The US wine magazine or wine guide was first published in 1978, but its origins date back to 1967, the year in which the young Robert M. Parker Jr. (*1947) first visited France and discovered his love of wine. He graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1973 and joined a law firm as a practising lawyer near Baltimore Maryland. When it was founded, it was therefore still called "The Baltimore-Washington Wine Advocate" and was only available by subscription from the beginning. After a few issues, it developed into a trade journal for discerning wine consumers. With a small staff at the beginning, which grew over time, wines from all over the world were tasted and rated according to the 100-point system now used worldwide. By being free of advertising, Parker guaranteed its independence, free of financial ties to wineries and merchants, exclusively serving the interests of wine consumers. The name was changed to "The Wine Advocate" in 1997. Today there are subscribers in all US states as well as in 40 countries on all continents. A summary of Wine Advocate reviews is published in the "Parker`s Wine Buyer's Guide", which appears at irregular intervals.
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Thomas Götz
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