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Another Parker Interview 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 butted 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 Parker dominated were not exactly impartial. has gone
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