1976, a date that coincided with the bicentenary of American independence and that left a lasting mark on the world of wine. At the invitation of wine merchant Steven Spurrier, nine judges, all French, were to carry out a blind test in which several unknown and “good value” Californian wines would come out ahead of the finest Bordeaux vintages. White wines made in the USA would sweep the board of the best marks, much to the displeasure of French wines reputed to be “the best in the world”… “The unthinkable happened” declared the only American journalist present, who thought it appropriate to draw a parallel with Greek mythology… “the Judgment of Paris” shook the all powerful French world of wine to its core, so much so that some judges at the time asked, in vain, to have their “scorecards” returned…
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/judgment-of-paris-wine-tasting-cmd/index.html
