Judgment of Paris

San Franciso MoMA Explores "How Wine Became Modern"

by Michael B. Dougherty (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Wine's journey in the US, from its validation at the Judgment of Paris to its current celebration in film, design, and travel, is charted in a new exhibition, "How Wine Became Modern," at San Francisco's MoMA.

Running through April 17, 2011, the show examines the attendant culture that sprung up around wine, during the past 30 years, as its popularity skyrocketed. This includes everything from wine's influence on art and design, its effect on architecture, and the mainstream acceptance of concepts like provenance and terroir. Viewers are lead through a series of rooms, beginning with a photo-mural of the 1976 Judgment tasting, by New York architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and on through exhibits of soil samples (to explain terroir), wine bottle labels, and glassware. There's also a survey of significant wine-related architecture around with the world, with projects from marquee names like Frank Gehry, Santiago Calatrava and Herzog & de Meuron.

The culmination of "How Wine Became Modern" is a "smell wall," where seven flasks of actual liquid provide an education in nosing and the shifting culture of wine terminology.

Tags: architecture, design, exhibitions, How Wine Became Modern, Judgment of Paris, media, museums, san francisco, SFMOMA, wine

Rare Judgment of Paris Wine Up For Auction To Benefit Haiti

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Auctions, Charity

Vintages from the famous 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting are very hard to obtain. The France vs. U.S. wine tasting forever changed the way the world regarded the then-upstart Napa wine region and the historic event was immortalized in the movie "Bottle Shock." Decanter reports that a rare bottle of ex-cellar 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay will be auctioned off by Spectrum Auctions to raise funds for the Friends of the Orphans Haitian Initiative.

At the Judgment of Paris tasting this wine beat all other whites including four Burgundies. "This wine has historical significance in the annals of winemaking, in that the event changed winemaking for the better, all over the world," said Chateau Montelena owner Jim Barrett. "I can think of no better way to use this wine than to put it up for auction with the proceeds to help alleviate the suffering of the poor people of Haiti."

The bottle comes in a special wooden box engraved with the history of the wine and the lot also includes images of Jim Barrett and the France vs. Paris tasting organizer and wine critic Steven Spurrier and a copy of the official tasting results. There are only a few bottles left in the winery's own cellar and one in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, it is not known how many other bottles remain in private hands.

Online bidding has already begun for the single-lot auction and sits at $1,700 last time I looked. We can expect it to go much higher, Spectrum hasn't set an estimate for this bottle because there is not really a limit to how high it could go. The live auction takes place on July 18 at 8p.m. at Chateau Montelena in Calistoga, California.

Tags: chardonnay, chateau montelena, Judgment of Paris, spectrum auctions, steven spurrier, wine