Americans once made such a comedy called "Wine Industry Storm", starring Alan Rickman, and the box office was not bad.
Poster for the movie "Wine Industry", American wine bombing Paris
The film tells the story of a stubborn old lawyer in Napa Valley, California, who quits his job to make wine in pursuit of his wine dreams and pays a heavy price for it.
The wife leaves, the debt is rigged, the wine brewed with care is deteriorated, and the old lawyer who can't see the future has to return to the law firm in frustration, only to find that he has lost his qualification as a partner.
The son of the old lawyer did not give up, and he entrusted his home-brewed wine to a British vintner, despite his father's objections.
Unexpectedly, in a wine tasting contest without labeling, the bottle of wine defeated the top French wine and won the first place, thus breaking the pattern of French wine unification.
The desperate old lawyer was relieved that his years of efforts had not been in vain. More importantly, he finally realized his dream of making Chardonnay wines that could compete with French wines.
This seemingly old-fashioned story actually comes from a real history.
<h1 class="ql-align-center" > 1976, a watershed in wine history</h1>
Before 1976, French wine swept the world with few competitors.
The French believe that only France has the most perfect climate, the most perfect soil and the most perfect grapes, so only France can make the best wines.
It wasn't until May 24, 1976, at a blind wine tasting contest in Paris, that French wines from top wineries lost to obscure American wines.
The game overthrew the kingship of French wine and changed the world of wine.
Rafi in 1982, the representative of fine French wines
The industry ridiculed this historical event with the "Paris Trial" of Troy in Greek mythology, as if triggering the Trojan Slaughter in the history of French wine, and since then, the wine industry in various countries in the world has begun to flourish.
<h1>"Prosecution Agent", Englishman Steven Spielly</h1>
The Organizer of the American and French Wine Competition was organized by an Englishman, Steven Spurrier.
He is an avid wine lover, opening his own wine store and wine academy in Paris, and the combination of business and education has allowed Mr. Steven to gain fame and fortune, befriend many dignitaries, and enter the Paris wine celebrity circle.
Because they speak English, winemakers from California (Napa Valley) often come to hawk their wines. At this time, American wine was nothing more than shoddily made alcoholic water in the eyes of the French.
Steven doesn't think so, he thinks that wine from California tastes good and is worth promoting and allowing more people to understand and taste.
So when his business partner, Ms. Patricia Gallagher from the United States, proposed a California wine tasting in Paris to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the American Revolutionary War, Steven agreed without hesitation.
In an interview with reporters, Spiture said, "[California wine] is a very, very good wine, so why don't I do something for it?" “
The two began to prepare for it in 1975, and they went to California and selected 6 Cabernet Sauvignon wines and 6 Chardonnay wines, which sold locally for about $6.
After returning to France, the two issued invitations, but most celebrities were not interested, american wine, what can be delicious?
In order to attract attention, two weeks before the tasting, Steven decided to take the wine party in a blind tasting format, and added eight French wines of the highest quality to compete with California wines. In the film "Wine Industry", which is based on this collision, the screenwriter believes that Spivoli is promoting California liquor in order to attract business.
George M. Taber, a French correspondent for Time magazine, declined on the first occasion he received an invitation, saying, "Everyone knows that French cocktail wins, so why waste a day on it?" It's all about hitting the stone with a pebble. ”
Later, he attended, also because it was boring that day, and Tabor attended in friendship.
The other judges who participated in the competition also had the purpose of having fun and partying, and no one, including the organizer of the event, Spieuli, believed that American wine could win the French wine.
<h1>Incredible match: Punching and killing the teacher</h1>
May 24, 1976, Grand InterContinental Paris, France.
The 9 French judges who participated in the tasting were all important figures in the wine industry, including Michelin restaurant owners, owners of top wineries, editor-in-chief of Wine Review, president of the Bordeaux Grand Wineries Association...
