Taber does a very good job telling the story of the famous 1976 wine tasting that included both top American and French wines. What he does especially well is provide context about the event and the history leading up to it. The book presents an overview the history of wine in both France and California, and including some of the individual stories of the California winemakers which is key to understanding the significance of the results of the tasting and makes the story more personal. Taber also demystifies the event which has been over analyzed and told in a charming but highly inaccurate movie, Bottle Shock. The tasting took place over two hours and was witnessed by only one reporter - Taber. Some reviewers of the book complain that there is too little written about the tasting event. The reason for that is pretty simple. Some experts convened, tasted, voted, and left. It was all over in a rush and there wasn't much to report about the activities of that short period.

What Taber does particularly well is explain that the tasting was not intended as an "us versus them" contest, but as one wine merchant's means of helping market US wines in France by having French wine experts recognize the quality of California wines. It was the reaction of the public afterward that gave the tasting its unintended significance.

The real message of the book is that the sharing of information and collaboration of winemakers around the world, modeled after the experience of the Californians, has helped widen the production of good wine globally. Countries such as South Africa, Australia, and Chile have quickly become major producers of very drinkable wine. While some bemoan the globalization (some call it Parkerization) of wine, Taber points out that there are still new producers such as those in Portugal who are creating great new wines using unusual local varietals. While some of the bad domestic wines will be replaced by those of major producers such as Australia's Yellow Tail, that may not always be a bad thing.

The reason for rating the book 4 stars instead of 5 is that some of the writing is choppy and repetitive (how many times do we need to be told about the wine making process and the importance of malolactic fermentation?). Don't let this discourage you. Most of the book is well written, and the stories of some of the individual winemakers are fascinating.

I think I'll go have a glass of wine now and relax.

I knew a little bit of the history of the Paris judgment. Since this book is told by someone present there, it is the most reliable source of information. I think the history is very interesting on itself. I just though the author could do better... He takes a lot of pages on the story of the wine makers, which is interesting but too much detailed. The judgement itself has much less space, and I think the author could have taken it longer. After the judgment and its repercussion the author takes a lot more on considerations on all world regions...
It is all interesting, but I had bought the book for the Paris judgement, not for the author's opinion on South African wines.

Loved the historical recount of the land, the wineries and the wine makers, didn't love the superfluous progression of modern wine closing chapters.

With Judgment Of Paris, George Taber takes the reader on a journey through time, following a set of characters, sometimes through generations, who have made the wine industry what it is, or at least what it was before it started to slip. The wine business is becoming more and more another corporate calamity, with a few holdouts supplying very little, very expensive, top of the line wines while a good many are producing middle of the road wines for somewhat fair prices. But when the tasting written about in this book took place, the California winemakers consisted largely of devoted, tireless men (and a few women) who poured their every ounce of energy and knowledge into producing wine that would surpass any others in the world. Most of the world agreed at the time (1976) that France made the world's best wines. Taber tells the tale of the great event where California wines were pitted against French wines by an English wine expert, in France. A Time magazine reporter stationed in France, he was the only journalist to attend the tasting. Not because he was the only one asked, but because most thought the tasting was doomed to be non-news. After all, French wines opposite California wines? You didn't need to be a genius to figure out who'd come out on top of that one. Or did you?

This book is a wonderful insight into the minds and tactics of some of the world's greatest winemakers. It tells of the lives of many of the major players in the growth of the Napa Valley and Sonoma County as a wine haven. The loving detail to which Taber enlightens the reader to wine's past is delicately interwoven with stories of small wineries and hard working winemakers struggling to get a place of their own, then planting and harvesting their grapes, and the endless challenges they faced to get their final product to be the best it could possibly be. I couldn't suggest this more vehemently to anyone interested in the wine industry, or to those who just like to read stories of greatness and how it is achieved. Taber did an amazing job researching this book. You will not regret buying it!

"The best fertilizer for a vineyard is the footsteps of the owner." Tabor captures the sentiment of this statement as he gives his readers a sense of the passions of the California winemakers whose wines were in the Judgment of Paris. These pioneers did not have a choice; they had winemaking in their DNA.

Tabor has an interesting story to tell. The bio-sketches of the legendary winemakers are truly American: immigrants, innovators, entrepreneurs, and scrappy. The cross-pollination of ideas and methods of creating wines occurred in all directions and continues today. Because soil is so important to the character of wine, Tabor faithfully included the geological makeup of the soil and sub layers in the description of the vineyards in California and France. Tabor captures these winemakers' special ability of looking at land and determining it suitability for sustaining a vineyard - how do you learn that? Tabor also includes the importance of the agricultural information available to these pioneers from the University of California at Davis. The emergence of these winemakers is very much like the process of creating a good wine.

