First there was the 1976 Judgment of Paris, last week was the Judgment of Princeton. The results of the Judgment of Paris in 1976 surprised the wine world and variations of the event have taken place. The most recent was in Princeton, New Jersey. Organized by the American Association of Wine Economists, AAWE, it was called “The Judgment of Princeton” and took place June 8, 2012

“The Judgment of Princeton paired selected New Jersey wines with French wines. The nine judges were from Belgium, France and the United States. George Taber who was the only reporter at The Judgment of Paris in 1976 led the Judgment of Princeton event.

Results of The Judgment of Princeton

Karl Korchmann of AAWE writes, “Although, the winner in each category was a French wine (Beaune Clos des Mouches for the whites and Chateau Mouton-Rothschild for the reds) NJ wines barely differed in their average rank from those of France. Three of the top four whites were from New Jersey. The best NJ red was ranked 3rd place. Prices for the NJ wines are typically one-third to one-twentieth of their French competitors.”

White Wines

Red Wines

A statistical evaluation of the judging and results show that for the most part the results were insignificant. The only exceptions were the highest ranked white wine and the lowest ranked red wine.

It was also noted that with most of the wine results being insignificant, the difference in price can be significant. If price is important to consumers they should look at New Jersey wines.

For more detailed information visit the AAWE blog.

While these events are important by bringing attention to lesser known wine regions, it is also important to remember that if you like a wine then it is the wine for you.

Cheers! Kathy