Big changes at the Wine Advocate- Parker reportedly cashes out and gives up editorial control

[Barry_P]

John:

Exactly! If I were to use the little printer I have at home, it would start to smoke.

[John_Morris]

High-speed double-sided-printing laser printers (belonging to someone else) are definitely the way to go.

[Andrew_Hall]

@Brad Kane

@Eric LeVine

@Kyle Schlachter

I spoke to the WA offices this morning and was told that they are planning on increasing the number of writers and coverage and not just in Asia.

Well it is a buyer’s market after all.

Somewhere in L.A., Jeff Leve is waiting by a phone.

I offered to cover Midwest wines for payment in opium and Malay whores.

A.

[Milton_Hudson]

@Charlie Fu

I’m sure he was a wine geek, he just has bigger and better opportunities for him now that don’t involve wine.

Not that Gary needs me to defend him, but I can attest to his geekiness. I first met him at the Famous Cult Wine Offline (here’s a picture of him at the event with Ron Kramer)

http://www.wine-people.com/ronandgaryglassesinshoes.htm

We weren’t even sure he was old enough to drink back then. I had a long conversation with him back then (1999) about using social media to sell wine.

[Mike_E]

@John Morris

High-speed double-sided-printing laser printers (belonging to someone else) are definitely the way to go.

Especially as I also expect that WA will have the next evolution of the newsletter - colour!! (few will pay for B&W adverts!) Or maybe Dunder Mifflin will get into the Beige paper market more.

[Bill_Klapp_deactivated]

@Hank Gillespie

As a long time subscriber to the printed version of The Wine Advocate, it
represents the best option for me. Hopefully it will continue to be published in
that format. I prefer the ease of picking up the issue and setting it down after
reading a section or a few reviews. The time it takes to arrive in my mailbox isn’t important
to me as I don’t recall racing out to buy a wine after the review has been published.
Those who seem to do that are perhaps enamored with the electronic format,
but I found that version most unsatisfactory to work with.

I applaud Robert Parker for finding a way to exit from his business, even if that
may take some time to achieve, and for getting a financial reward for his long
tenure in building the business to its present level. At his age and after 35 years
of dedication to his craft, it’s undoubtedly good timing to want to see a way out
while the business carries forward. Its future success will depend upon how well
the new owners can marry the founding principles of the business model with their
objective of economic returns. Having been through a couple of these kinds of
business evolutions, I know there will be periods of frustration for Parker and the
new owners, but sound problem solving usually diminishes the impact.

Yes, the announcement could and should have been handled in a much better
manner - coming from the founder/owner instead of a young lady with fast feet
and an even faster mouth in front of a microphone or reporter.

Another observation is that I wonder what Bill would be doing if he didn’t have this
forum to continue his long standing bashing of Parker and TWA.

History has shown repeatedly that the press is less than a credible source of information,
and it’s also well known that those who infuse their dialogue (e.g. posts on wine threads)
with personal bias might sway some readers but not all readers.

Hank

Your last point is a good one, Hank. I have not swayed you, nor any of the 37 or so other hard-core Parker acolytes left over on the Squires board. I fear that I will now go to my grave without a single convert among the 37! Say hi for me when you go back, and tell them that, except for the 5 or so who came over here and were rude and insulting to me for my being rude and insulting
to their lord and master, I miss their pointed little heads! By the way, all of those who, like myself, have been ejected like so many Lucifers from the heaven on earth that is the Squires board have appealed to the new owners for amnesty, in the spirit of the holiday season. I think Bob and Mark miss me and Dan Posner more than they are saying…

[John_D_Zuccarino]

the biggest change will be the future implementation of CT at TWA… although I feel Bob will not like the change the new owners will pressure the synergies to a) save money operating the current system that does not work… and b) increase exposure… mark this post…

[Dave_Butner]

@Nick Ryan

@Matt Thomas

@Mark Sinnott

TWA is going to be a full-media experience. Online TV (Gary V. was also in Singapore - a coincidence?), interactive forums, TWA events across Asia and rest of world, and a full itinerary of high-profile speaking engagements for RMP - focused on but not solely in France.

Isn’t Vay-ner-chuk more or less out of the wine business and fully into the Web 2.0 stuff?

Yup, even his own forum is dying. I think he used wine as more of a way to jumpstart his media/business career, and at heart wasn’t a true “wine geek” at all.

I’ve met Gary, drank and dined with him, and was on his show. He is a total wine geek! Beyond a shadow of a doubt!

