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Judgment of Paris: Film "Bottle Shock" Brings the Paris Tasting of 1976 to the Big Screen

By Brad Prescott

Bottle Shock On May 24, 1976, Steven Spurrier, a British wine merchant hoping to stoke sales at his French-wine-only shop, held a wine competition in Paris. In this competition French judges were invited to blind-taste top chardonnays and cabernet sauvignons from France and California. In an event that would later be dubbed the Judgment of Paris, the California wines –included merely to serve as the “sacrificial lambs” to the supposedly superior French wines- won the competition in a shocking upset. This singular event revolutionized the wine industry and put California on the map as a major world producer of fine wine.

This story comes to life on the silver screen for the first time with the film Bottle Shock, starring Bill Pullman, Alan Richman, and Dennis Farina among other notables. I recently chatted with Bottle Shock Co-Writer and Producer Jody Savin about the film.

Why this film now?

To answer this question in a socio-political sense, I would venture to say that we live in challenging times.

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William Harrison Vineyards and Winery

You don’t see many log cabins in Napa Wine country, and you certainly don’t see many stuffed bears or boar heads, but that’s only because you haven’t visited the William Harrison tasting room. The general store feel of this lesser-known family owned winery sports a relaxed and casual vibe. While the owner sprouts from an Italian winemaking family, the tasting counter feels homegrown American. Try the Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Estate Cabernet Franc, and ask the tasting room guy if he has time to give you a tour.

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Cosentino Winery

Housed in an ivy-covered, French-chateau styles stone building, the family owned Cosentino winery continues to produce a wide variety of wines. While zinfandel comprises much of the 70,000 case production, visitors to their just-north-of-Yountville tasting room can sidle up to the copper counter and try a pinot grigio, chardonnay, cab, sangiovese, pinot noir or merlot. Winemaker Mitch Consentino prides himself on producing a wide variety of artisanal wines using traditional methods.

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Folie a Deux

Folie a Deaux is a psychiatric term that refers to two people sharing the same delusional ideas. Perhaps a whimsical name for a winery, but appropriate if the founders of the winery happen to both be psychology professionals. While the original couple no longer own the winery, their legacy lives on in the Rorschach dancers on the logo. The tasting room sports a variety of wines for tasting, including several Menage a Trois blends (one white, one red, one rose) as well as a Napa Cellars merlot, zin and sauvignon blanc. The available picnic tables make this stop particularly appealing for those who’ve purchased lunch vittles from the Oakville Grocery up the road, and need a place to nosh.

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hope & grace

Tucked away in a charming plaza, alongside art galleries and a custom jeweler, Hendricks tasting room, which features hope & grace wines, offers a quaint tasting counter, a handful of antiques, and two oil paintings worthy of contemplation. Winemaker Charles Hendricks has served as a Napa consultant for more than two decades, and while he’s known for making cabernet, he loves his pinot. Sourcing his fruit from Napa (cab) and the Santa Lucia Highlands (pinot) and naming the wine after his two daughters, Hendricks released his first wines with the 2001 vintage. Today, they make about 1800 cases, available primarily in the tasting room and at various high end restaurants.

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Hill Family Estate

Right next door to the acclaimed Bistro Jeanty, and fronting the beautiful Antique Fair antique shoppe, the tasting room of Hill Family is a natural stop between lunch and shopping. While the antique store has been around for more than three decades, the tasting space is less than two years old, but you wouldn’t guess this as you step through the recycled doors into the antique-bedecked room. 19th century French furniture, salvaged from the cellars and attics of French chateau, greet you upon entry and beckon you to the back. Before you begin browsing however, you must stop at the tasting counter and pick up a pour of the chardonnay, pinot, or Origin, so you have something to sip as you admire the heavy woods and fine finishes on the armoires, tables, chairs, desks, and other stout pieces in the store. Linger long enough, and you may forget you aren’t in France.
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