Making it especially hard for the French to accept was the list of judges who sat on the tasting panel. Among the eleven was the senior editor of  a major wine periodical, the Inspector General from the French government’s institute responsible for overseeing the production of food and wine, and a co-director of one of the Grand Crus from Burgundy. This elite group was no weekend tasting group, but the some of the most trusted authorities in the country.

Had it not been for George Taber, who covered the wine beat for Time Magazine, the world may have not been the wiser. The French press refused to report on it, instead pretending it never happened. The French wine world was convinced it was a fluke and refused to discuss the event for years. Unfortunately for them, but fortunately for California, Mr. Taber immediately released this unbelievable story to the world. Napa has never been the same.

The winning wine in the white category was a 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay created by winemaker Mike Grgich. The winning red was a 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon created by winemaker Warren Winiarski. Of course these wineries and winemakers have achieved well deserved celebrity status, as have the wine regions where the grapes were grown. It put Napa on the world wine map and actually forced the world to accept that great wines can come from all over the world. It helped not only California, but Australia and South Africa as well, receive more respect.

So where does that put the wine world 32 years later? Has the effect been positive for the wine industry, or just muddied the water? The obvious answer is that creating a broader market and searching out new sources for great wines prevents the status quo. It prevents the industry stalwarts from becoming complacent and forces them to continually strive to improve and make their products better. Without competition an industry becomes stale and old. This has been proven to be especially true of winemaking. The discovery of Napa, and then on to the other thriving new wine regions around the world, keeps everyone working to be the best they can be. And the growth in the industry has continued from there with many wine regions in California producing wines that can challenge Napa in a fair tasting. This keeps Napa, and the whole industry, on the edge and only benefit those of us who love great wine.

As we started the article, the subject of the Paris Wine Tasting has seen a resurgence in popularity on the eve of the release of these two competing movie. Let’s hope that when movie goers see these romanticized version of the Paris Tasting that they won’t forget that great wines come from all over the world and in multiple varieties. Some of the best wines in the world are still French, the tasting did not change that. Let’s hope that, just as this tasting made the French wine industry better in the end, that the exciting wine regions outside of Napa force Napa to be better for the competition as well.