NEW ORLEANS, May 19, 2026 — Fifty years ago, in a Paris tasting room, nine French wine experts scored a flight of wines blind and handed California an upset that shocked the wine world and forever changed it. One judge demanded her scorecard back. The only journalist who saw fit to attend filed a story for TIME magazine that became legendary.
On May 19, 2026 — the 50th anniversary of that improbably seismic moment — International House and its celebrated Loa bar will stage The Judgment of Paris in New Orleans, joining a select wave of events honoring this milestone across the United States. While a roster of judges will formally rank the wines, this tribute - inspired by the city’s signature joie de vivre - is also a festive taste-off in which every guest is a judge.
Of note, the invited judges bring together an extraordinary collection of voices from the worlds of wine, hospitality, food, journalism, and entertainment. They include acclaimed actor, author, and vintner Hill Harper — star of CSI: NY and The Good Doctor and author of four New York Times bestsellers; Leslie Pariseau of Patron Saint, co-founder of the award-winning drinks publication PUNCH and a three-time James Beard Award nominee; renowned importer Carl Moberg of Louis/Dressner Selections, one of the most respected natural wine portfolios in the country; Lydia Castro of Acamaya; Monica Bourgeois of Pontchartrain Vineyards; Jenni Rainosek of Lirette's and formerly of Bayona; Kathleen Smith of Brennan's; Spencer Sabo of Herbsaint; Susan Hislop of Artisan Bar & Café; Leyden Pavlovics of N7; and Taylor Terrebonne of The Furloughed Four. Together, they represent a remarkable cross-section of the people shaping contemporary wine culture in New Orleans and beyond — making this anniversary celebration not only a tasting, but an authentic gathering of tastemakers.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS THAT NIGHT
The blueprint is elegant in its simplicity: four flights of five wines each, poured blind. French Bordeaux goes head-to-head against California Cabernet. French white Burgundy faces off against Napa Chardonnay. Experts judge before the party starts. Then, the fun begins, and guests score their favorites. Like masking culture in New Orleans, once concealed, the bottles are revealed. The room decides.
But the evening goes further. Beyond the main flights, a curated selection of “freestyle wines” of formidable wines from outside those two storied regions will be presented — a reminder that the wine world did not stand still after 1976. In ways, they exemplify the most consequential effect of the 1926 competition. Said one winemaker years later, “It opened the door for great wine to come from anywhere.”
In addition to anchoring the night is the special Legacy Session: more than a dozen Napa and Bordeaux reds from the 1970s and 1980s, a rare and intimate sampling of the exact wines, styles, and winemakers of the original tasting. Call it terroir or taste of Place. It’s tasting history in a glass.
Grazing tables of gourmet cheeses, breads, and artisan provisions will run throughout the evening, set in the hotel’s soaring lobby and a lounge soundtrack weaving together the definitive sounds of 1970s California and Paris — the music, the mood, the moment, not only restored but updated with a New Orleans twist.
WHY NEW ORLEANS. WHY NOW.
Across the nation, the 50th anniversary of the Judgment of Paris is being recognized as a watershed moment not just for wine, but for American confidence, creativity, and craft. New Orleans is joining that national conversation — and doing it in the only way this city knows how: with soul, style, irreverence, and authentic stakes.
The venue is no accident. International House - historically the first World Trade Center in the world before it became the first boutique hotel in New Orleans - and its soaring, timelessly beautiful lobby and the warmth of Loa, its candlelit bar, create an atmosphere that turns a tasting into an event — and an event into a memory.
“I’ve always admired rebels, the outsiders, the underdogs. For years, this hotel has been a magnet for creative rebels - musicians, writers, company founders, and tonight, rebel winemakers who care irrationally and against all odds create something extraordinary. I love how they poke a finger in the eye of convention and the Establishment, ” says Sean Cummings.
THE STORY THAT STARTED IT ALL
In 1976, British wine merchant Steven Spurrier organized a blind tasting in Paris — nine expert judges, all French, all steeped in the conviction that French wine was simply the finest in the world. California entered. California won in both the red and white categories. The reverberations were immediate and lasting: American winemakers were suddenly on the world map, Napa Valley was transformed, and the very idea of wine prestige was democratized. A rematch was held in 2006. California won again.
The Judgment of Paris at International House Hotel is both a tribute to that history and a living continuation of it. No credentials required. Just a glass, an open mind, and a willingness to be surprised.
SOMMELIER COOL MEETS NOLA CULTURE
This is also, at its heart, a love letter to New Orleans’ own wine and culinary community. The Judgment of Paris is conceived as an end-of-season celebration — a nod to the city’s sommeliers, chefs, and the guests who have supported their tireless creations and curations all year long. The tone is relaxed. The company is cheerful. The wines are extraordinary.
Think sommelier cool: not stiff, not stuffy, not a classroom. Think New Orleans: warm, alive, unapologetically itself. The night was made for people who care deeply about what’s in the glass, and maybe more so, the cheerful, good companionship in the room.
EVENT DETAILS
Date: Monday, May 19, 2026
Time: 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: Loa Bar at International House Hotel · 221 Camp Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
Tickets & Reservations: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/50th-anniversary-celebration-and-wine-tasting-76-judgment-of-paris-tickets-1985826366118