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Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 9:35 am
by Florida Jim

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 10:28 am
by Bob Parsons Alberta
I enjoyed this quote on another forum>

"The most promising aspect of this deal is that in a year or two, it may be the case that no one will think Parker's name worth mentioning at all in regard to anything, except as an historical event in the US wine market. I plan to start that policy now".

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 12:50 pm
by Robin Garr
Fascinating, although I'd like to see independent confirmation from a second source.

If true, as it may very well be, it's funny how this just doesn't feel like the bombshell that it might have five years ago.

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 12:53 pm
by Robin Garr
Read more closely, it sure has all the earmarks of an April Fool's joke. Can anyone with a subscription get through the WSJ paywall to the original story? With all respect, is Letty Teague credible on hard business news?

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 1:04 pm
by Robin Garr
And another report that goes back to the WSJ source.
http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2012/1 ... as-editor/

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 1:06 pm
by Salil
Robin Garr wrote:is Letty Teague credible [rest irrelevant]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Almost sprayed the keyboard laughing.

I paid more attention to the Iraqi Information Minister in 2003 than I did to Lettie. (At least one of them was entertaining.)

Robin, google robert parker wsj and it'll show up. If you access a WSJ story via google you can read it fully.

I love this quote from LPB in the WSJ article (as incompetent/far from the mark as Teague is, I doubt she could get a quote like this wrong.)

"Ms. Perrotti-Brown said the company is discussing terms with its correspondents, who include lead critic Antonio Galloni, as well as David Schildknecht, Mark Squires and Neal Martin, whom she and Mr. Parker hope will sign on as employees. If they decline? 'There is a plethora of good wine writers out there. It's a buyer's market,' she said."

Sounds like the Mitt Romney school of management. I'm sure Messrs Martin, Galloni and Schildknecht would love hearing that they're such easily replacable labor. :roll: What a way to start.

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 1:10 pm
by Mark Lipton
Robin Garr wrote:And another report that goes back to the WSJ source.
http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2012/1 ... as-editor/


Another reference that cites the WSJ article:

Reuters blog

Mark Lipton

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 1:31 pm
by James Dietz
Parker has confirmed on his own site.

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 2:19 pm
by Robin Garr
Here's Parker's post, bounced through public posts on Facebook:

RMP wrote:An Important Message from Robert Parker

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Subscribers,

I am especially excited to share the following news with all of you. In 2001, I asked Wine Technologies to join TWA team as a partner and an investor as we developed the eRobertParker.com site that has been such a huge success. Yet, despite the success of our joint effort over more than a decade, it is important that we look ahead including adapting to the latest technology/platforms and providing enhanced applications for our readers. I have again taken on some investors, three 30-early 40ish highly qualified business and technology people and enthusiastic wine lovers as well as long time subscribers. They are totally independent of the wine industry and have a very global vision that is essential in today's world.

Some of the changes we are considering for 2013 are:

1. Further expansion of our coverage in all of the world's wine producing regions and much more efficient delivery of that information to you.

2. Many new features including new applications, more videos, a PDF of TWA for electronic subscribers, virtual tastings, and a new program called Icon Wines - all designed to take advantage of a state of the art technology platform and rapid fire response site for subscribers.

3. We will be offering wine education conferences with plans to tour a range of cities around the world.

4. While our office in Monkton, Maryland continues to remain "THE HEADQUARTERS" we intend to open another office in Singapore where the investors reside and from where we can more easily serve Asian countries.

5. Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, who also resides in Singapore, will manage the office and become our editor-in-chief, assuming all responsibilities for coordinating TWA content, editing and proof-reading, things that I have found enormously time-consuming and am thrilled to transfer so I can focus on what I love most, bringing you the world's best coverage of great wines, no matter what their price.

6. While we would love to add a few additional writers, especially to deepen the coverage of emerging wine regions such as China, etc. we plan that our current writers will continue to do what they have been doing. We simply want to deliver that information using the fastest and most professional methods that modern technology permits.

7. While rumors about me retiring have circulated for years, nothing could be further from the truth. I am still in this profession for the long-term as I remain the CEO and Chairman of the TWA board, and an owner. Moreover, I will continue to comprehensively cover Bordeaux, the Rhone, retrospectives on California vintages, and profiles of under $25 wine bargains from our finest importers.

