Are Print Wine Guides Dying?

[Craig Camp]

Decades ago I anxiously waited for the arrival of Connoisseurs Guide to California Wine and the Wine Advocate. I kept every issue for years in ring binders. When I moved to Italy I finally got rid of tons of them and I don't miss them a bit. The information is just not usable. There is just too much.

In fact now I get the new issue of the Wine Advocate and I look at the hundreds of wines reviewed and think what am I supposed to DO with this? I would much prefer to receive this information electronically in a form that I can use. The number of reviews and wines to be reviewed has increased dramatically over the years and it is just to big to work with without a searchable database.

I know that the the Wine Spectator and Advocate now have online databases you can use on a subscription basis, but why should I have to pay twice for the same information? Also what about when I am off-line?

When are these publications going to go electronic so that we can really use all this information?

[pirate]

The problems I have with Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate are the following:

1. The huge grade inflation in evaluating wines. I remember when 16/20 on the Underground wine letter was quite a decent grade. What does 80/100 get you in WS or WA? Can one tell the difference between 92 and 94?

2. Wine journalism. People in the field drift in and out of commercial affiliations and hence are not very prone to be critical - that might possibly be their next employer.

3. Bribery. Obviously I can't confirm this but winegrowers have told me that they give many free cases, often very valuable, to the big names

I like this forum because winedrinkers without any commercial or other trade affiliation express their opinions. One can, after a while discern those that one deems reliable.

[docsconz]

I have given up my subscription to the Wine Advocate, although I retain my my subscription to RobertParker Online for its database. I don't use it much, but it is nice to have when I wish to refer to a specific wine.

[nanuq]

When are these publications going to go electronic so that we can really use all this information?

There is a Palm version of the entire Parker database - go to the site and click on Parker In Your Palm.

The site is http://www.erobertparker.com/

[futronic]

I don't subscribe to the print editions of either the Wine Spectator or The Wine Advocate. I do have an online sub to WS, and may add the WA at some point this year.

I also find the searchable databases much handier to use.

I know that TWA is releasing Parker for the Palm releases at the same time as the magazine gets sent in the post, but whether the whole magazine will be published electronically happens at some point remains to be seen. I know several people on the eBob forums have requested it.

[Brad Ballinger]

I don't get print guides either. Never have. And now, with sites like this and other wine discussion boards (not counting eBob), I personally don't have a need for them. I've been lucky to drink wine with a great number of people who have similar palates and preferences to mine, and I'm able to connect with them online.