Drinks Are On Me

Time Magazine used the Internet to republish their entire collection of articles dating back to 1943. Now, for the first time in decades, we wine geeks can read the 359 words that shocked the world in 1976. Here is George M. Taber’s landmark reporting from France.

Judgment of Paris

Monday, Jun. 07, 1976
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Americans abroad have been boasting for years about California wines, only to be greeted in most cases by polite disbelief—or worse. Among the few fervent & respected admirers of le vin de Californie in France is a transplanted Englishman, Steven Spurrier, 34, who owns the Cave de la Madeleine wine shop, one of the best in Paris, & the Academic du Vin, a wine school whose six-week courses are attended by the French Restaurant Association’s chefs & sommeliers. Last week in Paris, at a formal wine tasting organized by Spurrier, the unthinkable happened: California defeated all Gaul.

The contest was as strictly controlled as the production of a Chateau Lafite. The nine French judges, drawn from an oenophile’s Who’s Who, included such high priests as Pierre Tari, secretary-general of the Association des Grands Cms Classes, & Raymond Oliver, owner of Le Grand Vefour restaurant & doyen of French culinary writers. The wines tasted were transatlantic cousins—four white Burgundies against six California Pinot Chardonnays & four Grands Crus Chateaux reds from Bordeaux against six California Cabernet Sauvignons.

Gallic Gems. As they swirled, sniffed, sipped & spat, some judges were instantly able to separate an imported upstart from an aristocrat. More often, the panel was confused. “Ah, back to France!” exclaimed Oliver after sipping a 1972 Chardonnay from the Napa Valley. “That is definitely California. It has no nose,” said another judge—after downing a Batard Montrachet ‘73. Other comments included such Gallic gems as “this is nervous & agreeable,” “a good nose but not too much in the mouth,” & “this soars out of the ordinary.”

When the ballots were cast, the top-soaring red was Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ ‘72 from the Napa Valley, followed by Mouton-Rothschild ‘70, Haut-Brion ‘70 & Montrose ‘70. The four winning whites were, in order, Chateau Mont-helena ‘73 from Napa, French Meursault-Charmes ‘73 & two other Californians, Chalone ‘74 from Monterey County & Napa’s Spring Mountain ‘73. The U.S. winners are little known to wine lovers, since they are in short supply even in California & rather expensive ($6 plus). Jim Barrett, Monthelena’s general manager & part owner, said: “Not bad for kids from the sticks.”

I wish I knew as much about wine at Jillian Marini’s age as she does.

Marini, the 27-year-old sommelier at T.W. Food in Cambridge, Mass., is wise beyond her years. Take, for instance, the wine list she helped develop for the three-year-old restaurant. Ranging from a Merlot/Cabernet Franc blend from Long Island’s Bedell Cellars to 2006 Domaine de la Romanee Conti Echezeaux, Marini’s list paired with Tim & Bronwyn Wiechmann’s menu both read like manifestos for local wine & food. Both menus reveal thoughtful choices & helpful descriptions. Unlike many restaurant wine lists, there’s no pretense or ego. Instead, you get the sense that a person actually thought out this list.

Consider the Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs from Napa Valley I enjoyed there recently. The creamy texture & strawberry & cherry flavors make for a delicious combination. Based on 100% Pinot Noir, this California sparkler tastes like it actually came from somewhere.

Marini & the T.W. Food team have created a local wine & food experience that will keep me coming back.

Kosher wine is crap, right? Yeah, & smoking is cool & black people should ride in the back of the bus too.

Come on. Get with it, Chester. Times are different now. There is legit Kosher wine available, cigarettes are bad for you & equal rights under the law are finally now the norm rather than the exception.

At The Urban Grape in Chestnut Hill, Mass., I recently spotted Carmel Winery’s “President,” a Vin Mousseux sparkling wine from Israel for $29. “I must be insane,” my inner voice told me as I reached for my credit card. How was I to know curiosity would kill the Cruse?

It started out well enough, right? It smelled good. The flavor proved to be pleasant but unrelenting. Kinda like an overweight bald guy who talks too much about wine & is good about getting first dates but is quite abysmal when it comes to earning a second. And I am sure I would not know anything about that.

Was it delicious? No. Was it drinkable? Yes. Was it worth $29? No. Will it prove there is legit, drinkable Kosher wine available in the marketplace? You damn betcha.

So if you can stop beating your wife long enough to find a legit wine shop that carries quality wine, you can finally start living in the 21st Century. What took you so long?

I do not know why it took me nearly a month to think of it, but “A Glass Of Champagne A Day For A Year” is now the “Champagne Campaign”!

When you think of Champagne, you think of France. You think of ubiquitous names like Veuve Clicquot, Moet & Chandon, & Dom Perignon. And you would not be alone. What you do not think of is Massachusetts. And you definitely do not think of Westport Rivers. Well, until now you didn’t.

Located in southeastern Massachusetts, Bob Russell, his wife Carol, & their sons Rob (pictured) & Bill, have been creating fine sparkling & still wines for nearly 30 years on New England’s largest vineyard. Hand harvesting & years of aging produce an array of sparkling wines that can rival many of the finest bubblies available anywhere.

Utilizing 35 acres of Chardonnay, 22 acres of Pinot Noir, & two acres of Pinot Meunier, the Russell family uses the traditional method to craft wines with depth & structure, making them ideal food wines.

While these wines lend themselves to fine dining, they’re also delicious all by themselves. My friend Michelle, who admits she’s a Champagne snob & never met an American sparkling wine she liked, cozied up & made friends with the Westport Blanc des Blanc & its fruit, acid, & pinpoint bubbles. You could not pay her to pair it with sushi, but I think now she will finally be willing to pay for American sparkling wine.

Local girl learns to enjoy local sparkling wine? Now that is something worth thinking about.

Photo from EastCoastWineries.