[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 178 (Friday, October 8, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1077]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING STEVEN SPURRIER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 8, 2021

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor 
Steven Spurrier for his monumental contributions to the California wine 
community.
  Born on October 5, 1941 in Cambridge, England, Mr. Spurrier was 
raised by his loving parents, John and Pamela Spurrier. After receiving 
his secondary education at Rugby School, Mr. Spurrier went on to attend 
the London School of Economics. He entered the wine industry soon after 
he completed his education in 1964, becoming a trainee with the oldest 
wine merchant in London: Christopher & Co. After concluding his tenure 
with Christopher & Co., Mr. Spurrier moved to Paris in 1970 where he 
bought and operated a wine shop, Les Caves la Madeleine, the following 
year. Mr. Spurrier's shop quickly became one of the most renowned in 
the city. He then utilized his successes as proprietor to establish 
L'Academie du Vin in 1973, France's first private wine school that 
formed the steppingstones for modern wine education.
  More notably, Mr. Spurrier organized a blind wine tasting 
competition, judged by French wine experts, between Californian and 
French wines with his colleague Patricia Gallagher. In what came to be 
known as ``the Judgment of Paris,'' wines from California won, paving 
the way for the global prominence of Napa Valley wine.
  During his illustrious career in the wine industry, Steven received 
multiple international awards for his writing on wine. In 2001, he was 
awarded Le Grand Prix de l'Academie Internationale du Vin and the 
Maestro Award in memory of Andre Tchelistcheff, America's most 
influential post-Prohibition winemaker. His successes did not stop 
there, as he won Decanter Magazine's man of the year in 2017 for his 
devotion to wine appreciation, cultivation, and production. He was a 
recurrent judge for international wine tasting competitions and 
governed as chairman of the Japan Wine Challenge and the Decanter World 
Wine Awards. After a life devoted to all aspects of wine, Steven passed 
away in March 2021, living on through his wife Bella, and his two 
children, Christian and Kate.
  Madam Speaker, it is evident that Steven Spurrier has made a lasting 
impact on Napa Valley's renowned viticulture through his lifelong 
devotion to wine and community. Therefore, it is fitting and proper 
that we honor him here today.

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