Comments on: Does the Wine Advocate buy over $700,000 worth of wine a year?

By: The fallout from the rainmaker in Spain | Dr Vino's wine blog

The fallout from the rainmaker in Spain | Dr Vino's wine blog — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:30:41 +0000

[...] “Does the Wine Advocate buy over $700,000 worth of wine a year?“ Permalink | Comments (0) | | wine writing This entry was posted on Tuesday, May [...]

By: Wino

Wino — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 04:37:44 +0000

What a liar. More likely he purchases 0% of the wines he tastes. Has he ever, even once, offered any proof of this incredible assertion?

By: Marcassin swings at La Tache but ultimately breaks arm patting self on back | Dr Vino's wine blog

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:28:06 +0000

[...] Parker tasted the wines with winemaker Helen Turley. I guess these weren’t among the “more than 60%” of wines that he purchases. * Robert Parker loved them! More than La Tache [...]

By: Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:35:42 +0000

Chris

This will make you sick!

http://winediarist.com/antonio-galloni-talks-wine-advocate-collectors-series-wine-advocate-ethics/

By: Dr. Vino

Dr. Vino — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:15:47 +0000

Hi Chris – Yes, it was a spam comment (for dumpster rentals in Australia, no less) that inadvertently slipped through the spam filter. I have deleted manually.

Thanks for your continued interest in the site.

By: Eric LeVine

Eric LeVine — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 03:37:29 +0000

Chris, you just posted on a blog that is 16 months old, and you are telling people to MOVE ON? Huh, we have???

By: chris robinson

chris robinson — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 03:36:02 +0000

Really I think this whole Parker argument is getting tiresome. So what if his claims for total objectivity fall apart under challenge. Would anyone disagree, hand on heart, that we don’t value his reviews of Bordeaux wines over many years. If you are all so incredulous or peeved stop reading his reviews. I for one will go on using him as one of the great yardsticks for setting benchmarks for Bordeaux. Do I like his wine style preferences, no, but I find his reviews very consistent, directionally obvious and very insightful. Lets move on for god’s sake.

By: Adam Borden

Adam Borden — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:44:26 +0000

I want to bear light on the wine writer’s permit that Mr. Parker (and I) have in Maryland. The exception was granted in 1997 as part of the Non-Beverage C permit, a permit designated for companies using alcohol in reformulations; McCormick Spice and Market Bioscience are two examples of permit holders. The regulations were poorly drafted and from what I understand only initially allowed for samples from wholesalers – an unlimited quantity. The permit now allows samples to be shipped but only three bottles of any particular “brand” (I interpret brand to be a vintage or a varietal/blend). The samples must be used for critical evaluation, however no timeframe is given in the regulations as to by when one must consume them. All samples not used for critical evaluation must be destroyed. Lastly, the regulations stipulate three bottles as the limit but not the size of the bottle.

There are currently about 20 of us in the state that have this permit, though I am hoping with our efforts that we will no longer need this and can resort to direct shipping like so many other states already have.

Adam Borden
Executive Director
Marylanders for Better Beer & Wine Laws
4315 Underwood Road
Baltimore, MD 21218
Tel: (443) 570-8102
http://www.mbbwl.org/
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MeetUp: http://www.meetup.com/Marylanders-for-Better-Beer-Wine-Laws/

By: Aaron Meeker

Aaron Meeker — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:37:14 +0000

Kevin,

I don’t think the issue is that the WA doesn’t taste blind. Wine Spectator may claim they taste blind, but that cannot be the truth.

I have no problem with receiving samples, nor visiting the estates firsthand.

Noone has a palate strong enough or experienced enough to taste with certainity a 95 point wine consistently. I think it is very important to taste non-blind and reference previous vintages’ notes and other wines to then say “wow, that was a 95 point wine.”

By: Explosion, On the Rocks, lightest bottle, millennials – sipped and spit | Dr Vino's wine blog

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:18:06 +0000

[...] Randy and Kaz, the hosts of WineBizRadio invited me on last week to talk about my post about wine samples at the Wine Advocate. Permalink | Comments (0) | SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Explosion, On the Rocks, lightest [...]

By: Ian S

Ian S — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 21:27:09 +0000

Chris
It’s a fair analogy. Now if Car & Driver claimed (in their marketing spin) it bought 25% of the cars it reviews, but you suspected that they didn’t buy anywhere near that amount (maybe just the occasional one). That’s the crux of the issue.

It’s about a claim made that’s being challenged. If he’s not telling the truth, then IMO he’s a fool, as ~ 99% of wine enthusiasts recognise that critics receiving free samples is part of the job, a bit like pro golfers not having to pay green fees when they play a tournament.

Tyler
You’re a generous man in saying the 10% barrel samples are bought at zero value. Logically there’s no way they could be bought, so really ought to be part of the 40% ‘free’ samples. Thus it would be:
60% bought
30% free samples
10% free barrel samples

regards

Ian

By: chris

chris — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 20:30:36 +0000

I dont see how it matters. Do you think Car & Driver buys the cars they review? Don’t be silly, almost every single car is loaned by the MFGr, or in specials cases, certain very rare expensive cars are loaned by a collector/owner. The wine world is so large, that a threat of withholding wine from from any one or few vintners means nothing. I would EXPECT wineries to give samples for review, so they can guarantee the actual wine reviewed is an optimal sample.

Thoughts?

By: Adam Coremin

Adam Coremin — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 05:03:58 +0000

Chris –

As much as your comments may speak the truth, nothing, and I repeat, NOTHING can take away from the impact that the Wine Advocate still has on the retailers, wholesalers, importers and consumers and how they base their buying decisions on reviews from the Wine Advocate. As much as I wish the wine consuming public would trust their own palates and buy what they love, we must capitulate to the world in which we live.

Fortunately for us, the wine world will continue to produce wines that shock us, amaze us, disgust us, intrigue us and confuse us.
Were it not for the amazing array of wines we can aquire, it just wouldn’t be as much fun. Thankfully, thousands of wines go unrated every year by the likes of WS, WA, WE and W&S. So when we bring it to a dinner party, no one can question our tastes, our palates, our knowledge of fine wine or our inherited lineage of cellars if a wine were not rated by one of the above publications.

We get to drink wine as if we were still young, knocking back red wine out of cheap stemware, not caring about tannic structure or barrel ageing. You know…back when wine was fun.

Right now, i am finishing off a glas of wine from the Cote du Ventoux called Vindemio. I think i payed $12 for it…No score that i could find, but i would rate it pretty damn well…

Salute!

By: Wine Biz Radio » Blog Archive » Parker Besieged?

Wine Biz Radio » Blog Archive » Parker Besieged? — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:24:57 +0000

[...] interesting people! John Burdick guest hosts as they talk to Tyler Colman (aka Dr. Vino) about The Wine Advocate’s annual budget for buying wine that they score. Then they have a lovely chat with Monty and Sara Preiser about their latest article criticizing [...]

By: Chris Robinson

Chris Robinson — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:44:50 +0000

Why don’t we skip to the underlying message in all this communication. Parker has set himself up as some sort of high integrity reviewer, has apparently made lots of promises online that he has failed to keep, has failed to respond objectively to criticism, etc. The message – he is simply less relevant in the current wine scene. Basically his day in the sun is over. I saw it happening at a wine event in Hong Kong where he was the guest speaker and everyone was talking through his speech. There are just too many sources around now to make his relevance sustainable. Let’s move on and may Mr. Parker’s ship slide gracefully into the setting sun.