Michelin Guide Becomes Sole Owner Of The Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Back in the 1970s, 80s and even 90s, many lovers of gastronomy as well as those looking to visit tourist sites and boutique hotels around Europe, would use books that they held sacred, the Michelin Guides. In 1889 the Andre and Edouard Michelin brothers had a vision of bringing a more robust automobile industry to France that their tire company Michelin would be a key player in establishing. To courage French people to take more road trips, the brothers designed guides of places to see, restaurants to dine and lodges to stay. But remarkably through time the guides, which adapted a star rating system of restaurants and hotels involving a multitude of anonymous reviewers around the world, have become a pinnacle for a chef’s career while becoming a food bible for those dreaming of the ultimate gastronomic experiences around the world.

Before the days of the internet, American foodies would mark pages in the guide books by circling those places that would inspire their dreams during their downtime from the daily grind of the rat race. But as times have changed, such as the importance of having an online site as well as social media presence, the increased interest in wine and wine tourism, especially within the U.S. and Asian countries, has lead Michelin to the natural progression of purchasing the Robert Parker Wine Advocate.

Partnership of Michelin and Robert Parker Wine Advocate

There is nothing new about this partnership as Michelin bought a 40% stake in the Wine Advocate in 2017 but the company’s full commitment to expanding into the appreciation of wine has been realized this year. Nicolas Achard, CEO of Wine Advocate as well as Managing Director of Michelin Experience Asia, stated in regards to whether it was the plan all along to take 100% of ownership, “We got to know each other for the past two years before we decided to complete the acquisition and we realized that Michelin and the Wine Advocate had the same culture in regards to the importance of their independence [from the restaurants/hotels and wineries they are reviewing].” He further stressed that both companies also follow a rigorous methodology when it came to giving Michelin stars or Robert Parker Wine Advocate scores.  

But the one way that the companies diverge is that all of the reviewers of the Wine Advocate are known and many readers feel a personal connection to them through their social media accounts while the Michelin inspectors are anonymous. This is because a wine doesn’t change on its own just because a known wine critic tastes it yet the service of a restaurant and quality of the dishes can be improved if it is known that a Michelin inspector is there. This is something where this synergetic pairing can be highly beneficial to Michelin as Nicolas and Nora Vass (Michelin’s Director of Food & Travel Experiences) expressed with their future plans to have events with Michelin starred chefs in conjunction with Wine Advocate reviewers pairing wines for their audiences; it brings the personal touch of Wine Advocate personalities, satisfying the personal connections desired in today’s age, while allowing Michelin to keep their anonymity.

Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Editor-in-Chief at Robert Parker Wine Advocate, also spoke about the mutual focus on an unwavering code of ethics that has been rooted in Wine Advocate by Robert Parker who established the “bi-monthly newsletter” in 1978. Lisa continued stating that this code of ethics “was the cornerstone that Robert Parker established when he began building his publication. Each and every member of our team of critics is bound within their employee contracts to our strict independence policy to ensure their impartiality with regards to the reviews and tasting notes they produce.” The Wine Advocate does not accept advertisement nor any form of money/payment from wineries for any participation in events – it is 100% subscriber funded; the Michelin Guide is supported by those who buy their books and industries that are related to food and travel but do not include businesses they would review such as restaurants and hotels, as well as being subsidized by the Michelin tire company.

Wine Discoveries

Similarly to Michelin, the Robert Parker Wine Advocate brings new wine discoveries to their readership – while Michelin may introduce a well-run, charming inn owned by locals that can give a more authentic experience for travelers, the Wine Advocate reviewers can find hidden gems made by small producers to bring to their subscribers’ attention. On Friday, November 22^nd in New York City, during the announcement of Michelin’s 100% acquisition of Wine Advocate, there was also a tasting to highlight “Wine Discoveries” with the reviewers choosing some of their favorite wines that they have discovered over the past year.

Some of the discoveries included a 2015 Charles Perez Côtes du Roussillon Les Aspres MVD MMXV from the lesser-known area of Roussillon in France that had 80% Syrah, 10% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre that is a special bottling representing the ideal expression of the wine with only two other vintages, 2011 and 2017, being made with a label maker stuck on to give an extra personal touch; 2015 Domaines Lupier La Dama from Navarra, Spain represents husband/wife team Enrique Basarte and Elisa Ucar saving small plots of old bush vine Garnacha in the Navarra area that has been threatened by new plantings of international grapes; 2017 Planeta Sicilia Carricante Eruzione 1614 in Etna, Sicily, Italy from the great producer Planeta that believed in the potential of Etna before it became a sommelier favorite with the ancient white Carricante variety that is believed to have existed in the volcanic area of Etna for over a thousand years; 2016 Poesia Saint-Émilion from Bordeaux, France that was hand picked by the Editor-in-Chief Lisa Perrotti-Brown herself showing the value that Bordeaux has to offer with a Saint-Émilion wine retailing under $40 and her explanation of being extremely impressed with “Wonder Woman [Hélène] Garcin-Lévêque” bringing this property to an incredibly impressive level in such a short amount of time. This type of event, as well as their Matter of Taste events, open to the public around the world, is just some of the ways that the reviewers are connecting in person with their subscribers.  

Independence and Integrity

Times have certainly significantly changed when one thinks of the days of having to fax restaurants and hotels around the world to make reservations and not having any idea of what wineries, outside of the largest ones, one could visit as a foreigner; only those willing to take the risk of getting lost in a distant land, many times ending up frustrated and empty handed, had any chance of getting a native experience that was well-done. At one time, the Michelin Guide was the only source for food lovers and now they have expanded into other countries and different experiences with street food in Singapore and Thailand being awarded with one star and naturally the next step in giving their readership a complete experience by adding wine with a human face that is represented by Wine Advocate.

But with any change there are always the threats of losing the pillars that were the foundation for the success and respectability of any enterprise and hence why it is vital for the core ethics to remain the same while acquiring another company to help broaden the scope of another; together, Michelin and Robert Parker Wine Advocate can strengthen their resolve to continue a commitment that seems utterly impossible when it comes to reviewer guides and publications on a large-scale in the wake of the decline of subscription support for comprehensive journalism and criticism – keeping a strong dividing line between ads and the businesses that are being reviewed.

Wines Poured During the Robert Parker Wine Advocate Wine Discoveries:

2015 Domaines Lupier La Dama, Navarra, Spain (Picked by Luis Gutiérrez)

2016 Poesia, Saint-Émilion, Bordeaux, France (Picked by Lisa Perrotti-Brown)

2011 Kir-Yianni Diaporos Block 5, Macedonia, Greece (Picked by Mark Squires)

2017 Planeta Sicilia Carricante Eruzione 1614, Etna, Sicily, Italy (Picked by Monica Larner)

Chambers Rosewood Vineyards Rare Muscat (Multi-Vintage), Rutherglen, Australia (Picked by Joe Czerwinzki)

2017 Martin Muthenthaler Riesling Viesslinger Stern, Wachau, Austria (Picked by Stephan Reinhardt)

2017 Lismore Estate Reserve Chardonnay, Western Cape, South Africa (Picked by Anthony Mueller)

2017 Scar of the Sea Chardonnay Seven Leagues, Santa Maria Valley, California (Picked by Erin Brooks)

2015 Charles Perez Côtes du Roussillon Les Aspres MVD MMXV, Roussillon, France (Picked by Joe Czerwinzki)

NV Ulysse Collin Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Roises, Champagne, France (Picked by William Kelley)