Based on his ratings system, widely called "Parker points" or "points", he exerted extensive influence on the purchasing decisions of wine consumers, particularly in the United States. Parker was estimated in 2015 to have a financial impact of up to $1 billion per point within 24 hours on the valuation of wines he scored 95 or higher. With a circulation of 50,000, _Wine Advocate_ was sold to Michelin in 2017 for an estimated $15 million.
In November 2021, _The Wine Advocate_ discontinued using the 100-point scale system that had been the hallmark of Parker's scoring system since the magazine's inception.
Background and education
Robert Parker was born in Towson, Maryland, in 1947, the son of lawyer Robert Maxwell Parker Sr. (born 1889) and Helen Parker (née Thomas, 1915–1989). He spent his early years on a farm in Fallston, Maryland, with six siblings.
His formal education began at Calvert Hall College High School, a Catholic boys school in Towson; then the University of Maryland, College Park, where he studied English and graduated with a B.A. in 1969; and finally the University of Maryland School of Law, graduating with a J.D. degree in 1973.
Parker practiced law in Baltimore and Baltimore County, Maryland for three years while his wife, Patricia, attended the University of Maryland School of Law.[12][13] When she graduated, Parker left his legal career to become a wine critic.
Wine critic
When he took up wine writing in 1978, he was one of only two Americans—the other being Gerald Asher—to be writing full-time about wine for a publication.
The Wine Advocate
In 1978, Parker became an independent wine critic and started _The Wine Advocate_ (originally called _Moniseur Vins_) which was published from his house in Monkton, Maryland, near Baltimore, where Parker still resides. Originally, the newsletter cost $15 for five issues.
With the newsletter, he began to publish his personal, non-technical tasting notes (including an evaluation using a 100-point scale) for thousands of wines worldwide, with an emphasis on wines from Bordeaux and Napa Valley.
Parker published his first book, _Bordeaux: A Consumer's Guide to the World's Finest Wines_ (Simon & Schuster, 1985), which became an international bestseller. The book sold more than 750,000 copies worldwide, and was translated into French, Italian, German, and Japanese. Parker published an updated version of the book 20 years later.
Parker had no formal wine training. He wrote in the introduction of his 1985 book:
>In spite of my total lack of formal wine training, I have found by experience that most professional wine tasters are far less likely to produce consistently brilliant results (in the 95–100 point range) than are serious amateurs tasting the same wines side-by-side without any prejudices or preconceptions.
_The Wine Advocate_ subscription began at $45 per year, increased to $395 in 1990, $595 in 1996, and $695 in 2007. With a circulation of 50,000, the publication reportedly grossed $35 million per year. At the time the magazine was sold, an annual print subscription cost $299; subscribers also have access to online content.
Parker and _The Wine Advocate_ were often at the center of controversy in the wine industry, particularly with respect to the "Parker effect" and his influence over the purchasing decisions of wine consumers and his impact on winemaking.
Later career
On May 13, 2019, Parker announced he was stepping down as _Wine Advocate's_ sole wine critic. Antonio Galloni, who served as Parker's associate editor for six years and had been named a senior editor of the _Wine Advocate_ in 2013, became The Wine Advocate's sole wine critic. Parker continued to serve as the magazine's editor and publisher. Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW assumed Galloni's former position as senior editor.
Parker's retirement had been rumored since 2012. In September of that year, Parker underwent major surgery to replace his mitral valve. In August 2019, Parker had coronary bypass surgery.
In November 2021, _The Wine Advocate_ discontinued using the 100-point scale system that had been the hallmark of Parker's scoring system since the magazine's inception. In June 2022, Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW resigned as the magazine's senior editor.
Influence
Parker gained recognition for his influence over the purchasing decisions of wine consumers, leading to the so-called "Parkerization" of wine and even of entire wine regions.
A 2009 study by economist and wine writer Orley Ashenfelter found that:
>on the day of publication of Parker’s ratings the value of an average futures contract on _Wine Advocate_-scored wines rises by about $18 if the score equals or exceeds 90, and on release the auction value of a highly-scored wine is typically 25–30 percent above that of an unscored wine of similar quality.
For example, the release of Parker's annual Bordeaux article has been said to create "the most important week of the year for the global fine-wine trade".
Parker's influence has been attributed to several factors, including his early and consistent use of the 100-point wine-rating scale to evaluate wines, his focus on the wines of Bordeaux, Napa Valley, and to a lesser extent other wine regions, and his ability to communicate his personal taste in wine to a large audience.
According to a 2012 article in _The Telegraph_, wine collectors' desire for "cult wines" from Napa that scored 100 points from Parker contributed to a 350% rise in the price of wine in Napa Valley between 1995 and 2010. Parker said in 2009 that he did not believe that his opinions caused increases in wine prices, but that wine merchants used his opinions as a reason for raising prices. A New York Times wine critic, Eric Asimov, said in 2016:
>Parker may not have created this situation on his own, but he has been the chief enabler.
According to a 2018 study by economists at University of California, Davis,[24] the publication of scores by Parker and _The Wine Advocate_ created a two-tiered wine market: one for high-scoring wines and another for all the rest, with the gap in prices between the two increasingly dramatically since Parker's influence began.
Criticisms
Parker has been criticized on a number of fronts. Some critics have argued that his palate and preferences are idiosyncratic and that his influence has led to a homogenization of winemaking styles, especially in regions like Bordeaux and Napa Valley. Others have criticized his publication's limited coverage of wines outside of Bordeaux, Napa Valley, and Burgundy, as well as his reliance on a single critic to evaluate wines without input from any other palates.
In the 1980s, Parker's high scores for wines from California wineries that came to be classified as "cult wines" led to allegations of favoritism and conflict of interest, because some of the wines were made by friends of Parker's. Parker said in 2009: "I did some pretty stupid things in the early days, and I made some dumb mistakes."
In 1996, Parker caused a legal controversy when he published confidential information stolen from a report for the French agricultural ministry's National Institute for Appellations of Origin. The leak had been orchestrated by Michel Chapoutier, a wine producer and member of the Rhône wine trade.
In November 2020, _Forbes_ published a lengthy exposé focusing on allegations that Parker had pressured or bribed wine producers to submit their wines for review, and threatened them with lower scores if they did not comply. Some producers alleged that Parker would only review their wines if he also had the opportunity to purchase wines at wholesale (often very low) prices.
In 2019, _The Wine Advocate_ stopped reviewing certain high-profile Californian wineries, including: Shafer Vineyards, Colgin Cellars, Harlan Estate, and Sine Qua Non. According to Parker, these producers were refusing to provide samples of their wines for review unless the magazine also agreed not to publish barrel samples.
Parker's relationship with producers has been scrutinized by critics who argue that his business model creates an inherent conflict of interest because producers rely on Parker's ratings to sell their wines. Some producers have accused him of being biased in favor of wineries that advertise in his magazine.
Others have criticized Parker's approach to wine tasting as unscientific and his use of the 1