Decanter World Wine AwardsRobert Parker distances himself from Campo as he announces investigation
- Tuesday 13 December 2011
Parker: 'appalled'
Parker, publisher of the Wine Advocate, said he ‘remains appalled’ by the ‘lynch mob rush to judgment’ of bloggers, including award-winning Decanter writer Jim Budd on his blog Jim’s Loire.
Budd, followed by other bloggers, including vinography as well as senior Spanish commentators such as Jose Penin, has since the summer alleged that Jay Miller’s representative Pancho Campo of the Wine Academy of Spain was effectively charging wineries, via their consejos reguladores, for access.
Budd has published emails between the Wine Academy and consejos in Navarra, Madrid and Murcia which he alleges demonstrate that consejos were left in no doubt that hefty sums would have to change hands in order for Wine Advocate correspondent Miller to visit and taste the wines.
Announcing the investigation by Steve Haas of law firm Cozen O’Connor yesterday, Parker said, ‘Our lawyers are interviewing Pancho Campo today, and all relevant contracts and emails have been translated into English and reviewed.’
He added, ‘Jay clearly and irrefutably has taken no money for a wine review or winery visit, but I will await the lawyer's final report.’
At the same time Parker appeared to be distancing himself from Campo, at several of whose conferences - notably the high-profile WineFuture Hong Kong this year and WineFuture Rioja in 2009 - he has been a keynote speaker.
In a comment on erobertparker.com yesterday he said, ‘Of course hindsight suggests Pancho Campo is a lightning rod for controversy, and has plenty of enemies for reasons I am at a loss to understand given his success with conferences on climate change and wine. Hopefully our investigation will shed some light on this.’
Haas said, on the same bulletin board, 'In light of allegations and innuendos posted by various internet blogs concerning visits made to Murcia, Spain by Jay Miller…the law firm of Cozen O’Connor [will] conduct an investigation to determine whether our strict policy of independence in the review and tasting of wines for publication in The Wine Advocate or posting on www.eRobertparker.com was compromised by any conduct of The Wine Advocate or any other party associated with tastings in that region.’
Jim Budd welcomed the investigation but regretted its terms were limited to Miller’s visit to Murcia, he said on Jim's Loire.
‘All of Jay Miller’s Spanish visits since Pancho Campo MW was entrusted with their organization in 2009 should be investigated.’
These should include visits to Navarra and Valencia as well as Murcia and ‘all regions and bodegas in which Campo and the Wine Academy of Spain had a commercial interest.’
Pancho Campo - who has vigorously denied all allegations of impropriety, and who has launched his own legal investigation - told Decanter.com they had ‘been in contact for the past several weeks with Joe James, Parker´s manager, in regards to this matter.
‘We are also in contact with Steven Haas [and] we welcome an independent party to investigate the matter, hoping that the results of such investigations will bring light into the matter and help clear our name.'
In a four-page statement released yesterday Campo said, 'The rules imposed by the Wine Advocate were respected and followed at all times by TWAS [The Wine Academy of Spain].'
Have your say!
Kevin Beck
December 16 16:33
In regards to Mr. Budd wanting a full-scale investigation of all of Jay Miller's Spanish tastings: There should be no need to start with such a wide-ranging investigation. Start somewhere; if the first batch shows absolutely no issues, and can be representative of the whole, then it is unlikely that a complete investigation would find problems. The only reasons a complete investigation would be undertaken is if the sample batch shows that there is a high probability of finding a more extensive issue.
Marcin S
December 15 22:57
WA,Mr Parker, JM Thank you~
I trust only my own taste...How can you trust any of the above??
Mr Parker scores 100 and the wine goes up 1000% it is not normal and not good for the wine industry...Wine never taste the same.Drink it in the winter?summer?spring?wher do you taste it?Africa?Europe?Americe?all influences the taste.This should be mentioned.Everyone has its own taste and scores are very subjective~
Todd Blomberg
December 15 09:14
I think this could be a battle between the two parties interested. There could be a legal battle over who really decided to go forward with guest speaking and there is a fine line between speaking and tasting for reviews. Jay was and always be honest with the wineries in my opinion. It is a shame that the great organizacion of MW should get their name destroyed. In my opinion this organizacion should have great interest in the outcome of this investigacion. I wish the best to the spanish wineries.
John S.
December 14 12:37
Exactly. If Parker is truly at a loss to understand why Campo has enemies he is either hopelessly and incurably naive or just plain stupid.