The film release, "Bottle Shock" is set in the Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley - northern California wine country, and is loosely based on the true story of California wines' coming out party in 1976 after entering some California wines in a blind tasting in Paris, known as The Judgment of Paris, or The Paris Wine Tasting of 1976. The idea for the competition was that of the British born, but Paris based, wine merchant, Steven Spurrier. Having toured and tasted his way throughout the northern California wine country to include Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley and Sonoma County, Spurrier was quite surprised to find much of the wine to be world class in his opinion. And so he was instrumental in persuading a number of Sonoma and Napa wine country purveyors to enter their wines in his international competition in Paris.
Jim Barrett, the owner of the Napa Valley vineyard, Chateau Montelena, took him up on that suggestion and it was his 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay that came home with the top prize for white wine, thereby putting California wines on the map and making not only California wines relevant, but serving to opening up the world to the possibilities of great wines coming from far outside of France and its long-held dominance on the industry. The wine maker responsible for the 1973 Chardonnay that changed the industry was vintner, Miljenko "Mike" Grgich who in the year following his new found recognition, established the Grgich Hills Cellar. At 85, Mike Grgich is still active in his Grgich Hills Cellar winery and earlier this year, in March 2008, was inducted into The Vintner Hall of Fame in honor of his many contributions to the wine industry.
