Meet Steven Spurrier: The Man who Changed Wine Forever

In this episode of Munchies Presents, we introduce you to Steven Spurrier, possibly the single most influential living figure in the world of wine. If it weren’t for him, the industry would still be run by French aristocrats and none of us would ever have heard of the Napa Valley. From his personal cellar, to a tasting of Spain’s greatest wine, to the Dorset vineyard where he’s making English bubbly that shows up Champagne, we’ll find what exactly it means to be a world-class wine expert and hear the story of how he changed wine forever on one day in 1976.
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[@mouszangeorge8927]

Sadly Steve passed away this week. California wine makers should have a statue built for him in his honour. Rest in peace

[@geraldsentences7729]

may he rest in wine heaven

[@hulagu3068]

I'm guessing from how much wine he drank everyday (50) cirrhosis.

[@hilohahoma1547]

I think that is a very fitting idea.

[@lauracanna2201]

​@@hulagu3068he was tasting >50 wines a day, not drinking! 😏

[@Henrik.O]

I think we all remember that moment when the butler poured us our first glass of port. Ah..Memories. Sweet memories.

[@1080LT]

Especially a $4-5k bottle, brings a tear to my eye

[@MsJavaWolf]

@@1080LT I personally wouldn't drink such cheap wine, but it's fine for the kid.

[@BeastingOutShorts]

what a life as a kid

[@johnkristian]

Ah, yes. I always have my butler prepare my wine.

[@gregbrightwell662]

Im looking for a '71 Sandemans port for my 50th next year...hard to find

[@ahpadt]

I was pleasantly surprised to hear he doesn't buy bottles more expensive than £50. Was just waiting to hear he had several ultra rare, ultra expensive bottles, but no.

[@MartoKFTW]

ahpadt Wanted to write exactly the same. I like it a lot he buys it to drink and share as he says!

[@roblobster10]

ahpadt I think though that he buys many bottles well before they've hit their prime because he has a cellar, and probably the knowledge of what years might end up being good vintages. So he might have purchased many of them for ~50 at the time, but I'm sure many are worth much more after about 5+ years. At least for the reds.

[@arjiecustoms1946]

Yea leaves a good chance for the most of us to learn and get a small collection

[@Bouchon211]

+ahpadt At around the 10 minute mark he seems to have many ultra rare ultra expensive bottles. Many may have been gifts or were worth £50 at one time, but today are extremely rare bottles.

[@445CR]

Unfortunately, and I hate to break this to you, the 3 bottles displayed before he said that were all well over £50

[@DKC623]

Rest in peace. He was a legend.

[@pala7233]

I met him when I was buying wines at the Caves de la Madeleine in Paris. I was very young, but I could afford great wines at a time when they were still affordable. Mouton Rothschild 1982 at 650 french francs in 1985/86. A little fortune at the time, but unreachable now, at least for me. The Académie du Vin next door organized great tastings. I have fond memories of one where we tasted great wines, ending with Chateau Margaux 1985 and La Turque 1985, all that for a very modest price. RIP Steven Spurrier, you will be missed a lot!

[@wilsoncastleman656]

And he won 4 consecutive SEC championships. What a legend.

[@BlackJesus8463]

Is there anything he can't do?

[@deeremeyer1749]

Kinda bummed he didn't wear a visor while tasting.

[@andrewthetextbook489]

Lol

[@andrewthetextbook489]

Was waiting to see how long it would take for someome to say something like that.

[@Stickmanvan2]

Munchies should do more videos like this! Success stories about interesting people who are super passionate about their not-too-often explored trade are always super cool to hear.

[@rainerwinkler6140]

It's not because he's super passionate it's because he's super rich

[@rainerwinkler6140]

@Seth Belfort that's so cool because that just doesn't matter at all thanks for your terrible input though 👍👍

[@TheRedfull]

It is not a "not-too-often explored trade", There is a huge community in the wine industry

[@diodelvino3048]

@@rainerwinkler6140 Thats actually completely wrong, it's because of this man that American wine was put on the global stage and opened up a huge market. California alone would be the 5th largest wine economy because of a single even he put together

[@lexismith8206]

Rest in peace Steven. Cheers to you for sharing your wine expertise with us, you are a legend. 🍷

[@ZachVisentin]

*Spits out wine*, "That is fantastic my dear"

[@taskerpro944]

Zach Visentin; This guy's a walking "Party Foul". Spitting out wine wherever he goes. Even in his own winery. "We make wonderful wine. Excuse me while I spit it on the floor".

