Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Parker's Wine Buyer's Guide - 6th Edition, 20 Feb 2004
By A Customer
This is a useful book for wine lovers and collectors. There are, however, some serious flaws in its scope and execution, as well as irritations for non-US readers. Early on in the book, whilst advising readers how to serve wine, the author makes such an extended pitch for using one particular manufacturer’s wine glasses that it is hard not to conclude that he is a paid ambassador for that company. In my opinion, he goes too far into what reads like a commercial promotion. Secondly, there is the sad and inexplicable omission of individual commentary on the wonderful dessert wines of Sauternes and Barsac in the Bordeaux section. Furthermore, at the end of the book, the inclusion of just a half page on South Africa could be mistaken for an insult. Better to leave it out altogether, given that this is approximately the world’s 7th largest wine producer and makes a great many wines worthy of inclusion in what is supposedly a comprehensive wine guide. This (the UK is the most important export market for SA wines) and repeated American consumer-oriented references spoil what is otherwise an interesting inclusion in a connoisseur’s bookshelf.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Too much geared towards the American market, 26 Sep 2003
Robert Parker has again published another huge tome and marked an enormous quantity of wines from all over the world. Some people might call this a wine bible, but it is not.
First of all, removing the numerous pages on Bordeaux, Burgundy and Californian wines would leave a mere 500 of the books 1,500 pages. This is all the more regrettable as there is lot more to discover in European wine countries such as Germany (a country almost completely overlooked by Parker and his assistant Rovani), Greece, Hungary, Portugal, and Spain (from the latter not a lot except for Rioja, Ribeira del Duero and Priorat). New World wine countries such as New Zealand, Chili and Argentinia don't fare much better.
Even on France, Parker could have done better. A bit less on Bordeaux would have created some space for exciting, and lesser-known, wines from regions such as the Loire Valley, or the south of France. The detailed description of Bordeaux's famous châteaux and vintages should be reserved to Parker's special book about this wine region instead of the world-wide wine overview. Worse still, Parker forgets to include most of the sweet Sauternes wines and focuses instead mainly on top-notch reds.
As for Burgundy, the author talks extensively about many wines that are not only dead-expensive but also available in such minute quantities that in all likelihood Parker will remain one of the privileged few to have actually tasted them...
Parker's book is helpful mainly for American wine lovers, but for European ones, to discover all those nice Oregon pinot noirs and Californian cabenets described by the author may well prove to be an impossible task.
The book makes a nice read if you're interested in wines for whatever reason. But for beginners and for European (quality) wine buyers, there are certainly better books on the market than this one.
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14 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Everything you need to know - almost, 19 Feb 2003
First of all, spare me the usual "Parker only likes full bodied California cabs and the heavier the better, and those scores of his has ruined the wine market" criticism usually offered by every wine nerd who hasn't read the man, but only seen the scores.
If you don't like his scores, if you don't like his views on certain wines, don't bother reading them.The real benefit of Parker is his vast experience and knowledge of most of the wines on this planet, and his lack of romantic connections with the industry. Too many wine journalists are more wine lovers than journalists, and you cannot trust them to give a poor score to a wine maker they know. Parker will not stand for that, and we have his power in the market to thank for it. As a journalist, and a wine lover, I can only admire the work that Parker does.
That said, let's talk about this book. It's full bodied. It's complex. It's inviting to newcomers, and it's overpowering to us who think we know wine, but only really know 1 per cent of what there is out there. I have the 4th edition before this, and a lot of the basic and background information is still there, plus the new vintages of all the wines that Parker finds essential.
It's hugely informative, and interesting. It's a bible, not only in size, but in the way it is not really meant for reading in a straight line. When you need a bit of advice, that's when you open it, even when you don't know what you need. There is always something there that you didn't know, or if you read it again, there is a new light in it.
So, why only a four, when I sound like a master's servant?
I think Parker could make it more innovative. It's still the best comprehensive wine book compared to everyone else, but he should raise his own standards.
And I think his passages on some parts of the book, Champagne, Austrian wines, are too summarily written. Sure, how much can you put in a book, but still. Surprise us.
Look forward to the next edition.
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