As far as the comparison goes, I never understood Sinatra’s appeal to anybody. There were far better singers around at the time so him with a cold would have been perfectly OK with me. Problem is that he was mostly about being a personality, much like a Kardashian is today, so we would still have heard him. I could never stand him and still turn him off instantly if he’s on some radio station.
Parker OTOH, actually served a purpose.
There were wine writers in the US but when Parker came along, the CA wine industry had just revived after being destroyed by Prohibition and Americans in the 60s and even 70s looked to France for all things sophisticated and tasteful. Parker spoke and wrote like a down-home American but he understood French wine, which at the time meant Bordeaux, so people were comfortable with him. The Ralph Nader thing really helped in marketing and that point was driven home by the Paris tasting.
All in all it was brilliant - ignore what the snobs are telling you is great. Taste blind and assign scores on merit. That was completely democratic and all-American.
As far as culture and context goes - what does that even mean? Very few people are French and own a Chateau in Bordeaux. I don’t think that means they can’t enjoy a Bordeaux wine in New York, or a California wine for that matter. Culture and context are fluid. What we like to imagine is a particular culture and context today is very different from what it was a few years ago.
Parker came along as American culture was changing. Don’t overlook the fern bars and the first usage of the term YUPPIE. Women were entering the workforce and the hard liquor guys were drinking at lunch wasn’t for them. that cultural shift was a big part of the rise of Chardonnay and of wine in general. A genial, fair-minded guy who proclaimed that he disdained advertising and commercial endorsements was just what people wanted as they started to explore the new world of wine. The WS became a lifestyle magazine for every arriviste to peruse, but Parker stayed focused on wine.
His influence however, was not on the mass of the population, which is where the comparison to Sinatra falls apart. Parker never had nearly the circulation that WS does. Most people don’t know who he is. His influence was at the top end of the business and on the merchants.
A shelf-talker can be anonymous. People buying based on those don’t know or care who the particular critic is. They think the talker is independent validation of a wine, unlike the suggestion of the store owner who has an interest in pushing product. The irony is that for that very reason, some stores just write their own shelf talkers. Parker has tried to broaden his appeal over the years - writing for Business Week and so on, but that never seemed to amount to much.
However, people who buy high-end stuff want to be sure that the other people who buy high-end stuff will be suitably impressed, so they hire guides. They hire people to buy art, to decorate their homes, to plan their parties, to suggest clothing, and to suggest wines.
The Bordeaux futures thing has only become huge recently. In years past it was mostly businessmen making deals and customers weren’t a major part of it. If dealers could tell their clients that “Parker gave this a 93,” their clients would nod knowingly and buy a few cases. Whoever this Parker was, he seemed important in the wine business so people buying cases of Bordeaux were happy to have his approval.
I remember stores in the 1970s and 1980s mentioning that Parker had scored this or that wine. Since Bordeaux was considered the “best” wine, and at the time was not priced like a Veblen good, Parker was associated with the best. That gave him additional credibility and enabled him to help out CA and especially the south Rhone and much later, Spain.
You can walk into any number of stores in NYC and see the WA laying around and that is the subscription base for the publication. I don’t have the figures obviously, but I would imagine that the retail customers who subscribed are probably members of this board or e-Bob. It’s just tedious reading going through hundreds of tasting notes for wines one is almost certain never to try. A retailer on the other hand, comes across a much wider range of wines than any customer does and wants to know about the scores. The WS is almost useless in that respect because the store owner doesn’t want to read about restaurants or various collectors and their livestyles.
After over 30 years, the US has matured as a wine-drinking nation. Both food and wine are better than ever and kids are growing up with wine knowledge that just didn’t exist years ago. So I don’t think there’s a need for another Parker these days and doubt that there will ever be another person of like influence because that role doesn’t exist any more.
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