deliberately making wines in a different style to their neighbours. They were seeking elegance and balance, low alcohol wines, that were food friendly. They were quality obsessed and many of them were Francophiles when it came to their taste in wine. Of course, this is partly why the english Steven Spurrier and Patricia Gallagher chose them for the tasting.
I do wonder if these winemakers are still making wines along these lines, or whether they have bowed to the pressure from the Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate (which must be much stronger pressure on US wines that depend on US drinkers than on French winemakers) and upped their alcohol levels and sweetness ?
 Gosh, Wine in recent historical perspective November 11, 2007
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
The story of people in the American wine industry and the wines themselves gaining international respect is documented here. This is a story that details the intersting people in the wine industry and literally the fruits of their labors. Wine is a a result of a combination of a crop that survives to harvest despite the threats of frosts , droughts and all the extremes the seasons can throw at the grower. Then the grapes are at the mercy of a vinter combining his knowledge of chemistry with experience and taste to provide us with a wonderful bottled elixer. Last year the best wine at an internation tasting was from SchillingBridge Winery in Nebraska, proving that this story of shocking the world of wine can be repeated!
Not a book about the wine, but a book about the passion for making, tasting, and drinking wine September 26, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Author George Taber is not a wine grower, producer, bottler, seller, or apologist. His connection to the main story in this book, the build up to a classic tasting competition in France of California wines against French wines, was that he was the only journalist to show up for the wine tasting. He wrote for Time Magazine, and Taber said he'd "...try to get there, without promising anything" (p. 163).
Ah, Malcolm Gladwell's tipping point was about to occur.
As it turned out, the California wines, both Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, came in first in blind tasting with some very well known French wine judges. It was shocking.... to the judges, the French government, and to the California wineries. They were THAT good?
This is the story of that tasting competition, the wineries involved, the wine makers, and the grape growers. Taber discusses the history of these wines, the history of wine growing regions, and the future of wines. Great wines can be grown outside of France? The cat was out of the bag. New Zealand, Chile, Australia... no longer does France spring to the tip of the tongue when discussing the very best wines.
In The Judgment of Paris, Taber stretches the narrative, so it needed to be more than entertaining... it needed to be educational. Luckily, this book was both.
I recommend it to the budding wine connoisseur! Read this book before visiting either Napa-Sonoma Counties, or France. Better yet, read it before your next visit to your local wine shop.
Fun Book July 7, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
After 30 years of tasting wines in the Napa Valley, I finally found a book that puts all the pieces together. George M. Taber recounts the famous 1976 Paris Tasting in intricate detail...and that may be the smaller story here. In a larger sense, Taber "connects the dots" that are the owners, vineyard farmers, and wine makers who crafted the wine history of this beautiful valley. Sit back with a glass of your favorite wine and savor the passion and persistence that revolutionized the wine industry of California and the world. Cheers!
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