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Robert M. Parker Jr. (born July 23, 1947) is a leading U.S. wine critic with an international influence. His wine ratings on a 100-point scale and his newsletter ''The Wine Advocate'', with his particular stylistic preferences and notetaking vocabulary, have become influential in American wine buying and are therefore a major factor in setting the prices for newly released Bordeaux wines. He is widely acknowledged to be the most widely known and influential wine critic in the world today.〔Steinberger, Mike, ''Slate.com'' (June 17, 2002). (The Great and Powerful Shnoz )〕〔Bruce-Gardyne, Tom, ''The Herald'' (August 9, 2010). (The world’s leading wine critic )〕 Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson of the ''Financial Times'' described his as "the world's most prized palate". Likewise, Lettie Teague of ''The Wall Street Journal'' has described him as being "widely regarded as the world's most powerful wine critic". Max Lalondrelle, fine wine buying director for Berry Bros & Rudd says: "Nobody sells wine like Robert Parker. If he turns around and says 2012 is the worst vintage I’ve tasted, nobody will buy it, but if he says it’s the best, everybody will."〔 ==Biography== Parker was born in Baltimore, Maryland. His father was a construction equipment salesman.〔 He is an honors graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, with a major in history and a minor in art history. He continued his education at University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore, graduating in 1973 with a Juris Doctor degree. He discovered wine as a student visiting Alsace, where Patricia, now his wife, was studying.〔 For over ten years, he was assistant general counsel for the Farm Credit Banks of Baltimore; he resigned in March 1984 to devote his full attention to writing about wine. In 1975, Parker began writing a wine guidebook. Taking his cue from consumer advocate Ralph Nader, Parker wanted to write about wine without the conflicts of interest that might taint the opinions of other critics who also make a living ''selling'' wine. In 1978, he published a direct-mail newsletter called ''The Baltimore-Washington Wine Advocate'', which was renamed ''The Wine Advocate'' in 1979. The first issue was sent free to mailing lists Parker purchased from several major wine retailers. Six hundred charter subscribers paid to receive the second issue, published in August 1978. Parker received worldwide attention when he called the 1982 vintage in Bordeaux superb, contrary to the opinions of many other critics, such as San Francisco critic Robert Finigan, who felt it was too low-acid and ripe. While there is still debate about the timelessness of the vintage, prices of 1982 Bordeaux remain consistently higher than other vintages. More than twenty years later, ''The Wine Advocate'' has over 50,000 subscribers, primarily in the United States, but with significant readership in over 37 other countries. While other wine publications have more subscribers, ''The Wine Advocate'' is still considered to exert a significant influence on wine consumers' buying habits, particularly in America. ''New York Times'' wine critic Frank Prial asserted that "Robert M. Parker Jr. is the most influential wine critic in the world." A lengthy profile of Parker entitled "The Million Dollar Nose" ran in ''The Atlantic Monthly'' in December 2000. Among other claims, Parker told the author that he tastes 10,000 wines a year and "remembers every wine he has tasted over the past thirty-two years and, within a few points, every score he has given as well." Yet, in a public blind tasting of fifteen top wines from Bordeaux 2005—which he has called "the greatest vintage of my lifetime"—Parker could not correctly identify any of the wines, confusing left bank wines for right several times. In addition to writing and tasting for ''The Wine Advocate'', which is published six times a year in Monkton, Maryland, Parker has been a contributing editor for ''Food and Wine Magazine'' and ''BusinessWeek''. He has also written periodically for the British magazine ''The Field'' and has been the wine critic for France's ''L'Express'' magazine, the first time a non-Frenchman has held this position.〔About Robert M. Parker, Jr.〕 Among media that focus on the influence and effects of Parker on the global wine industry are the 2005 unauthorized biography ''The Emperor of Wine'' by Elin McCoy, the 2004 documentary film by Jonathan Nossiter ''Mondovino'',〔Asimov, Eric, ''The New York Times'' (March 22, 2006). (Decanting Robert Parker )〕 the 2008 book ''The Battle for Wine and Love: Or How I Saved the World from Parkerization'' by Alice Feiring,〔Asimov, Eric, ''The New York Times'' (May 21, 2008). (Good Wine Reading With Mellow Aftertaste )〕 and the 2010 French language ''bande dessinée'' comic book, ''Robert Parker: Les Sept Pêchés capiteux''. Parker's nose and palate are insured for $1 million. Parker disclosed end of 2012, that he will sell a “substantial interest” in his newsletter and plans to step down as editor in chief. His new partners are a trio of Singapore-based hedge fund investors.〔Lettie Teague: ''( Wine Advocate Will Stay Put, and in Print ) The Wall Street Journal, 12 December 2012''〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Robert M. Parker, Jr.」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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