[@MaggieSunseri]

@Zachary Dupont It is what you are supposed to do! I still can't wrap my head around the concept of trying not to get drunk tho lol

[@nofurtherwest3474]

@@taskerpro944 he tastes so much that if he drank it he'd be walking around drunk all day. professional tasters never swallow and that goes for coffee tasters too

[@Exclusivesociety]

Not sure about the specifics, but i also heard you can experience the flavor more if you spit it out rather than swallowing.

[@McShag420]

yeah nice and crunchy like a good corn flake

[@chikken_soup]

The prestige of Napa Valley is all due to this man

[@carlaprice1586]

@Chicken Soup. True, but there is more to the story than that. Spurrier was friends with Andre Tchelistcheff, the Godfather of California wines. A great movie to watch (if you enjoyed this short), is André - The Voice of Wine. BTW Andre can be seen in this video @ 5:56. He is the gentleman to the right.

[@jackstraw3934]

Carla Price Check out the film based on the Judgement in Paris competition. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottle_Shock

[@RicardoTroutman]

@@jackstraw3934 thanks for sharing!

[@zwimipo1828]

good shill for bad wine im sure he made a fortune out of it

[@mouija1450]

My grandfather also had the butler pour me my first glass of wine, which was also a 1908 port. It was jolly good don't you know my boy?

[@sihamulan68]

Great video. Love people who are passionate and successful in their trade.

[@geordiewineguide]

I'm always star struck when I see Steven at tastings! He changed the wine world for the better. He allowed Californian wines to share the same space with the great classic french wines.

[@3RacoonsInATrenchCoat]

*drinks liquid* "I like the crunch"

[@ericpullen3717]

You must taste 40 year old port to understand ..........my boy

[@MG-jd6kt]

That crunchy texture is referring to the snap of acidity, particularly relevant to young white wines. Or maybe not.

[@dwongst]

I believe the “crunchy“ descriptor refers to the vibrant acidity that brings to mind the flavor of not yet fully-ripe fruits, e.g. crunchy blackberries or crunchy black currants.

[@CalamariSauce]

This had me dying lmfao

[@mok6802]

M G you sounded so confident and then end it with that lmfaoo

[@gratefultube]

Thank you, Steven, for all you are and all you do for truth, beauty, and goodness. First bought a cork-finished wine in 1973 and have been entranced with this lovely beverage ever since.

[@SCForAll]

This video was fun to watch. Thanks for making it. Also, thanks to Steven Spurrier for his contribution(s) to the wine industry.

[@maysunh]

hahahah <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="826">13:46</a> when he spat the wine on the floor, i dont think he was expecting that!

[@markt2609]

Not at all my boy! X’D

[@boyinjuly1]

"He had the butler pour me out a glass of port"..... -___-

[@AureaPersona]

Bertie Thorpe You didn't have a butler as a child?.. Were your family turnip farmers or something?

[@quixutica]

AureaPersona Not sure if joking...

[@stanleyc2978]

Hoopdey Dooped Are you really not sure? Are you suuurrreeee you're not sure?

[@escope1959]

Bertie Thorpe I was thinking about that the whole video

[@psiklops71]

AureaPersona no mine were the one's who picked up the turnips when the trucks crashed and ran with them

[@giornogillespie5755]

Finally got someone to talk about Al Kee Hol, that actually has a vast amount of knowledge and Is highly regarded in the industry.

[@daebakcouragelifestyle9078]

Yes, the late Steven Spurrier is a legend. I had the occasion to meet him in person several times. I offered to write a book for our late Mr Broadbent once upon a time. Both legends and true gentlemen- DC

[@AJ-ei3ke]

Beautiful! Thank you for this video!

[@soonerboy09]

He's a helluva football coach as well.

[@tmartins2956]

That’s another steve oh lord

[@alethefreerider]

Brilliant, thank you munchies!

[@mueezadam8438]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="185">3:05</a> _“And the taste just confirmed what you’ve actually seen and tasted”_

[@23Robusto]

Excellent video and Steve said not one disparaging word about FSU (Free Shoes University)

[@Biggbosstellymasala]

I was wondering about napa wine limo tours and I must say that you guys are really compel me to visit..excellent work guys

[@firassaado3971]

its a great video about wine!! hope to have more of them to watch.

