Steven Spurrier, Early 1970's, Caves de la Madeleine, Acedemie Du Vin Et Maintenant Bottle Shock

It's been 34 years since I turned twenty-one years old and was treated to my first wine tasting by my mother Nancy Quinn at the now quite famous Acedemie du Vin next to the Caves de la Madeleine in Paris, France just off the Place de la Concord way back in 1974. I was still in college at Randolph Macon College in Ashland, Virginia pursuing an English major, following my art career/aspirations,still very much a romantic and idealist and visiting my family and staying at 93 Paul Doumer in the nice sixteenth arrondisement in Paris. I was also working in the summer there at the American Embassy ( while in Paris my father was the consul of both the Passports and the Visa sections at different times ). I got to work at the American Embassy and got paid in American dollars that would then be converted into French francs ( exchange rate back then was 3.91 francs to the dollar I believe. We actually moved to Paris I think in 1971 and that's when this rate applied ) and then taking them to the Caves de la Madeleine to purchase what became things like my favorite white : a 1973 Montagny white burgundy from Bernard Michel ( proprietaire-recoltant in Saint-Vallerin ). It was estate-bottled and was perhaps the first white wine to really captivate my imagination and make me really wax truly-poetic for the first time?!? I know it impressed me so much that I still remember it vividly today, of that I am certain. Anyway, it cost me a whopping eighteen francs back then and I loved it and bought it and struggled at times whether or not to buy it or not because of the price. That was a fair amount back then for a bottle of wine.

Let me back-track a bit and explain. Finding out recently this August 2008 about the new movie BOTTLE SHOCK which is in part based on the famous Steven Spurrier blind-tasting of California wines versus French with both prominent Californian and French judges tasting these wines. I knew Steven Spurrier and his staff before this. As I have just mentioned we moved there to Paris in 1971 and I took my class at the Academie in 1974. The famous tasting that everyone knows the results of now ( the California wines were chosen twice, best white and best red ) by both the Americans and the French in this blind tasting ) took place in 1976. I had moved on from the Caves de la Madeleine / Acedemie du Vins scene because of following my art aspirations and money largely at this point.

I was poor, I was a struggling artist that had moved away from my parents' beautiful apartment at 93 Avenue Paul Doumer. I wanted to be self-sufficient. I did not move far coincidentally, just down to the penthouse at 100 Avenue Paul Doumer! What were the odds?! I was working in the capacity of an American male doing odd jobs for an American/French family with two young daughters. The American mother wanted an English-speaking male influence for her daughters because her French husband was always away working hard at his job. This suited me fine, I had a chambre-du-bonne across the street that I could escape to at night to recharge my batteries and regain my sanity! I grew to really like the two little girls and I think we all three benefited from our time together. Maybe they will read this and recognize that it is them that I am talking about? I'd love to reconnect with them at some point.

But back to the period that I lived with my parents at 93 Avenue Paul Doumer. That's where I really began to learn about and love wine. It is kn big part thanks to both my parents, Harry and Nancy Quinn that I owe this development. My father and I started our Paris wine career first at the small U.S. Paris embassy commissary buying some of those wines first ( Bordeaux, etcetera ) and then we started to visit together the local Nicolas stores that were pretty much everywhere to be found. It was within a year or so that we graduated to buying our wines from Steven's Caves de la Madeleine. At least this is what happened in the summers and holidays when I was there. I'd go down during my lunch break working first at the Embassy library and then in the Passports office. I have to tell you that though I really liked my bosses at both jobs ( in the library was this lovely blond French women ) I hated the work! I felt imprisoned and powerless and always wanting to escape! I remember working at the Passports office typing passports for Americans that had lost them or had them stolen and always looking up at the clock on the wall waiting desperately for 5:30 P.M. to come along. It never came soon enough. I vowed never to have another desk job. I also remember discovering then the joys of really fresh, ripe peaches then. Wow, I had never had anything like it before, at least not that I remembered. It was another revelation to me. equally important along with discovering at Steven's Caves de la Madeleine that 1973 Montagny white from Bernard Michel.

I painstakingly soaked, washed, scraped off many of the labels of these early wine trials of my father's, mother's and mine and have them here sitting next to me as I type. How convenient for me. That's how I remember the details so well. I also have the original fliers from the Caves de la Madeleine here that I will refer to. I will use all of these to help bring alive for me and you the reader this amazing period in Paris and concerning Steven Spurrier and both his wine shop and wine academie before the fateful 1976 blind wine-tasting of French and California wines.

I am spurred on by the recent developments of the movie BOTTLE SHOCK being released this early August 2008. Some of my customers at Cleveland Park have already seen it and recommend it. I still not have seen it. I definitely want to go see it, too. I have sitting upstairs a large color poster of the movie that I asked be signed and sent to me. I will mention more about this soon. Two of the investors I believe have signed it for us and I will put it in our store window this week. I hope it comes to the Uptown movie house across the street with the big screen. I'd like to see it there, too when it does come there.

This will be an evolving story and will take some time to write, Please be patient with me. Cheers, TONY