The Judgement of Paris Mural in England

You may have heard of the famous Judgement of Paris, a competition held in 1976, when a blind tasting of wines baffled the French who were amazed when the prize-winning wine they had selected as winner of a competition turned tout to be not from France but, guess where?

California. USA.

I was delighted to find a mural displaying this famous scene is at The Vineyard Hotel.

The picture shows a long table with people seated at the back and the two short sides like The Last

The Vineyard At Stockcross, Newbury, Berkshire, England

You can see photos and reviews on TripAdvisor.
Search images in Google and you will find pictures and stories from Decanter.com and newspaper post .

In the picture the famous organiser of the competition, Steven Spurrier, who still talks about it at dinners, appears on the far right of the photo.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g190745-d249366-Reviews-The_Vineyard_At_Stockcross-Newbury_Berkshire_England.html#photos;geo=190745&detail=249366&ff=179428351&albumViewMode=hero&albumid=17&baseMediaId=179428351&thumbnailMinWidth=50&cnt=30&offset=-4&filter=2

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, researcher, author, speaker.

Films For The Holidays - And Films On Winemakers

Christmas holiday films are often repeats. For a Christmas present for yourself, or somebody interested in wine, several films with wine themes are interesting to watch, download or buy. Need a film for Christmas?  If you are a member of Prime, Amazon offers next day delivery.

(In alphabetical order.)

BBC three part documentary series:
1 The Firm
Berry Brothers and Rudd, and Bordeaux wines. Berry Brothers have a large business, with olde world historic shop in central London, St James's Street near Piccadilly and the Ritz hotel. In timbered rooms they hold wine dinners and wine tastings, plus a warehouse like a small supermarket on an industrial estate in Southern England.
2 The Faith
Chateaux Margaux 2003, a note year. An English wine producer.
3 The Future
South African wine industry and winemakers ... ....

Bottle Shock
(The Judgement of Paris.)
 Steven Spurrier, a wine merchant, organises a blind tasting in which French experts choose an American wine as the top wine, to the consternation of the French and the jubilation of the New World. An actor plays Steven Spurrier, who later organised a replay of the contest. In 2014 my family met him when he was VIP presiding over a lunch in London, reproducing a famous meal.

Chateau Chunder

Mondovino
Spanish for wine world.

Red Obsession.
About China and wine.

Sideways.
The protagonist (main character) knocks Merlot and praises Pinot Noir, changing American tastes in wine.

Somm.
Somm is the official abbreviation for sommelier.
Documentary about Americans who are trying to become sommeliers.

 Tu sera mon fils.
French for You Will Be My Son. About a winemaker dis-satisfied with his son's work in the vineyard, so the father's will makes the oenologist (wine maker) the inheritor of the vineyard and its management.

On holiday I like to have a choice of fictional or factual films. Sometimes you need a film at the destination apartment when travelling. I remember watching films every afternoon in my cabin on a container ship which takes on fare-paying passengers. I caught up on Bruce Lee films, one starring him, and a documentary on his life and death.

In Chamonix, France, I had a cold and could not go out skiing so I watched three versions of The Titanic. I went into the video shop and asked for the film on the Titanic. They asked, "Which one?" I hadn't seen any of them and I had a whole day to fill whilst everybody else was out skiing.

In Singapore one summer every activity I planned to attend was cancelled because of the haze. Next time I think I shall pack a CD, or borrow one from a video shop, or download a film on wine.

wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Spurrier_(wine_merchant)