Steven Spurrier, Briton who helped make Calif. wines a global commodity, dies at 79

“The Judgment of Paris” sounds like a historical trial. In a way, it was.

It was the day — May 24, 1976 — that British wine expert and merchant Steven Spurrier lined up France’s foremost wine experts for a “blind” tasting without labels on the bottles. Traditional French Burgundy and Bordeaux vintages were sampled alongside wines from relative upstarts from California’s Napa Valley.