Jake Heggie’s new opera ‘The Judgment of Paris’ will mix mythology and an infamous wine competition

In a creative twist that blends history with high art, the legendary 1976 Paris wine tasting that shocked the wine world is being transformed into an opera by acclaimed composer Jake Heggie. The new production, “The Judgment of Paris,” will premiere on July 18 at California’s Festival Napa Valley, organizers announced Wednesday.

The event, which saw California wines triumph over prestigious French selections in a blind tasting, revolutionized the global wine industry and put Napa Valley firmly on the world’s wine map. Now, this watershed moment will be celebrated in operatic form by Heggie, whose previous works include adaptations of “Dead Man Walking” and “Moby-Dick.”

“I was looking for something that was fun, delightful, could be kind of wacky and crazy as well as deeply meaningful and cross boundaries,” Heggie explained about his rare venture into comedy. The composer is known primarily for tackling serious subject matter in his previous operatic works.

The production will feature an impressive cast, with soprano Danielle De Niese starring as Venus and baritone Quinn Kelsey as Bacchus, blending mythology with historical figures. Tenor Nicholas Phan will portray Steven Spurrier, the British wine merchant who organized the original tasting, while mezzo-soprano Simone McIntosh will play Patricia Gallagher, and soprano Brenda Rae will take on the role of French wine critic Odette Kahn.

Heggie promises theatrical drama based on the real events, noting: “One of the judges literally was demanding her scorecards back after the winners were announced. So we’re going to have a nice mad scene for that judge, with Brenda Rae doing coloratura soprano.”

The 1976 tasting, which took place at the Intercontinental Hotel in Paris, included prominent French culinary figures among its judges, such as Jean-Claude Vrinat of Taillevent and Raymond Oliver of Le Grand Véfour. In a shocking upset, Chateau Montelena’s 1973 chardonnay beat out a Meursault-Charmes Roulot among whites, while Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars’ 1973 cabernet sauvignon topped a 1970 Château Mouton Rothschild in the reds category.

The results were so controversial that some French judges faced accusations of treachery. “It was such a scandal,” Heggie said. “Some of those judges were accused of being traitors by the French.”

Time magazine journalist George M. Taber chronicled the event and later published a book titled “Judgment of Paris,” referencing the Greek mythology story about events leading to the Trojan War – a connection that inspired the opera’s mythological elements.

The project came together with remarkable speed for an operatic production. Festival CEO Rick Walker approached Heggie in January, seeking a performance to mark both the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the festival’s 20th anniversary.

“The outcome, of course, was revolutionary,” Walker said of the historic tasting. “It was proof that you can make great wine in the New World in Napa Valley in California and in America but also throughout the New World. It’s not the exclusive province of the Old World.”

While Heggie’s operas typically require five to eight years to reach the stage, this production has moved at an accelerated pace. Librettist Gene Scheer completed the text between May and October. The one-act work, approximately 60 minutes in length, will be conducted by Kent Nagano and directed by Jean-Romain Vesperini.

Audiences won’t have to wait until July to get a taste of the production. Excerpts will be performed at Printemps department store in New York on February 18, followed by a workshop at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in April and additional previews in Los Angeles on May 26.

Scheer explained the creative approach: “Opera historically has bloomed out of myths and mythology and to lean into that as a point of departure seemed sort of natural. When you’re doing a comedy, when the stakes are high and the egos are high or grand, it makes it easier to make fun of them and have fun with it.”

The production represents a unique intersection of American cultural achievement, bringing together fine wine, operatic tradition, and a pivotal historical moment that changed perceptions of American viticulture forever.