Stackstone Grille Restaurant, LLC

Stackstone Grille Restaurant, LLC
To:	All Wait Staff
From:	Restaurateur Name Here
CC:	Larry Jenkins, Restaurant Manager
Date:	1/9/2015
Re:	Staff Training – The American Wine Industry, the 1976 Paris Judgment
Comments:	The discussion of the training on the American wine industry: the 1976 Judgment of Paris which had actually put the American wine industry on the map as the top wine producing country.

The 1976 Paris tasting which is known as the (Judgment of Paris), had started a revolutionary effect which was described by Barbara Ensrud of the Wall Street Journal “Like a vinous shot heard around the world”. In this brief description in the memo, the training will conduct a training understanding the American wine industry and the how we became and still today known as the top wine producer in the world. Having the knowledge of this when serving help put as experts of what we serve with our cuisines.

On May 24, 1976, this wine tasting in Paris had changed the world’s views on California wines forever. The tasting was held by Steven Spurrier, an English wine merchant who owned a wine shop and also a wine school in the center of Paris. Spurrier loved the California Cabernets and the Chardonnays that was brought by his shop by his student. He arranged a blind taste test to put the California wine against the French wine since they came from the same grapes to see how they will be compared up to the French.

The Cabernet Sauvignon was the top-ranked over the Bordeaux, which had the best four top ranking. The Chateau Montelena Chardonnay of 1973 from California beat out it French counterparts. The French didn’t like this still today.  A taste test was done again 30 years later and the California wines are today is considered the best in the world beating out again the French wines.

California wines that ranked by the judges was as follow;

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973, Napa Valley (Ranked 1)

Freemark Abbey Winery 1969 (Ranked 2)

Ridge Vineyard Monte Bello, 1971 (Ranked 1 and 2)

Heitz Wine Cellars Martha’s Vineyard, 1970 (Ranked 1)

In the training we will go more in-depth with on why these wines are still considered the best in the world and the why the America wine industry beat out French wine industry.

References

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, (2014).  THE 1976 PARIS TASTING. Retrieved from:

              http://www.cask23.com/history/parisTasting/.

Slate Wine’s World. May 24, 2006. By: Mike Steinberger. The Judgment of Paris –

What the French didn’t learn from the legendary wine tasting. Retrieved from: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/wines_world/2006/05/the_judgment_of_paris.html.

About Food. (2015). By: Stacy Slinkard, Wine Expert. The 1976 Paris Wine Tasting – The

Judgment of Paris. How The Reining Queen of the Wine World was Dethroned by Her Own. Retrieved from:  http://wine.about.com/od/historyandculture/a/The-1976-Paris-Wine-Tasting-The-Judgment-Of-Paris.htm.