[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 77 (Monday, May 16, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E708]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE JUDGMENT OF PARIS

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                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 16, 2016

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
40th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris wine tasting competition, an 
event that brought global esteem to the California wine community.
  On May 24, 1976, a who's-who of French wine and food influencers 
gathered for a blind tasting of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay wines 
at the Paris InterContinental Hotel organized by wine merchant Steven 
Spurrier.
  Mr. Spurrier selected the finest California vintages at the time. He 
included Cabernet Sauvignon from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars, Ridge 
Vineyards Monte Bello, Heitz Wine Cellars, Clos du Val Winery, 
Mayacamas Vineyards, and Freemark Abbey Winery.
  In the white wine category, Mr. Spurrier chose Chardonnay from 
Chateau Montelena Winery, Chalone Vineyard, Spring Mountain Vineyard, 
Freemark Abbey Winery, Veedercrest Vineyards, and David Bruce Winery.
  When the experts' scores were tallied, two wines from California's 
Napa Valley--the 1973 Chateau Montelena Winery Chardonnay by winemaker 
Miljenko ``Mike'' Grgich and the Stag's Leap Wine Cellars 1973 Cabernet 
Sauvignon made by Warren Winiarski--came out on top, forever changing 
the way the world views American wine.
  George Taber documented this consequential decision in a TIME 
magazine article, ``Modern Living: Judgment of Paris.'' The resulting 
coverage of the Judgment of Paris created an immediate and positive 
impact on the world of wine, and inspired among experts, consumers, and 
the trade a new appreciation for California wines.
  The Napa Valley is now recognized internationally as the vanguard of 
the American wine business. The California wine community now adds 
$61.5 billion to the state's economy and $121.8 billion to the United 
States economy. The wine community supports 330,000 jobs in the state 
and brings more than 21 million visitors to California wine regions 
annually. Wine is now produced in all fifty of the United States, and 
enjoyed at ever increasing levels by consumers throughout the country.
  Mr. Speaker, it is fitting and proper that we recognize and honor the 
historical significance of the 40th anniversary of this event, as well 
as the impact of the California victory on the world of wine and the 
United States wine industry as a whole.
  To recognize the 40th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris, Rep. 
Duncan Hunter and I, House Leadership from both sides of the aisle, and 
the entire California delegation will submit the following language as 
a resolution:
  Whereas forty years ago in Paris, a number of leading French wine 
experts were invited by Wine Merchant Stephen Spurrier to blind taste 
some of the greatest wines of France and California;
  Whereas those prestigious experts chose the 1973 Chateau Montelena 
Winery Napa Valley Chardonnay by winemaker Miljenko ``Mike'' Grgich as 
the finest white wine in the tasting;
  Whereas those same experts chose the 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars 
S.L.V. Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon made by Warren Winiarski as the 
finest red wine in the tasting;
  Whereas the resulting story by journalist George Taber found 
widespread distribution throughout the press, notably in TIME magazine, 
as ``The Shot Heard Round the World'';
  Whereas this attention created an immediate, positive impact on the 
world of wine, and created among experts, consumers and the trade a new 
and enthusiastic appreciation for California wines;
  Whereas wine is now produced in all fifty of the United States, and 
enjoyed at ever increasing levels by consumers throughout the country;
  Whereas the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American 
History exhibits the winning bottles in its permanent collections (the 
1973 Chateau Montelena Winery Chardonnay and the 1973 Stag's Leap Wine 
Cellars S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon), and has included those bottles in 
their selection of remarkable objects in the book The Smithsonian's 
History of America in 101 Objects by Richard Kurin;
  Whereas the Napa Valley is now recognized internationally as a 
vanguard of the United States wine business and contributes more than 
$162 billion to the nation's economy.
  Resolved, That the U.S. House of Representatives recognizes and 
honors the historical significance of the 40th Anniversary of the 
Judgment of Paris, and the impact of the California victory at the 1976 
Paris Tasting on the world of wine and the American wine industry as a 
whole.

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