As a Californian and having lived in Napa for a while, I was aware of the tasting in 1976 at Paris, but never had the appreciation or history of its impact. I enjoyed this book because it skillfully connected so many of the puzzle pieces of my experiences.

Take this book, along with Mastering the Art of French Cooking, with you on your next trip to the Napa Valley. Visit these wineries, stop at the restaurant, Julia, at Copia, and enjoy the treasures of this valley.

Thanks to George Tabor who captured this bit of history for us to savor. The impact of this little event in Paris is still reverberating globally. Cheers!

This book traces the history of the first great California winemakers in childish detail, like a four year old telling about their day. It's the most poorly written book I've ever read, and the occasional interesting factoid was hardly worth the trouble.

Unless you are related to one of the winemakers in the book or are just so passionate about the history of California wine that you don't mind digging through a truckload of pea gravel to find two or three marbles, buy a bottle of wine from one of these great vineyards instead of reading the book... it will cost a lot more than the book, for a good reason.

I am an enthusiastic reader who has never panned a book before.

A toast to this delightful book The story of the California wine history is enjoyable in itself and shows how a handful of dedicated people can change the world. The story of the unexpected outcome and consequences of the 1976 tasting in Paris is unreal. On top of the wonderful story and eclectic characters, you learn a lot about the process of crafting and enjoying great wine. As one who has only dipped a toe in the world of great wines, it taught me a lot and left me thirsting to learn more.

The history of the wineries and their owners makes one appreciate the hard work and vision that was there. It is interesting to learn of the different ways wine was produced and the learning experience of getting it right. I'm giving this book to those who love Ca. wine but are a bit clueless as to it's unique history.

I won't go into an extensive review of this book as others I see already have. This however an excellent read.

If you have a remote interest in wine and how much of a small world the wine industry is, you owe it to yourself to buy and read this book!

The only problem with this book is that I kept thinking about drinking wine!

Although non fiction with a known ending, it was well written and tells the story well. It is MUCH better than the Hollywood-ized movie "Bottle Shock" based on this book. Recommended.

This is an excellent and easy read. Part drama and part biography, it is highly recommended for anyone interested in the story behind this historic event, or the history of the rise of Napa as a great Wine producing region, including short biographies of the major participants. It is a nice mini-reference to several of the major wine regions in the world. Also, for anyone who was introduced to this event by the movie Bottleshock, it gives you the real story on which the movie was loosely based.

This was a gift to a very good friend.
He states that he is reading the book and enjoying it.
I felt that the service I received from Amazon and the vendor were excellent.

Not bad for a used book. Some wear and tear but was nice enough to give as a Christmas gift!

For those who appreciate plodding character and plot development over surprise. Tabor gives away the ending at the beginning. Do not approach this account hurriedly or you will be disappointed, as the journalist leaves no stone unturned. Sip it, savor its layers, appreciate its complexities and you will find yourself recalling it in dozens of conversations for weeks afterward. The book creates its own world and it continues to beckon long after the act of reading is done.

This is much more than Taber's account of the actual historic French/California taste-off. It is really an indepth look at the beginnings of the post-Prohibition California wine industry, especially the quality winemakers who were trying to do much more than provide good jug wines. There are wonderful family histories, anecdotes, analysis of wine marketing, and much more.

If you have only seen the film "Bottle Shock," you should read this book to see what really happened. It's a fun film but more fictional than factual.

This is a superb first hand account of the event that shook the wine world and turned it upside down; California wines came out on top and the wine world has never been the same since. This book is much more than a story about the event, it is a mini-history of California wine making, from the growth of small vineyards with limited production into the multi-billion dollar global business that it has become. With the California wines winning the tasting by getting the higher marks, California was thrust into the forfront surpassing the once highly regarded French wines. This competition changed everything as the California wine business began it's boom that continues to grow. As I said, it is more than a story of the competition, it is a story about the people behind the wine industry, the people who take the time to achieve world class wine, the people driven by devotion to producing the best. The book goes back in time to examine the early wine makers influence on that day in Paris. This is a great story with excellent mini-biographies, especially if you are a wine enthusiast. Recommended reading for anyone interested in the California wine industry.

Taber, a writer for Time Magazine when he observed the competition in 1976, pulls the story threads together in a mesmerizing tale of personalities, chardonnays and cabernets

Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine

Ordered this book after seeing the movie "Bottle Shock" this is so much more interesting. The movie was cute but a bit stupid ... The book is great with lots of real history and technical info. on wine that I find facinating.