[Mark_Golodetz]

@SteveC

@Ken V

@Russell Faulkner

I dunno, it made a big article in the business section of The Times.

(I mean the real one, in the UK).

The UK? Is that somewhere in England?

It’s the Eastern island off of Ireland that we left for the British to live on

So you could go somewhere and be revolting.

[Peter_Kleban]

@Milton Hudson

@Charlie Fu

I’m sure he was a wine geek, he just has bigger and better opportunities for him now that don’t involve wine.

Not that Gary needs me to defend him, but I can attest to his geekiness. I first met him at the Famous Cult Wine Offline (here’s a picture of him at the event with Ron Kramer)

A New Use for Nikes

We weren’t even sure he was old enough to drink back then. I had a long conversation with him back then (1999) about using social media to sell wine.

Note the two types of shoe–one for base of glass outside the shoe, one for base inside. Where can I get some??

[Eric_LeVine]

@John D. Zuccarino

the biggest change will be the future implementation of CT at TWA… although I feel Bob will not like the change the new owners will pressure the synergies to a) save money operating the current system that does not work… and b) increase exposure… mark this post…

News to me… Although, despite some obvious public friction between me and eRP, on behalf of many thousands of shared customers I have respectfully been offering to collaborate for 7+ years now.

[John_D_Zuccarino]

@Eric LeVine

@John D. Zuccarino

the biggest change will be the future implementation of CT at TWA… although I feel Bob will not like the change the new owners will pressure the synergies to a) save money operating the current system that does not work… and b) increase exposure… mark this post…

News to me… Although, despite some obvious public friction between me and eRP, on behalf of many thousands of shared customers I have respectfully been offering to collaborate for 7+ years now.

Eric,

I am speculating that you will be working with the new owners if they really want to move forward … Before TWA was not about money… things have changed TWA will be about turning a big return and the synergy of using CT can’t overlooked much longer… Again just speculating …

[Bill_Tex_Landreth]

Not about money…

[ToddFrench]

@John D. Zuccarino

@Eric LeVine

@John D. Zuccarino

the biggest change will be the future implementation of CT at TWA… although I feel Bob will not like the change the new owners will pressure the synergies to a) save money operating the current system that does not work… and b) increase exposure… mark this post…

News to me… Although, despite some obvious public friction between me and eRP, on behalf of many thousands of shared customers I have respectfully been offering to collaborate for 7+ years now.

Eric,

I am speculating that you will be working with the new owners if they really want to move forward … Before TWA was not about money… things have changed TWA will be about turning a big return and the synergy of using CT can’t overlooked much longer… Again just speculating …

Maybe they will buy Vivino, who just got a fresh round of venture capital:

Vivino Raises $1M From Creandum For Mobile Wine Cellar | TechCrunch

[Bill_Klapp_deactivated]

Nah, nothing new with this Vivino. Richard Jennings can track more wines than the Vivino app with an old BlackBerry that has been dropped many times…

[Bill_Klapp_deactivated]

In the words of the late and great Marvin Gaye, “Oh, mercy, mercy me.
Oh, things ain’t what they used to be.” Or to paraphrase the late, great Desi Arnaz, “Lisa, ju got some ‘splainin’ to do!” I almost hope for Parker’s sake that this isn’t true, but it smells a lot better that Parker’s “oracle of Monkton” hints and half-truths:

Robert Parker Singapore investor 'named' as Soo Hoo Khoon Peng - Decanter

[k_s_h_i_n]

Good for Bob, nice way to retire! He well deserves it. However, the leader of the investors is unlike Bob stated, involved in wine business.

[WvanGorp]

@Bill Klapp

In the words of the late and great Marvin Gaye, “Oh, mercy, mercy me.
Oh, things ain’t what they used to be.” Or to paraphrase the late, great Desi Arnaz, “Lisa, ju got some ‘splainin’ to do!” I almost hope for Parker’s sake that this isn’t true, but it smells a lot better that Parker’s “oracle of Monkton” hints and half-truths:

Robert Parker Singapore investor 'named' as Soo Hoo Khoon Peng - Decanter

Interesting article in Decanter. I thought Bob said none of the three principals were wine people; this contradicts that (am I remembering his comments correctly?)

[Paul_Jaouen]

How the heck did I miss that Jay Miller was retiring?!?!?! On second thought, I guess it was easy to miss.

[Bob_Wood]

@Paul Jaouen

How the heck did I miss that Jay Miller was retiring?!?!?! On second thought, I guess it was easy to miss.

I beg to differ. Jay is impossible to miss.