NEWS
JUDGEMENT OF SINGAPORE TO MIMIC THE PARIS EVENT 50 YEARS ON
By Staff Reporter
9-9-2026
Source: Judgement of Paris
Fifty years after the legendary Judgment of Paris which reshaped global wine perceptions, Singapore is set to host its own landmark blind tasting event, dubbed the Judgment of Singapore as the flagship programme of Singapore Wine Week 2026.
Organised by Resorts World Sentosa, the double blind tasting will run from 2 to 4 October 2026, with final results to be publicly announced on 4 October.
The original Judgment of Paris took place on 24 May 1976, arranged by British wine merchant Steven Spurrier to mark the American Bicentennial.
In that famous event, a panel of respected French wine experts tasted Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon wines from top French estates alongside little known Californian labels.
To everyone’s surprise, California wines claimed first place in both white and red categories, shattering the longnheld belief that only European vineyards could produce world class fine wine.
The outcome accelerated the rise of New World wine regions and permanently altered the global fine wine hierarchy.
While the Singapore event honours that 1976 milestone, organisers emphasise it is not a direct re‑enactment of the Paris tasting. Instead, it seeks to examine how winemaking styles, techniques and regional expressions have evolved across half a century.
Co‑chaired by Lisa Perrotti‑Brown MW and Ronan Sayburn MS, the judging panel comprises 15 leading wine experts from 10 countries, including Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers and respected industry figures.
Under strict double blind conditions, judges will evaluate 24 wines, mostly from the 2019 vintage, split between Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. The selected entries come from prestigious producers across Europe, the Americas and Australia.
Industry observers note that Singapore’s position as Southeast Asia’s fine wine trade hub makes it a fitting venue for this global tasting.
The city‑state has built a thriving ecosystem for international wine collectors, importers and trade professionals, and the event is expected to draw global media attention alongside local wine trade and consumer audiences.
According to event leadership, the core question the the tasting aims to answer is whether terroir driven character remains identifiable when wine labels and producer reputations are removed from the evaluation process.
The findings will offer fresh insight into modern day global wine quality and style diversity.
The Judgement of Singapore will feed into broader Singapore Wine Week activities, which include trade seminars, masterclasses and consumer facing tastings.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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