[@WineScribble]

Fascinating video! Love this

[@hedduyou]

@<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="215">3:35</a> I love the freshness and the.... crunch??>>!!!>??? Dude is supposed to be head of his field using words like crunch? I had a wine last night, it was crunchy and damp.

[@gregoryschell313]

a wonderful history! enjoyed this video immensely (over a glass of wine, of course)

[@Pebbs800]

Very interesting and great documentary!

[@nestorgonzalez8021]

The man who got me into the world wine... forever grateful on his influence!!!

[@europeanbourgeois8223]

I fucking love this guy. A true Englishman that went to France to give them a good beating on their own soil. Av'it.

[@schechter01]

Henry V of England Heir of France Old rivalries never entirely die, eh? 😏 Perhaps one day Britain will send in the army to take Alsace-Lorraine...again.

[@florenceandthemakeup]

Can tell by your comment and the videos you liked that you probably voted Remain!

[@lipstickonmyglass3297]

Nice story, much appreciated this video

[@IndecisiveConclusion]

RIP Steven. Great man, and a great inspiration.

[@thetwowinewomen6128]

Such a great video. We so want to meet him and soak up some knowledge from him someday. I wonder how many people owe their love of wine to him, since he did so much for California, and that's where so many of us start.

[@mariahcarey9470]

He passed on. Did you manage to meet him?

[@systematicinsomniac]

Something I can day drink to :) "That's when I had my moustache.." gorgeous haha

[@danf321]

As much as I like French wine, I’m so happy to live in California to have tasted many Cabs and Cab blends that I’d love to compare next to the Bordeaux wines. Bring ‘em on!

[@TheDesertWineGuy]

Very interesting video , I really enjoyed it.

[@BigT5535]

I'm disappointed that this isn't the Old Ball Coach slamming bottles of Yellow Tail.

[@pinchevulpes]

BigT5535 LMAO

[@cmc6112]

Lol

[@johnsheetz6639]

Ha!!!

[@shaquejones4119]

It’s amazing to know how serious the wine 🍷 industry. So many varieties to choose.

[@josephgschwartz]

Definitely read the as Steve Spurrier also know as "The Old Ball Coach"

[@hdrider2146]

I aspire to the level of this man's greatness

[@TigesTheWinemaker]

Really looking forward to checking out some English Sparkling wines

[@FrankQ777]

Great work 👏

[@DomBill1]

The legend that is... Steven Spurrier! 🙏🏻😍

[@damnchill2688]

Extremely educational.

[@PeterFritzWalter]

Thank you so much for this video that teaches me a lot for I am also a wine lover since I was an adolescent and had hardly any money to buy wine and cigars, my other love.

[@booxwee3804]

Although im only 18, my story is quite similar to his, my grandfather who was a wine collector introduced me to wine. He bought a case of year 2000 wine which I later was given. I dont see myself becoming a wine writer, but its really interesting!

[@stefanvansteenberge]

great vintage in Bordeaux.

[@DrewPBalls]

i was at a wine tasting with him and he tasted some trash wine and just said "nigga, this shit is trash". true story.

[@thewinemaker3356]

Good to know, thanks

[@elgroomez]

the ol' ball coach is cleans up nicely.

[@edwardwayne5824]

still can't not believe he already left us

[@claystar9valor]

"I don't like paying more than 50 pounds a bottle." Good to know I should never have to spend more for quality.

[@paulargier]

If Alan Rickman played you in a movie, you know you were a badass. RIP - Steven Spurrier 🍷

[@TheWineDecoder]

Steven Spurrier is a true wine legend!

[@palaceSC2]

Mad that he lives in the same flats as me

[@THEGREENHELIUM]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="216">3:36</a> T H E C R Ö N C H

[@mueezadam8438]

THE GREEN HELIUM **Splueck**

[@GetOutsideYourself]

The great Alan Rickman portrayed him so well in Bottle Shock.

[@vinblack85]

Great film too

[@geoffn1530]

Jonathan Stewart I knew it! I figured this was the guy that inspired the bottle shock character. That was one of the best movies I’ve seen

[@mariahcarey9470]

Now they have both passed on. Steven Spurrier didnt like Bottle Shock because he thought Alan was too old plus he had already signed up to advise Sideways the movie. Funnily enough,Alan had met Steven in South Africa many years ago

[@stephanleo]

I want to have all the wines at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="382">6:22</a> !!!

