Photo: winestem / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Robert Parker is one of those rare people who genuinely changed an entire industry, and I find that fascinating even if you're not a wine person. He was a lawyer from Baltimore who started The Wine Advocate in 1978 essentially as a consumer-protection newsletter — no advertising, no freebies from producers — and somehow ended up being the most powerful palate on the planet. His 100-point scoring system became the de facto language of fine wine, and a high Parker score could make a Bordeaux vintage's price spike overnight. Governments decorated him (the French gave him the Legion of Honour twice, which is almost funny in its symmetry), and the term "Parkerization" entered the lexicon to describe how winemakers started crafting wines to please his taste rather than their own traditions. Love it or hate it, that's a genuinely extraordinary level of influence for a self-taught critic working from a Maryland suburb.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Robert M. Parker, Jr.
- Name (Japanese)
- ロバート・パーカー
- Reading
- ろばーと・ぱーかー
- Born
- July 23, 1947 (age 78)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Boar
- Origin
- Baltimore, Maryland, United States
- Occupation
- journalist / writer / publisher / lawyer
2. Background
- University
- University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law
Awards & achievements
- 2005 Officer of the Legion of Honour
- 1999 Knight of the Legion of Honour
- 2010 Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit
- 2002 Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
- 1992 Knight of the National Order of Merit
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Robert M. Parker, Jr. born?
Born July 23, 1947 (age 78).
Where is Robert M. Parker, Jr. from?
Robert M. Parker, Jr. is from Baltimore, Maryland, United States.
What does Robert M. Parker, Jr. do?
Robert M. Parker, Jr. works as journalist, writer, publisher, lawyer.
Journalist — see all → · Writer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.