The Day Wine Became World History
What made a leading history podcast call the Judgment of Paris a global inflection point?
Welcome to a newsletter themed at the intersection of longevity and wine history. 🍷
I had the pleasure of talking about the 1976 Judgment of Paris with Scott Rank, host of the History Unplugged Podcast, a show not focused on wine, but rather on the biggest turning points in world history.
We dug into why this 1976 blind tasting shocked the global wine industry when two California wines1 beat the French elite wines, and why it was such a significant event it qualified to be discussed on a show that covers topics like World War II strategy debates, lost civilizations, and the Industrial Revolution’s unintended consequences.
History Unplugged, since its launch in 2017, has accumulated more than 20 million downloads from a broad, intellectually curious audience.
Rank often discusses what changes the course of history and why.
As far as the Judgment of Paris goes, it demonstrated that great wines in California were on par with those of France’s top regions, setting off a boom in wine production in the Golden State for the next 50 years.
There were roughly 350 wineries in California in the mid-1970s. Those numbers increased to 1,000 by the year 2000, and more than quadrupled throughout the past 25 years.
However, the entire U.S. wine industry has been experiencing a demand correction. Consumption has declined annually since 2018, except for a pandemic blip in 2020 and ’21. It’s due to a combination of declining consumption, public heath warnings, climate change and government tariffs.
Click to listen to the episode on:
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If you’re new here—hi, I’m Kevin!
I’m the author of 🍷 Rain on the Monte Bello Ridge,🍷 my forthcoming memoir about health, aging and winemaking. (Read the origin story of the book.) 🍇
The Centenarian Playbook is my newsletter, which features:
Healthy aging/longevity tips and stories from Grandma Kay’s long life.
Wine history & stories of the Gemello Winery
Ancestry & family research tips
Weekend Achievement
🥇 I snagged this medal last weekend after circling Lake Merritt several times, while achieving a personal record in the Kaiser 2026 Oakland 10K (Time: 50:50 at 8:05 mile pace). 🙌 Previous record: 8:29 mile pace.
From the Great Depression to Paris Glory
Kevin Ferguson joins the “On The Road with Mr. CA Wine” podcast to discuss Great Depression winemaking, Italian immigration, Grandma Kay’s longevity journey, and the legendary 1976 Judgment of Paris.
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1976 winning wines: Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars 1973 S.L.V. Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay
congratulations! 8-minute miles for a 10K is not too shabby...