The Day California Beat France at Its Own Game: The Judgment of Paris
Our American Stories
iHeartPodcasts
4.6 • 817 Ratings
🗓️ 21 April 2026
⏱️ 20 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1976, a British wine merchant named Steven Spurrier organized a small wine tasting in Paris that most assumed would confirm what everyone already believed: French wines were simply the best. That changed when a group of unknown American winemakers went head-to-head with the best of France and won.
In what later became known as the Judgment of Paris, some of the most respected names in French winemaking were forced to reckon with the idea that Napa Valley could produce wines on par with, or even better than, their own. Kevin Ferguson, whose grandfather worked in the California wine industry, shares the story of that turning point, along with insights from Spurrier himself, the man who helped make it happen.
Be sure to check out Kevin’s Substack for more stories about his time in wine.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:02.6 | Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:13.9 | This is our American Stories. |
| 0:17.3 | Up next, a story about California wine, |
| 0:20.3 | determined young entrepreneurs devoted to their art |
| 0:22.9 | and the most famous or infamous wine tasting of all time, depending on what side of the |
| 0:29.2 | Atlantic you're on. |
| 0:30.5 | Here's our own, Monty Montgomery with the story. |
| 0:33.0 | You'll also be hearing from wine historian Kevin Ferguson and others in the business. |
| 0:38.3 | Take it away, Monty. |
| 0:39.3 | 102, take one. |
| 0:40.3 | Ah, the French champagne has always been celebrated for its excellence. |
| 0:49.3 | There is a California champagne by Paul Mazzon, |
| 0:53.3 | inspired by that same French excellence. |
| 1:01.4 | When you think of wine, naturally, you think of France, Bordeaux, Burgundy, champagne, |
| 1:07.1 | which is a term protected by international law. |
| 1:09.9 | Bubbly made in say Michigan and New York can never legally be called champagne, |
| 1:14.5 | at least within the borders of the EU. |
| 1:17.0 | And that's because the French take their wine seriously, very seriously. |
| 1:21.9 | It's the best in the world, after all. |
| 1:24.1 | Why buy, let alone think of, wine from America? |
| 1:27.2 | In 1976, the new world did not exist |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from iHeartPodcasts, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of iHeartPodcasts and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.