Wine Critics

The life of a wine critic can be fun, but it may not be the bed of roses that outsiders believe it to be. While there is a handful of internationally acclaimed critics whose names are familiar wherever wine is drunk, the majority only enjoy a reputation within communities and regions. But how reliable are they at guiding consumers to the best buys, and helping them enjoy wine more than they might otherwise?

WORDS ANDREW J LINN

Spain’s José Peñin has held the top spot for 45 years. He publishes the annual Peñin Guide, and out of respect there is very little serious competition at a national level, although Victor de la Serna, Isabel Muñoz and Fernando Point have kept him on his toes with their regular wine column in daily newspaper El Mundo. Now Peñin has taken the trade’s euro, as it were, and has thrown in his lot with Casa Gourmet, a member’s online wine and food club, in order to recommend their offerings. Will this affect his judgement? Only time will tell, but very soon he will surely find himself in a situation whereby he has to choose between two wines, one peddled by the club and the other having no relationship with it – and tell his readers which is the better buy.

British wine critic Jancis Robinson sold her website, or her business, in 2017. Of all UK critics, perhaps Robinson has demonstrated best that a solitary wine writer can, with business savvy, convert wine criticism into a profitable enterprise. Maybe this is why she was awarded an Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth in 2003. She advises on the royal wine cellar and has published over 20 books while maintaining a column in the Financial Times. Another excellent UK-based wine writer is Neal Martin, who began writing an independent website, wine-journal.com, that quickly acquired over 100,000 readers. In 2006, he joined The Wine Advocate as a reviewer, until 2017 when he left for Vinous, a new publication.

When Robert Parker cashed in for an alleged $10 million, his independent publication, The Wine Advocate, was acquired by a group of Singapore-based investors active in the wine business. So, adios to critical independence at a stroke, confirmed by TWA’s subsequent ‘move’ into the Michelin stable. US-born Lisa Perotti-Brown, who had been running TWA very effectively, resigned, and joins the roll call of praiseworthy wine writers who have put principles before self-interest. But in case these words give the impression that wine criticism, as opposed to wine writing, did not exist before the likes of Robert Parker, it should be borne in mind that the early pioneers such as André Simon, Harry Waugh, Hugh Johnson and Michael Broadbent all worked in the trade. Since it was a small ‘club’, they all knew each other and probably coincided weekly at tastings, lunches and other gatherings, so to criticise was not seen as gentlemanly.

Many wine writers reject the title wine critic as being too harsh. They believe, with some justification, that no-one deliberately makes a bad wine. The crème de la crème write for well-known international publications, or even have their own. Their names are recognised by every winemaker in any language, and they are as feared as they are respected. The second tier consists of those who write as freelancers or have their own websites and blogs; then there are the also-rans. The ‘names’ do not have to ask bodegas to send them samples; they just receive them. Some of the bloggers attain stature by accomplishing notoriety for fairness and an independent approach, probably because they have nothing to fear from any vengeful producer who blacklists them – as often happens. The lowest of the low go out and buy the wines they intend writing about, thereby achieving the ultimate in complete impartiality. But let’s not assume that a succulent offer of some sort cannot sway them one way or another. It is obviously very agreeable to be on the receiving end of a few cases of excellent wine, maybe worth hundreds of euros in retail terms, so many reviewers deliberately praise some and slam others, and the word ‘but’ appears frequently in their reports. So, what about the anonymous reviewers? CellarTracker www.cellartracker. com is the leader, and founder Eric Levine reckons the average website user has rated 49 wines on the site. With 2,300+ users that’s a lot of wine, and the divergence of opinions from professional critics is a chasm, but joining it is free (The Wine Advocate costs $99 annually and Jancis Robinson around GBP140). e

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