It hasn't been all sunshine and sightseeing on my vacation. I've also hunkered down to get some industry reading under my belt. Here's my take on Elin McCoy's biographical book on Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Having a general knowledge of Mr. Parker's impact on the wine industry, the book was a good in depth look at his upbringing, his interests and many of the struggles he has dealt with on his path to becoming one of the world's most important wine critics. The writer, Elin McCoy, is a journalist and longtime contributor to wine columns for Bloomberg Markets, Food & Wine, New York Times, and House and Garden. Her writing is very imformative, if not exhaustive, in telling the tale of Mr. Parker's rise to prominence.
Not knowing Mr. Parker, some of the stories show a favorable side of him, but many times he is shown as brutal to wineries he doesn't care for, tender to criticism and quick to defend himself, sometimes excessively.
I thought the book was very helpful in understanding Robert Parker's impact on the wine industry and offered some insight into the wine world. The writing style was a bit dry for me, and didn't lend itself to enjoyable reading. If you want to get an insiders view of the wine world, of Mr. Parker, and of wine criticism overall, it's worth your time.
The Emperor of Wine; The Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr., and the Reign of American Taste, by Elin Mccoy, c. 2005, Harper Perennial.
No comments:
Post a Comment