From the ancient beginning days of TWA, back in 1978, when the publication was a simple 8-10 page rough-hewn document, my vision and goal was to create a body of wine knowledge that exceeded anything the world had ever seen. I never dreamed that the internet and the technology revolution would be such a welcome catalyst to expedite achieving my goals. I also never dreamed TWA would sweep across the civilized world with an impact that was beyond my wildest dreams. The dream, the vision, the commitment to wine consumers for fair and independent content continues. I wish I were 25 years younger as I feel so excited about the new investor team and what we can accomplish together.

It is impossible not to thank all of you. To live the life of your dreams is a rare privilege. I can never take it for granted, and do realize how fate and fortune have shone brightly on me. I am profoundly touched by the faith and confidence all of you have bestowed on me and our team. Just saying thank you is woefully inadequate....but nonetheless....thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul.

Robert M Parker, Jr.

December 9, 2012

Monkton, MD

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 2:22 pm
by Robin Garr
Robin Garr wrote:|Parker's post

It seems to have a significantly different spin than the WSJ account. I hope Eric Asimov or someone chimes in with some journalism. :roll:

Gasp.....

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 2:30 pm
by TomHill
Robin Garr wrote:Dear Subscribers,

I am especially excited to share the following news with all of you. In 2001, I asked Wine Technologies to join TWA team as a partner and an investor as we developed the eRobertParker.com site that has been such a huge success. Yet, despite the success of our joint effort over more than a decade, it is important that we look ahead including adapting to the latest technology/platforms and providing enhanced applications for our readers. I have again taken on some investors, three 30-early 40ish highly qualified business and technology people and enthusiastic wine lovers as well as long time subscribers. They are totally independent of the wine industry and have a very global vision that is essential in today's world.


Gasp.....like...as in..."followed him from the very start"??? I sorta doubt that.

This post does not say that TWA has been sold...only that he's taken in some new investors. Somewhat different I'd say.
Tom

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 5:38 pm
by Robin Garr
The NY Times' Eric Asimov weighs in:

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/ ... he-market/

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 6:46 pm
by James Roscoe
Asimov gets it right and in a stylish way too. Thanks for posting that article.

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 7:32 pm
by James Dietz
James Roscoe wrote:Asimov gets it right and in a stylish way too. Thanks for posting that article.


Indeed, he does.

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 8:43 am
by David M. Bueker
Eric Asimov did a much better job with his analysis than the general population of the interweb - that's for sure!

Overall I continue to be amazed at how much bandwidth is devoted in certain quarters to discussing someone they claim to not care about... (elipsis intentional)

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 9:46 am
by Florida Jim
David M. Bueker wrote:Eric Asimov did a much better job with his analysis than the general population of the interweb - that's for sure!

Overall I continue to be amazed at how much bandwidth is devoted in certain quarters to discussing someone they claim to not care about... (elipsis intentional)

C'mon David, everyone has to look at the train wreck, right?
Best, Jim

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 9:58 am
by David M. Bueker
Look at it? Sure. Some of what is going on makes the paparazzi looks like tourists with point and shoot cameras.

Of course Parker could have saved a child from a burning building, and folks on the wine web would criticize how he did it and ask him how many points he gave the fire.

I'm just sayin...

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 10:41 am
by Ryan M
I don't know that this really changes anything. Parker's influence has already been in decline, and since he's not actually retiring, the consumers who are still slavishly dependent on him will not be forced to think for themselves. And since he will still be covering Bordeaux, the impact of his scores on prices will probably not decline much either.

I can honestly say that for me, he is nothing more than one critic among many whose reviews of Bordeaux I will consult before making a cellar purchase. I consider his reviews one valid "data point" to "throw into the average," albeit one that I probably give less weighting.

So is this a bombshell? No. I personally think that Suckling leaving Spectator to go independent was a more significant change in the wine criticism landscape (and I've decided I'm glad of that one - it gives me more "data points" to work with).

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:06 am
by Dale Williams
Good article by Mike S
http://winediarist.com/

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 3:14 pm
by Robin Garr
Dale Williams wrote:Good article by Mike S
http://winediarist.com/

Good? Good? It's wunderbus! :lol:

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 7:10 pm
by Ian Sutton
Yes it seems a fair article by Mike S.

Re: Wine Advocate sold

PostPosted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 4:47 pm
by ChaimShraga
I kinda wish I could get at Neal Martin's notes for free once more as a result of this oh so dramatic change, it's really just about the only think about WA I care about, except for Schindel... the guy with the long name.