Robert Parker Obituary – Death: Robert Parker Has Passed Away, Cause Of Death

Robert McDowell Parker Jr. is a well-known wine critic from the United States who is now retired. His influential 100-point wine ratings and newsletter, The Wine Advocate, have a significant impact on wine purchases in the US, particularly on the prices of newly released Bordeaux wines. As a result, he is widely regarded as the most famous and influential wine critic in the world.

Parker was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to a construction machinery dealer father. He graduated with honors from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a major in history and a minor in art history. He later obtained a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland School of Law at the University of Maryland City Campus in Baltimore in 1973. While studying in Alsace, he discovered his passion for wine and met his future wife, Patricia. For over ten years, he served as assistant general counsel at Farm Credit Bank of Baltimore before resigning in 1984 to focus on writing about wine.

Parker began writing wine guides in 1975, inspired by consumer advocate Ralph Nader’s example. He wanted to provide wine reviews without any potential conflicts of interest that might affect the opinions of other critics who also make a living selling wine. In 1978, he launched a direct mail newsletter called The Baltimore-Washington Wine Advocate, which later became known as The Wine Advocate. The first edition was sent free to customers on Parker’s mailing list, which he purchased from various major winemakers. 600 charter subscribers paid for the second issue, which was released later that year.