Parker points

His name is well known in the world of wine, but you may not know who he is or where his fame came from... In this article we tell you a little more about Robert Parker, a figure who has meant so much in the world of wine tasting. 

Robert Parker is an American lawyer who one day decided to found the Wine Advocate magazine to become a wine critic. The publication ranks wines from 0 to 100 points, awarding the latter to exceptional wines, which, so that we can understand each other, would be the Oscars of wines, the 3 Michelin stars, or the Champions League.

But how does a wine reach these levels of influence in Robert Parker's ranking?

First of all, we should explain that the list is drawn up by a team. Robert is not the only taster, but rather, each member is responsible for one or more wine-growing areas in the world according to their volume and other criteria.

In fact, Robert practically retired in 2016, after tasting, according to him, more than 250,000 wines, some 10,000 a year - a real marathon of glasses of wine!

His method is based on a score from 0 to 100, but the list really includes wines from a score of 50 up to the much appreciated 100 Parker points. 

• 50-59 Undrinkable.
• 60-69 With defects, but drinkable.
• 70-79 Regular, correct but insubstantial.
• 80-89 Between better than average and very good.
• 90-95 Exceptional.
• 96-100 Extraordinary.

The scores are given according to the quality and style that reflects the region where the wine comes from, and hence one of the hot spots on the Parker list. The list generates supporters, but also detractors, and Parker has been accused of wanting to impose his style over the region or the winemaker, generating a homogenous wine market, with no personality, and only the tastes that Parker decided were correct.

Many wineries succumbed to his influence, leaving behind their personality and style, by changing the way they made their wines in order to bring them closer to the "Parker taste", leaving a boring wine scene, where the winemaking process imposed itself on the character of the grapes, on the area where they were made or on the vine grower’s style.