[@lauracanna2201]

I loved when he said that he never pays more than £50 for a bottle of wine ❤❤❤❤ I thought people at that level were only drinking REALLY expensive wines, I'm glad he proved me wrong ❤

[@baewuf]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="100">1:40</a> K this guy is rich.

[@riseagan]

RIP and thank you for everything did.

[@ahmedsgallery3507]

RIP man

[@globtrotter1976]

If I have a vega sicilia in My glass, I am not Spitting it...

[@winewithluigi]

imagine he had a sour, low-quality petit-chablis instead of the sweet port in his childhood, will he still do this profession??

[@chriscontact5857]

I came here because of the youtube channel Today I Found Out just covered this in the episiod The Wine Lover Meltdown.

[@m1garandisthebest]

homies got the right attitude

[@doomtrigger]

Lol at the end he spits out the wine and the guys was um OK had the most confused look on his face

[@brokenrecord3523]

not more than 50 pounds...right... I checked what his Bride Valley goes for - about 50 pounds. That makes him pretty cool in my book.

[@AnthonyHernandez-yo1xr]

Dude spits like a master.

[@andrewattenboroughtwothumb4697]

he and oz Clarke have the best refined palates in the world and Steve is hard to beat not on just reviews as a critic myself I look up to guys like this

[@Stratigic_Cheese_Reserve]

His wine maker's face when he says pretty good is nonchalant, I'd be like f**k yeah!

[@TCWG87]

RIP Steven

[@lukeelliott6328]

Everyone deserves the pleasure of Virginia wine... You seriously have to try it!

[@1999_born]

highly underrated, some of the best wine in North America and no one gives it a glance Williamsburg native here, we love our wine and hope others do to

[@NickPanSG]

RIP Mr Steven Spurrier. 1941 - 2021. You will always be my hero.

[@sjohnston4272]

Imagine working for this guy...

[@ingak.4865]

Wine is all a out sharing. So true

[@Miketrt]

Was that Milo at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="272">4:32</a> LOL?

[@gregbrightwell662]

Crazy ass old Micheal Broadbent!

[@Carlos-lz7il]

Man where's Steve Spurrier

[@bosskoala7]

Haha how the guy re-writes history about his intention behind the Paris testing.

[@truthbknown4957]

Nothing you can drink in an hour is worth hundreds of dollars a bottle. Expensive wines are for people with more dollars than sense. But there are worse ways to piss your money away.

[@theartesana]

Wine is to share? I’m sorry sir my wine is mine! 😚🍷

[@scotday]

the former qb of the niners and football coach also changed wine

[@sinqros]

I wonder what his fave wine is? Mine so far is Bordeaux left & right, & Gamay, Also Sauternes White from Bordeaux

[@elliothm8370]

Rest in Peace, Sir!

[@HaiNguyen-sx9ek]

he uses a dell laptop, not a macbook which make me happy

[@Spartacus547]

Not all the wines from California from Napa Valley the oldest wines used to come from the Antelope Valley, go back as far as 1860s

[@OvenBakedCookie]

Who the heck did the English captions for this video? From <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="496">8:16</a>, it should be "Stag's Leap Wine Cellar", "Mouton Rothschild", and "Haut Brion"

[@alexmarrast6905]

I hope one day Modern Vintage wines from grenada reach to the pallets of the wine tasting masters. I hope most of them are still alive and would like to taste Exotic Fruit Wines.

[@HistoryRocksMuse]

Rest in Power sir. Thank you for all you've done over the decades to help people better understand and appreciate wines in all their complexity and nuance.

[@samuela9245]

My type of man

[@GrillWasabi]

I work in one of the world's largest wine industry and some wine are being labeled differently but comes from the same tank yet sold at different prices. 😉 I used to work for a soy milk company also and we used to make soy milk for Starbucks and other big name brands all labels are different yet exactly the same lol.

[@scottmills369]

r/ThatHappened

[@chungnah7329]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="145">2:25</a>: "Tasting is intelligent drinking. Tasting is paying attention."

[@alexbrown4908]

“1908 my boy!”

[@rodneypratt4324]

The late great Alan Rickman played mr. Spurrier and Bottle Shock, they didn't even mention that

[@carlosarceo7873]

Great, you need to produce a Reality show about this guy.

[@markyochoa]

RIP what a fucking legend.

[@cmc6112]

Haha Steven spits out the wine....winemaker _ gulp.