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joseph b. rosenberg
 
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There was an article about 5-10 years ago in the LA Times that developed the
theme of Parker the purist vs the traditional writers. This article exposed
several West Coast wine writers as accepting freebies, writing for importers
etc. I know the Baltimore Sun gave Michael Dresser some guidelines to
follow around this time. Having made some presentations to Michael even
before the LA Times expose, I know he never accepted freebies. Most of the
newspaper wine writers in the US either work for the paper in other capacity
or have other jobs not in the business. When Parker came on the scene in
the US there was Jerry Mead, the guys doing the Connoisseurs Guide and the
San Diego now California Grapevine all independent as far as I know.

The famous writers Peter Sichel, Frank Schoomaker, Terry Robards all had
ties in the industry. Leon Adams the great advocate of American wine, made
no excuses for accepting gifts, although I doubt if Ch LaTour benefited from
giving Leon a couple of bottles. As far as the English writers in 1978
besides the Decanter, Broadbent, Waugh and Hugh Johnson were supreme. All
had some ties to the trade.

What differentiated Parker was the 100 point scale and the fact that he had
no ties to anyone in the business. While the Grapevine & Conn Guide were
also independent they basically confined themselves to the Left Coast. In
the beginning Parker got a lot of help from fellow enthusiasts, especially
in California and Italy. I know that because I was one. I remember lots of
times when I called him after a Left Coast trip to mention some great wine
not heard of on the East Coast. Of course I was not the only one. Soon
Baltimore & DC merchants began sharing discoveries with Parker often at one
of his visits or at Friday night tastings held at his home.

The wine scandals of the 70's kept consumers pockets closed but the baby
boomers started to get interested in wine in the early 80's and started
riding the California wave. Then came 1982 Bordeaux and Parker took a
completely different position on it from the most major writers who were
still pushing the weak assed 80's and 81s sitting in their friends shelves
and warehouses. These wines from 1982 were very Californian in style as a
new generation of winemakers took over from the previous generation. Voila!
lawyers. accountants, doctors and dentists started coming out of the
woodwork waving Wine Advocates in their hands wanting 1982 futures because
their Ralph Nader, Robert Parker Jr., was their kind of guy; down to earth,
chatty and blunt.

You all know the rest of the story, Marvin Shankin turned the Wine Spectator
into the Advocate on Percodan, adopting the 100 point system and buying
frenzies caused by reviews in the WA & WS go on today.........

--
Joseph B. Rosenberg
"Ian Hoare" > wrote in message
...
> Salut/Hi Bill Loftin,
>
> le/on Thu, 03 Mar 2005 14:27:01 GMT, tu disais/you said:-
>
> > There was one point made in the article that I had not heard before.

Parker
> >states that when his newsletter first got started that British writers

dominated
> >wine publications.

>
> True.
>
> > Then he went on to say that most of them were in the wine business and

were not exactly impartial.
>
> That's interesting, but I'm not sure how true it is. When did he start? 25
> years ago was it? I don't remember ,it was in the interview. But trying to
> think back, who was around? I have always questioned Decanter's
> impartiality, but they merely (as far as I could see) puffed the companies
> that advertised with them. But there's a wide difference between that and
> saying that individual writers were biased because they were in the biz
> (presumably as PR consultants to wine firms/domaines. That happens - even
> today (in Australia too, I believe) - though most writers can't afford to
> lose their status by taints of bias. I don't think RP was right in saying
> this.
> >in the publication of his newsletter was to always be impartial and he

has gone
> >to great lengths to do that.

>
> That's certainly true, and he's exemplary in that respect.
>
> --
> All the Best
> Ian Hoare
> http://www.souvigne.com
> mailbox full to avoid spam. try me at website