The famous 1976 tasting of Paris celebrates its 30 th anniversary this year.  Simultaneous tastings by two panels in England and California led by Steven Spurrier will be organised through a video link, reports Decanter Magazine. Spurrier is   the consulting editor of the magazine and was the inspiration behind the historic tastings which shook the wine world by awarding Californian wine s over Bordeaux and Burgundy  in blind tastings.

The tastings will take place on 24 May, in three stages. The panels will initially taste once again the original six cabernets from California , including the winning 1973 Stags' Leap Cabernet Sauvignon together with Ridge Montebello Cabernet Sauvignon 1971. The Bordeaux wine s will include Châteaux Haut-Brion and Mouton-Rothschild 1970.  This will be followed by recent vintages like the 2000 and 2001 from the same and similar properties.  Tastings also include classic Burgundy and California whites.

The UK team includes Steven Spurrier, Jancis Robinson and Michael Broadbent, while the Californian contingent will include Stephen Brook, Wilfred Jaeger, Peter Marks MW and Christian Vanneque, one of the original judges from the 1976 tasting.

Spurrier had blind tasted the New World wine s in August 2005 and had declared Grover's La Reserve as the Best New World Red Wine.

For further details, visit   http://www.decanter.com/news/80840.html

Subhash Arora