The mural "1976 Paris Trial", treasured in Newburgh, Berkshire, England, tells the world about a memorable moment 43 years ago
The main characters in the painting, the celebrity judges at the time
The wines judged are divided into two groups: red and white:
The wine group is all made by the emperor of red grapes , Cabernet Sauvignon " , and 6 California wines against 4 of France 's top Bordeaux wines;
The liquor group is all made by Chardonnay, which is also 6 California wines vs. 4 top Burgundy wines.
Each bottle of wine is anonymized, using a unified wine glass, the judge uses a 20-point system as the standard to rate the wine from high to low, and then the jury sums the scores to determine the overall ranking of the wine.
There was only one reporter in attendance at the judging party— George M. Taber of Time magazine, who had a list of the wines served during the tasting, while the judges did not.
He recorded first-hand the event:
On the day of the event, the first tasting was the white wine, and the judges raised their glasses at almost the same time, shaking, observing the color, smelling the aroma, sipping, and turning the tip of their tongues.
The judges are tasting wine
"Ah, this must be French wine!" Raymond Oliver, president of the French Food Writers Association, said.
Tabe looked at the wine list, which was actually chardonnay from the Ferma Monastery in California in 1972.
Another judge, Claude Dubois-Millot, director of New Guide magazine, was even more unreliable, and after a glass of wine, he confidently said, "This is definitely a napa Valley wine in California, with no aroma at all!" ”
In fact, he tasted the top white wine of Bâtard-Montrachet, produced in Burgundy, France in 1973.
As the white wines were delivered, the French judges proudly stated that they had found "noble" French wines from the "low" American wines.
After the tasting results were announced, it was a big surprise.
Chardonnay wines from Monterrey Winery in California won the crown, while The French Winery flords ranked second, and the third and fourth places were California wines.
At Montrey's Winery in the United States, the most famous wine is Montrey's Cabernet Sauvignon dry red wine
Tabe wrote that the names were revealed, and the wine masters were all stunned.
The wine group tasting, although the French judges are shy and annoyed, but much more cautious, the first cup, the second cup... Until the end of the tenth cup, the golden hall was silent.
French wine should always win, right?
In fact, there are three top Bordeaux wines in the wine category, which in 1970 were named the best wines in 45 years by the Bordeaux Wine Industry Federation. The remaining Bordeaux, also aged in 1971, was included in the "excellent" category by the federation, and the lineup can be described as star-studded!
According to the reporter Tarbe, the reason why Mr. Spieuli chose these 4 wines was that even he himself believed that in the red wine category, American wine could not win French wine under any circumstances.
Bordeaux, France, the wine center of the world. Bordeaux wines are also known as the "Queen of Wine"
Even as California's vineyards are as pleasant and historic as californians are, winemakers are constantly innovating with Indian traditions.
However, the kingship of French wine has long worn away their sharpness, and local wineries generally believe that it is enough to be able to defend the low-end market in the state.
NaPa Valley: A famous wine valley in the United States, the world-famous California wine region
With this in mind, Mr. Spieuli simply picked 4 first-class French wineries and thought that the judges would easily recognize their hometown.
Most of the 6 American red wines against them were found from billboards in California's country taverns!
But the result of the game was also a big surprise.
The ranking was announced, and Cabernet Sauvignon from Luyue Winery in California, USA, defeated the mouton winery by a narrow margin and won the first place again.
Luyue Winery is one of the most famous wineries in napa Valley and is known as the highest quality Cabernet Sauvignon wine in the world
The French were not only surprised and ashamed this time, they were ashamed and angry, very unhappy.
Red Wine Group Judging Results
Odette Kahn, a French judge and editor-in-chief of Wine Review, asked on the spot to get her scoreboard back (she twice gave the first place score to California Wine), but was refused.
