Taber, George M. 1942–

(George McCaffrey Taber)

PERSONAL: Born May 25, 1942, in Riverside, CA; son of Robert L. (a circus performer) and Marie (McCaffrey) Taber; married Jean Belden, September, 1967; children: Lara, Stephen, Jeffrey, Daniel. Education: Georgetown University, B.A., 1964; Collège d'Europe, M.A., 1965. Religion: Roman Catholic.

ADDRESSES: Home—RI. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Scribner Publicity Department, Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

CAREER: United Press International, Charleston, WV, reporter, 1964; stringer for Time-Life, Inc. and Washington Star in Brussels, Belgium, 1966–67; Time, New York, NY, 1967–69, correspondent in Bonn, West Germany, 1969–71; European Economic Community, Brussels, spokesman, 1971–73; Time, correspondent from Paris, France, 1973–76, and Houston, TX, 1976–77, Washington, DC, 1977–79, senior editor, 1979–88; founder of NJBIZ (business newspaper).

WRITINGS:

John F. Kennedy and a Uniting Europe, Collège d'Europe (Brugge, Belgium), 1967.

Patterns and Prospects of Common Market Trade, P. Owen (London, England), 1974.

Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine, Scribner (New York, NY), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: George M. Taber's first two books have political and economic themes, while his third, Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine, is a history of an event he personally covered for Time magazine. The tasting took place in a Paris hotel, and all of the judges were French. The event, which Taber was the only journalist to cover, saw California wines outperform France's finest and marked the world recognition of the California industry. He profiles the two Californians whose red and white wines placed first in their categories, as well as other unique characters, and the shock when the results were made known. Taber notes that the industries of both countries have benefited from each other. French grapes imported to California raised the quality of the wines, while American rootstock saved the French in the nineteenth century. A Publishers Weekly reviewer wrote that "while the outrage of some of the judges is funny, this is a serious business book too." A Kirkus Reviews contributor described Judgment of Paris as "an intoxicating indulgence for Sideways fans and an education for would-be wine sophisticates."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 2005, review of Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine, p. 726.

Library Journal, August 1, 2005, Ann Webber, review of Judgment of Paris, p. 117.

Publishers Weekly, June 27, 2005, review of Judgment of Paris, p. 50.