Matter of Taste

the THE independent INDEPENDENT matter MATTER of OF | taste TASTE matter MATTER | Barrels
BARRELS
of OF taste TASTE
was bestowed by Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi and President Carlo Azeglio
Ciampi for Parker’s contributions in
recognizing the quality of Italian wine
and for his educational efforts in The
Wine Advocate. He was the first wine
writer or critic in history to receive
Italy’s highest honor.
In 2005, Chirac promoted Parker
to an officer in France’s Legion of
Honor, an extremely rare distinction
recognizing the extraordinary
contribution he has made to the
quality of wine writing and the
education of consumers around the
world about French wines.
The years, in fact, have been filled
with many other such challenges met
and honors bestowed. In 2002, for
example, Parker founded eRobertParker.
com, which has become the most
visited website on wine according
to Alexa.com, a California-based
subsidiary of Amazon.com that provides
commercial web-traffic data. In 2004,
the Culinary Institute of America created
a legacy endowment for wine-education
scholarships in Parker’s name.
In 2005, Simon & Schuster
published Parker’s The World’s
Greatest Wine Estates: A Modern
Perspective. That book was followed
in 2008 by the 7th edition of Parker’s
Wine Buyer’s Guide, and in 2009 by
Parker’s Wine Bargains: The World’s
Best Wines Valued Under $25.00.
In 2006, Parker’s alma mater, the
University of Maryland, bestowed upon
him the Distinguished Alumnus Award
for that year. In 2010, he became one
of 63 graduates to be inducted into the
university’s Alumnae Hall of Fame.
In 2011, Parker became the first
wine writer and critic to receive the
Gran Cruz de la Orden del Mérito Civil,
Spain’s highest civilian honor, which
was awarded by His Majesty King Juan
Carlos at a ceremony and reception
in Madrid. In February 2013, Parker
became the first wine critic inducted
into the Culinary Institute Of America’s
Vintners Hall of Fame in Napa Valley.
And despite such heady plaudits
and wide acceptance by the wine
establishment, Parker has continually
stated – in The Wine Advocate and in
his books – that his professional advice
meets the highest ethical standards. By
insisting upon such standards, he seeks
to guarantee that his valuations are proconsumer
and not pro-industry, making
him truly independent.
Today, active as ever in the pursuit
of truth in wine, Parker lives in the
countryside of northern Maryland with
his wife, his daughter, Maia, and his
English bulldogs.
THE WINE ADVOCATE’S FOUNDER RELAXES
WITH A GLASS IN CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE;
SEPTEMBER, 2004
RAVE REVIEWS!
High praise from the world’s most
distinguished magazines and
respected newspapers
“The man with the paragon palate… For
countless wine lovers, Robert Parker’s
tastes are infallible”
“Parker has revolutionized American wine
criticism, and… has brought the stringent
standards of a fanatic, the high moral
purpose of a reformer”
“The Wine Advocate is the best for guiding
the consumer through the labyrinth of
Burgundy and Bordeaux”
“His influence is unparalleled in the
history of wine journalism”
“Parker is the most influential wine writer
in the world today”
“Widely regarded as the world’s most
powerful wine critic”
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