Robert Parker’s influence to the world of wine

Robert McDowell Parker Jr. is considered one of the most influential wine critics in the world. Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1947, he graduated with a BA in History and Art History from the University of Maryland, College Park, and later earned a law degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. For more than ten years, he worked as a lawyer before starting to write about wine.

In 1975, Parker began writing a wine guide with the intention of being a "consumer advocate," free of conflicts of interest that can affect the opinions of wine critics who sell wine for a living. Three years later, in 1978, he began publishing "The Baltimore-Washington Wine Advocate", which became "The Wine Advocate" in 1979.

Parker is internationally known for his take on the 1982 Bordeaux vintage, which he found superb, unlike other critics. He quit his job as a lawyer in 1984 to devote himself entirely to writing about wine.

Today, he writes reviews and tasting notes for his publication "The Wine Advocate," published six times a year in Parkton, Maryland. He is considered a specialist in Bordeaux wine and has a critique system based on a scale of 50 to 100 points. Wines made specifically to score high on the Parker classification are often called "parked."

Due to his influence and the shift in some traditional wine styles that "parked" wines represent, Robert M. Parker is sometimes the subject of criticism. However, his work has been fundamental to the world of wine and his impressive career as a critic has been a great contribution to the world of wine.

The Robert Parker Scoring Scale: Understanding How Wines Are Assessed

Robert Parker's rating scale is based on a 50 to 100 point scale, in which wines are rated based on their color and appearance, aroma and bouquet, flavor and finish, and their potential or overall quality level. Parker and his friend Victor Morgenroth devised this scoring system.

Wines that score between 50 and 60 points are considered "unacceptable" or "mediocre," while wines that score between 61 and 70 points are "fair" or "acceptable." Wines that score between 71 and 80 are considered "good" or "recommended," while wines that score between 81 and 90 are considered "very good" or "enthusiastically recommended." The wines that obtain a score of 91 to 100 points are considered "excellent" or "extraordinary", and are considered to be the best wines in the world.

It is important to note that this rating scale is not a standardized system and can vary depending on the reviewer or publication that uses it. However, the Parker scoring scale is widely used and respected in the wine world.

Below you can find a list of wines that have been assessed by Robert Parker.