The Parker phenomenon

By Helena and John Baker 

For the Post

An unusual tasting of wines given more than 90 points by America's leading wine critic, Robert M. Parker Jr., took place recently in the Czech Republic. The event was organized by the winner of the Best Winery of the Czech Republic 2009 title, Miloš Michlovský, who invited 15 guests from the wine trade to assess some of the rare samples that are available here, with the aim of seeing how the local opposition would fare against them.

Twenty-two wines were tasted blind. These hailed from Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhône, Piedmont, Tuscany and Spain, along with half a dozen local stars. Prices for these gems range from 300 Kč ($17) to a rather fantastical 10,000 Kč per bottle. While some received as many points as awarded by Parker, and a couple rated even higher, others seriously disappointed, not surprising perhaps, considering they were being tasted at a different time and by a different panel than when the original assessment was made.

And just who is this all-important wine phenomenon who single-handedly controls the U.S. wine market? From the outset, Parker saw himself as an outsider, a champion of the consumer, pitted against the smart city hacks who were writing nothing but uncritical PR for the prestigious dailies. 

It was in 1975 that this Baltimore lawyer began collecting tasting notes for his favorite wines, which he published in 1978 as The Wine Advocate, a bi-monthly newsletter. The timing was exactly right. By 1980, the United States could claim more than 1 million new wine enthusiasts, many of whom were in serious need of precise guidance in pursuing their vinous purchases.  

These newsletters and later Internet pages, available at $99 per year, plus a mammoth annual Wine Buyers' Guide of more than 1,700 pages, have since become the American wine investors' bible for the world's finest wines.

Winemakers await Parker's visit with some trepidation, knowing that their next year's fortunes are tied to a quick swirl, sniff, sip, snort and spit of their previous year's work. Some are even suspected of preparing a Cuvée Parker - a big beefy alcoholic wine especially laid out for his delectation and endorsement. 

Why this individual's opinion should be more valid than anyone else's is not a question worth asking, however, as Parker's guide has now become so important that those who buy and sell wines on the American market depend almost totally on his ratings. The problem, according to critics of this system, is that the numbers are so precise they allow no room for maneuvering, unlike, say, a rating of one to four stars. What exactly is the difference between 85 and 86 points? Or 89 and 90? Well, 90 turns out to be the magic number. Receiving a rating of 90 points or higher ensures a wine's future: Its price will surge, and it will sell out.  As one retailer says, "If a wine receives over 90 points, I can't buy it. Any fewer and I can't sell it!"

But the dream of finding wines from the Czech Republic on the Parker pages is basically a nonstarter. This stems from the simple reason that, because the export of Czech wines to the United States is negligible, there is minimal interest in listing them.   

Winery of the month: Osička Family Winery

There has been a great deal of recent hype surrounding biodynamic or simply organic winemaking, but Jaroslav Osička is no newcomer to this approach. Osička has many years of experience, both as a winemaker and as a lecturer at the Valtice Wine School in south Moravia. Together with his son Luboš, he has a small family concern in Velké Bílovice. Vines are cultivated on just 3 hectares on two prime southwest-facing slopes: Přední hora and Zadní hora. Although not certified as an official bio-producer, Osička observes organic principles such as respect for nature and no use of chemical herbicides or pesticides in his vineyards. All vineyard work is undertaken by hand, wines ferment naturally with wild yeasts and minimal sulfur is used. The resulting wines are neither filtered nor refined. Osička says he likes to think of his wines as being "different."

More details and information on how to arrange a tasting in the vineyard's traditional Belegrady cellar from: Jardovovino.cz.

Wines of the month 

White: Pinot Chardonnay 2007

Producer: Rodinné vinařství Osička, Velké Bílovice, Moravia  

A very fine blend of three popular varieties: Chardonnay, Pinots Noir and Gris, coming from a 22-year-old vineyard. This wine has a deep golden hue, displays a pronounced nose of candied fruit and caramel and titillates the palate with its combination of dried apricots and honeyed almonds. An atypical wine, but the care put into it obviously pays off. 250 Kč

Red: Chateau Beaucastel 2005 

Producer: Domaine Perrin, Chateauneauf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone, France  

One of the best wines in the recent Parker tasting, rated at 94 points by the guru himself, this wine nonetheless came up short with the majority of local tasters, perhaps because local palates are used to wines ready to be drunk immediately and do not see this wine's potential. This wonderful example of deep crimson opens up after a while in the glass with an intense aroma of black fruit laced with spice and licorice. Powerful, meaty and weighty, it will last for decades! 3,300 Kč

Events diary

St. Martin's Day, Nov. 11, is the day for the new season's wines to go forth and be tasted. Fittingly, numerous events will take place around the country. In Prague, while sailing down the Vltava on the good ship Czechie, you can taste the new vintage from the Znovín Znojmo winery accompanied by live music and gastronomic delicacies such as goose paté, St. Martin's goose and typical Moravian desserts. Three sailings of around two and a half hours will depart from the anchorage Na Františku on the embankment, starting at 11 a.m. 1,100 Kč. More from Vranovagency.cz.

The writers can be reached at features@praguepost.com