Ms. Odette Kahn
Afterwards, she published her dissatisfaction in her magazine:
"The only thing I got out of this blind tasting session was that there are certain grape growers in California who can produce small quantities of high-quality, enjoyable wine... I'm sure the French wine industry would have liked to know about it, but from this it has to be declared that Garnifoña's wine "beat" our good wine, which is a very big leap forward. ”
Another judge, Pierre Tari, was not only president of the Bordeaux League of Wineries, but also mayor of Margaux. Unable to taste Mouton and The King of Houber in his jurisdiction, the wineries in the league attacked him, and Pierre Tari's reputation plummeted, and he was forced to resign as mayor of Margaux.
The other judges of the tasting also suffered all kinds of injustices and criticisms, accused of being betrayers of French wine.
Of course, the organizer of the tasting, Mr. Spieuli, was also punished by the French wine industry, who was treated coldly at many wine institutions and expelled while buying wine at the Burgundy wineries.
Years later, Mr. Spiturey shook hands with some of the contestants
The French media were collectively silenced in their reports on the incident.
French society as a whole is reluctant to believe that the top wineries from Bordeaux and the fine Chardonnays from Burgundy will lose to the unsung American Napa Valley wines. For the French at the time, their wine lost to the Americans just as the French lost to the national team.
It wasn't until 3 months later that the right-wing newspaper Le Figaro published a short article titled "Did the Wine War Happen?" He thought the result was "ridiculous" and "didn't need to be taken seriously at all"
Half a year later, another major French newspaper, Le Monde, published a relevant article, which was exactly the same as the former. Time reporter Tabet became a thorn in the side of the French, and was rejected by the liquor industry for several years.
<h1 class="ql-align-center" > French wines lost and wine lovers around the world won</h1>
The arrogant Frenchman was reluctant to admit the result, but facts speak louder than words.
The news that wines from the New World beat French wines spread around the world through Reports from Tabet.
Time magazine reports
Mike Grgich, the producer of the california liquor used in the competition, is a Croatian immigrant who danced and sang in the distillery after hearing the news.
It's a miracle that a country winemaker from a Vineyard in California who doesn't know a single Word in French beat out European teachers.
The general manager of Montrey's Winery in California, after getting the result of the game, simply said modestly: "Yes, the poor boy from the country actually won." ”
At the time, Americans did not realize that this game had changed the history of the world wine industry.
As more and more vineyards blossom all over the world, winemakers in more and more regions have a new belief that in addition to the French, we can produce the best wines in the world.
Wine brands are in contention, and French wines are no longer dominant
Whether the arrogant Frenchman admits it or not, the game did make the kingship of French wine crumbling.
As the American master wine judge Robert M. Parker put it,
"The Paris tasting destroyed the myth of the supremacy of France and marked the dawn of an era of nationalization in the wine world. This is a watershed moment in the history of wine. ”
The emerging American wine is like a reckless child, but it can kick the respected French master off the altar.
Two California liquors, which won first place at the Paris Trials, were included in the collection of the National Museum of History and selected for "101 Objects That Witnessed American History."
Aubert de Villaine, a judge who participated in the judging, said in a 2015 interview:
"I was accused of being a betrayer, but I always thought my judgment was correct. At that time, we French people thought we were the strongest in the wine world, but in fact many of our wines were becoming more and more mediocre, and that incident sounded the alarm for us. ”
Competition from the New World has forced the French to abandon old ideas, reflect on themselves, and actively embrace the innovation of new technologies.
The rise of the wine industry in various regions has given consumers more choices and experiences.
What's more, from 1976 onwards, people's perceptions began to change.
When tasting red wine, people no longer believe in authority, superstitious about the origin, superstitious brand, they begin to return to the need itself - good or not is the criterion for judging red wine.
French wine is indeed delicious, but other countries can also make it, even surpassing the Frenchmen.
As Mr. Basler, owner of the Deer Leap Winery in Napa Valley, California, put it: It was because of the Paris Trials in 1976 that people understood a truth - that good wine does not care about origin.
So the wine, so the bag, so the watch...