Wine Advocate from America to Europe

Although Robert Parker is retired, his name is still on Wine Advocate. This month, the magazine is moving to put a different name on its masthead, including replacing its editor-in-chief, and perhaps refocusing on France rather than California.

William Kelly, an Oxford University graduate, has been appointed editor-in-chief on April 1. Kelly will also review wines from three of France’s most important regions: Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne. It’s a meteoric rise to prominence for Kelly, who joined the advocacy group just six years ago. Ten years ago he was chairman of the Oxford University Wine Circle. Now he may be the world’s most important critic.

His predecessor, Joe Czerwinski, remains an advocate. He will continue to play his most prominent role outside of France, reviewing wines from Napa Valley along with wines from near his home in New York state and Canada.

Czerwinski was as serious about ice hockey as he was about Cabernet, and he brought an openness to the Advocate’s editorial team that seemed to brighten up the publication. It’s hard to say how things will change when Mr Kelly takes over, but he will be the first British editor-in-chief of what has traditionally been a very American publication.

I reached out to both Czerwinski, who I had previously interviewed, and Kelly, who I had not yet interviewed. Neither was available for an interview by press time, but he hopes to be able to do a Q&A with Kelly after the Bordeaux primeur campaign concludes.

As a wine journalist, I can tell you that this may be a more significant change than it first appears, as British and American wine critics are very different.

Kelly, who makes wine in California, knows this. “I’m British, but my wife is Texan and we’ve lived in America, so I hope we don’t end up with two countries divided by a common language,” he said. I said this in an email.

After several years in the hands of a Singaporean investor who bought The Advocate from Parker in 2012, it was acquired in 2020 by Michelin, the leading voice in French criticism. For a wine critic who can run The Advocate, Mr. Kelly, who lives in France and makes wine in Burgundy, might be the next best choice.

Johann Castaing from France will be in charge of the rest of France. He joined the Advocates in his 2023 year.

born in america

Kelly’s appointment breaks a 45-year history of Americans running the magazine, starting with Parker himself, who first published the magazine as a newsletter in 1978. Mr. Parker’s nationality was a great advantage for two reasons. First, the United States, then a beer, vodka, and Coca-Cola-loving nation, was on the verge of becoming the world’s most important wine market, with Parker in the lead.

Second, Parker approached wine criticism as a complete outsider, free from the constraints that most British critics had at the time, when most wine reviews were written by importers and retailers. Parker didn’t care about the 1855 Bordeaux classification or other traditions. Instead, he took a very American approach, writing only about what he tasted in the bottle. Although it’s now standard, it’s easy to forget that he invented it.

It’s also easy to forget that this is definitely not how the French view wine. The French believe that all of Bordeaux was ranked even before the invention of the automobile, and since then he is the only winery that has managed to impress the government enough to enter the top ranking. Is it possible that the 5th growth is better than his 2nd growth? Unthinkable!

The Michelin Restaurant Guide, to its credit, expands its pages to include types of restaurants that would never have been featured a generation ago. However, there is still a French hierarchy. A casual restaurant serving delicious food may earn a Bib Gourmand, but if the napkins don’t have enough thread, he won’t get three stars. Does Michelin want to apply this approach to wine? Michelin’s headquarters was contacted and asked for written questions, but they were unable to respond by press time.

Another big part of the transformation involves South America. Luis Gutierrez gave up the Argentina and Chile portfolios and took over Spain and Portugal. The Advocate has hired former California restaurant wine director Matthew Lucey to review wines from California’s Central Coast as well as South America. Press releases make sure to point out that Luczy’s restaurant has earned him two Michelin stars (in terms of wine points, he’s got 67 or 85?).

It’s natural to wonder how important advocates still are. Twenty years ago, the Advocate magazine’s high reputation led to a battle for wine regardless of price.

“Back in the day, it was all about the parkas and the crowd,” said Frank Pagliaro, owner of Frank’s Wine in Wilmington, Delaware. “It has nothing to do with my buying patterns at the moment as a retailer. At the time, the Spectator Top 100 was very stressful because I was trying my best to get the wines that were in the top 10. .I still try to look for them.”Selections of wines are announced every time they are released, but literally no one seeks out the number one wine anymore.

“These wine critics have absolutely no connection to the shoppers that come into the store every day. Every once in a while I get an email or text message from someone looking for a particular wine with a high rating, but it’s very There are a few.”

But Pagliaro said distributors still create shelf talkers that prominently display critic ratings, and those can influence customers. He sent photos of five wines listing large numbers (all at least 90 points) and tasting notes from Venus, Wine Enthusiast, Jeb Dunack, and James Suckling, a wine panel. Not one person cited Wine Advocate.