The Emperor of Wine: The Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr. and the Reign of American Taste
Author: Elin Mccoy
This is the story of how an American lawyer raised on Coca-Cola caused a revolution in the way wines around the globe are made, sold, and talked about.
The world's most influential wine critic, Robert M. Parker, Jr., has dominated the international wine community for the last quarter century, embodying the triumph of American taste. Using Parker's story as a springboard, author Elin McCoy offers an authoritative and unparalleled insider's view of the eccentric personalities, bitter feuds, controversies, and secrets of the wine world. She explains how reputations are made and how and why critics agree and disagree, and she tracks the startling ways wines are judged, promoted, made, and sold -- while painting a fascinating portrait of a modern-day cultural colossus who revolutionized the way the world thinks about wine.
The New York Times - Tony Hendra
The best part of her book is a lively history of the wine world of the 70's, in which it becomes clear that the reforms in European wine production for which Parker takes credit were under way well before his arrival, for example in the person of the French oenologist Emile Peynaud. The complacency of the French had been shattered years earlier in a storied 1976 blind tasting in Paris of Californian wines, whose quality stunned the French wine press. As for the English wine press, the old fustian school had been swept away a decade before that by a new irreverent generation, now mature, who are far more diligent in vinous research than Parker and far more entertaining; for example, Oz Clarke, Anthony Hanson and, above all, Jancis Robinson.
Publishers Weekly
Anyone who's been swayed by the point system when buying wine-selecting a "93" over an "86," for example-can blame Robert Parker, founder of the newsletter the Wine Advocate and now considered by many to be the most influential wine critic ever. McCoy, a wine writer for Bloomberg and Food & Wine, points out that Parker can ruin a winery simply by stamping a sub-80 label on its product. In this amalgamation of biography and American wine mini-history, McCoy delves into how Parker became such a towering figure. Parker discovered fine wine on a European trip during college; his growing obsession with the grape prompted him to start the publication that would later change the way wine was rated, bought and consumed. Between snippets of Parker's life, McCoy tries to set the scene for his rise by explaining how wine consumption boomed in the U.S. in the 1970s. The background is useful, but it and other distracting forays into social history sometimes make the work feel disjointed. Another failing is McCoy's sometimes hagiographic depiction of Parker. But these quibbles knock this otherwise engrossing book down by only a few points on the taste scale. Agent, Alan Kaufman. (July) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
Much as excellent food and superb wine complement each other, so do McCoy's writing skills (see her work in Food & Wine magazine) and Robert M. Parker's remarkable career as a wine critic. Cast as a biography, this book provides an excellent historical description of how and when wine became big business in Napa, Burgundy, and Bordeaux and the role that Parker played in the process. Many baby boomers will identify with Parker's development as a wine enthusiast: he was not born into a privileged household where fine foods and wine were appreciated; instead, blessed with keen senses of taste and smell, he developed his palate for wine as a young man touring Europe. After years as a student and a lawyer preoccupied with wine, Parker was able to launch a career as a wine writer. While writing about Parker's development, McCoy also chronicles the growth and development of other key personalities, vintages, vineyards, and wineries. The book will not only be a walk down memory lane for veteran wine enthusiasts, but it will also be a great source for young oenophiles eager to learn the recent history of wine in the United States and France. Highly recommended. (Index and illustrations not seen.)-Ann Weber, Bellarmine Coll. Preparatory Lib., San Jose, CA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
How the wine industry came to cater to a very particular Nosy Parker. Who has not favored a bottle of wine because of its numerical score? Chances are, wine and spirits writer McCoy reminds us, that the grade was set by Parker, Le Pape du Vin, reputed to be gifted with the best nose in the business. A wine critic autodidact, Parker started his life in oenology at home in a Washington, D.C., suburb with the mimeographed Wine Advocate, a break from his day job as a corporate attorney. Soon his sharp advocacy spread beyond the beltway. He hired a printer, quit practicing law, added a tasting room to his home and sampled 10,000 wines each year. As the affluent boomer lads of Wall Street became hooked, Parker matured as autocrat of fermented juices. He authored bestselling texts on varietals. Naturally, as his influence increased, he faced critics and competitors, lawsuits and even death threats. As Parker grew stout, vintners learned to produce the kind of drink he liked. Robust French reds designed to secure his 90 nod filled the barrels, as well as the spit receptacles at ubiquitous blind tastings. The producers grumbled, but they liked the francs the Americans provided. Parker, now entitled to wear the rosette of the Legion of Honor, remains the recognized grandee of wine criticism, offering, he insists, truth in beverage. Some see him as the bully of the vineyard. McCoy knows Parker and she knows the tetchy wine business as well. She's familiar with the arcane, often fey language and the nasty hostilities of oenology. She is, finally, ambivalent about Parker's certitude and influence. To some readers, it may seem a lot about a little hedonism; maybe a whiff of the otiose with the oak. Butfor wine enthusiasts and grape groupies, her text offers something quite juicy. A straightforward bio of Le Grand Bob, and a glimpse into the world of cool cellars and fretful sellers.
Go to: Everything Chinese Cookbook or Giant Book Of Tofu Cooking
Asian Bites: A Feast of Flavors from Turkey to India to Japan
Author: Tom Kim
Providing all the temptation of a tasting menu on a much more versatile scale, this is an eclectic trip through the cuisines of the vast continent of Asia-from Turkey and Afghanistan, through Pakistan and India, and on to Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan. The 90 recipes are clearly written with step-by-step instructions and icons which help to guide choices when grouping dishes to make up a menu. Keynote spreads throughout the book showcase ingredients integral to Asian cuisines. Asian Bites draws on the expertise of Tom Kime to bring you more than a collection of recipes, but also an education in the culinary traditions that abound across this vast continent.
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