I bought this book thinking is was all about the 1976 Tasting in Paris but it turns out that this book is really the history of California Winemaking and all of the characters that have put California Wines where they are today. For the lover of California wines, this is a must read. Once you start reading, you can't put it down.

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 ?

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!

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.

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!

Mr. Tauber not only demystifies the world of wine to someone who knows little about it, but relates the wonderful story of devotion and hard work that goes into producing a top wine. I do believe that wine tastes better since reading this book.

Mr. Tauber not only demystifies the world of wine to someone who knows little about it, but relates the wonderful story of devotion and hard work that goes into producing a top wine. I do believe that wine tastes better since reading this book.

I love California wines. As a Californian I am very proud of my home states history and heritage as the world's premier producer of fine wines. However, it has not always been so. Until quite recently, California wines were not reveared in such an august way. What happened? How did this change in world opinion occur? I have been curious about this mysterious evolution in Californaia wines for quite some time and after a friend suggested Judgment of Paris to me I began to hope that it would be all I had wished for. I was not disappointed. Obviously, I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history and loves premium wine, especially wines produced in California.

The Judgment of Paris is such a tremendous book on many levels. It is full of tender and engaging stories about real people who, against all odds, helped establish California wines amongst the best in the world, culminating with their personal involvement in the now famous 1976 Paris wine tasting competition: The seminal event that turned the world of wine on it's collective head.

This book is also a fabulous review of premier wine making history, not only in California, but worldwide. If your knowledge of wines and wine making is limited or non-existent, you will feel like quite the connoisseur by the time you are finished reading. This is a really fun and informative book. Very well researched and extremely well written.

Cheers! to George Tabor for crafting such a wonderful `book-quet'. ;-)

This was a very good book. It filled in many of the blanks. However, Taber's proofreader should have been more careful... he/she would have caught Taber's mistake in referring to Jancis Robinson as a he instead of a she. It just goes to show that a non-wine person wrote (and proofed) the book!

Everyone knows this event was controversial. It is the tasting that allowed premium U.S. wineries to begin the meteoric rise in quality (and price) that we see today. Arguably, it is what launched the globe's infatuation with the "New World Style".

This is the story as told by the most reliable source available. Author George Tabor was the only journalist to attend this epochal event in 1976. He was a young journalist in Paris at a time when ex-pats gathered at the events held by British Wine Merchant, Steven Spurrier.

When Spurrier organized a daytime competition between the wines of California and France, no journalists answered the invitation. It is lucky for the U.S. wine industry that Tabor decided to attend at the last minute, or the results of this tasting would surely have been re-written by the shocked and embarrassed judges. A great read for anyone who loves wine and/or history.

This is the story of the wine tasting event that put California and Napa Valley on the elite winemaking map. For those who don't know, in 1976 a British wine merchant stage a blind tasting of elite French wines against California wines. The judges were all French and expected to judge in favor of the French wines. But, the California wines scored much better and suddenly French dominance of winemaking was being questioned everywhere. George Taber was the only journalist at the event and wrote a small article for Time magazine. This is his story of what happened that day and the impact it had on the world wine industry.

I was fascinated by this book not because of its description of the events, but because of Taber's description of the people and the culture of Napa Valley in the 60's and 70's that led to premium winemaking in California. I really enjoyed they way he made the personalities of the key winemakers of the time real to the reader. It would have been easy to let this story be focused on the industry and economics, but Taber tells the story of the dreamers and inventors that made it happen.

My only complaint about the book would be that Taber doesn't know when to stop. The last chapters deal with the wine industry in other countries, such as Australia, South Africa, Chile, and New Zealand. I felt this got off topic and was unnecessary and dry. Still this is a minor complaint. You can always stop reading when you get to this point and you will have had a great time.

Recommended book for anyone with an interest in wine. Also, if you are planning a trip to Napa, the wineries in the competition are a great visit.

Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine

This is not only an account of the historic blind tasting of new and old world wines. The author explores the background of the winemakers and personalities who established the Californian vineyards and promoted the technologies which enable us, the customers, to enjoy efficiently produced, quality guaranteed wines. Well researched and full of personal detail, George Taber has woven together a tapestry that illustrates the history and development of the Californian wine industry.

Another MUST READ for the wine buff / oenophile would be "NOBLE ROT - a Bordeaux Wine Revolution" by William Echikson Publ: W W Norton & Co New York / London. AMAZON should sell both these books as a pair.

Your next glass of Claret or Zinfandel will never taste the same.