Judgment of Paris

We'll discuss.

50 years after the Judgment of Paris, Virginia swept the Petit Manseng flight, and a documentary about Virginia winemakers sold out its premiere twice.

They had to book a bigger theater twice.

Yes.

And Virginia did well, hence why they released a press release.

[chuckles] Tanisha Townsend, an American board wine educator based in Paris and founder of the wine educated and lifestyle agency Girl Meets Glass, reflected on the broader significance of the tasting.

"When the Judgment of Paris happened 50 years ago, California was really the only American wine region in the conversation.

Fast-forward to today, and Virginia wines are standing shoulder to shoulder with some of France's top regions.

One journalist in the room, George Tabor from Time magazine, who had been invited almost as an afterthought, and he actually wrote it up under a heading that said it all.

Judgment of Paris.

And of course, the story went around the world.

The unthinkable.

And French judges had said so.

And some of those judges actually tried to get their scorecards back.

I'd like to be a little bit careful here because the judgment of Paris didn't end French wine.

France, hands down, is still the most prestigious wine country on earth.

And you spoke about the boats lifting everyone.

It's a California story, actually, as well, where everyone came together and they sent these people to Paris for the Judgment of Paris competition, right? Yes.

In Armenia, we use a lot of consultants, but because we are generals, we know better than them.

That's right.

It doesn't speak to me, and I don't want to be part of that kind of thing.

It's

funny, you brought up Judgment of Paris.

Jim Barrett, who was the maker of Chateau Montelena, used to come in the store all the time.

I just wanna spank.

This whole thing became known as the Judgment of Paris, and it really gave American wine some street cred on the world stage.

Before this, American wine was considered gutter juice, but now its dominance was undeniable, and the homes of that world-class wine became Napa Valley in Northern California.

People from far and wide come to take in the gorgeous sights, walk through the vineyards and taste the finest wine America has to offer.

... you know, capital of the world to we are this after, you know, whatever.

What is that? The Judgment of Paris.

Chateau Montelena.

Yeah, Chateau Paris.