I received a mail in late January this year from Denis Saverot, Editor in Chief of the magazine, which Jancis Robinson describes as ‘France’s only serious wine magazine.’ Denis informed me that the magazine would bring out a special issue during Vinexpo to be held in Bordeaux in June and was planning to publish interviews of fifteen or so prominent international wine writers and experts on the major strengths and weaknesses of French wines in 2009, and on changes and trends which might have an effect on the wine industry in the future.
‘Each expert will represent an influential country or region of the world of importance to the wine industry, including USA, China, UK, Italy, Germany, Spain, Scandinavia, Russia, Japan, Canada, South-East Asia, South-Africa, South America, Caribbean, India and Middle East,’ said the mail.
‘I am delighted to inform you that you have been chosen by our editorial committee as our expert for India,’ he wrote further. I was sent some questions to answer which were mailed in due course through my travels and I forgot about the matter.
Later I was also invited by the magazine to join the international panel at Vinexpo at a conference titled ‘Globalisation : The chances of French wines’ to be held on June 24 with a request of 5 minute oral presentation summarizing my answers- an invitation I was obliged to decline as I was not planning to attend due to some other engagements around that time.
Last month, I was sent a couple of copies of the magazines which had a nice picture of me and an article which was in French so did not mean much to me, till a couple of importers wrote to me in reference to the article. Then a visiting French student came to me with a copy of the magazine and both of us went through the article- at least sifted through the pages and the pictures.
The cover page of the July-August issue of ‘Revue du Vin’ had an ‘Exclusif’ with the picture of Robert Parker at the bottom left on the magazine cover. Inside, there was a 15 (fifteen) page article titled ‘Trieze Stars de la degustation jugent les vins français’ (thirteen star tasting judges of French wines). The article that gave me almost half a page of picture on the top right had a very familiar photo on the bottom left - it was THE Robert Parker!
It then dawned on me that I had been given the honour of joining the rank of Robert Parker (USA), Jancis Robinson (UK), Simon Tam (China), Richard Juhlin (Sweden), Joel Payne (Germany), Bisso Atanassov (Russia), Jean Aubrey (Quebec-Canada), Jeannie Cho Lee MW (Hong Kong-the first MW from Asia-whom I met at Mundusvini judging earlier this month), Enzo Vizzari (Italy), James Halliday (Australia), Michael Fridjhon (South Africa) and Eduardo Viotti (Brasil).
A very impressive line up indeed and a great honour for India indeed! Should have been more detailed in my answers? Should I have been at this important conference? I guess so. What was printed in page 33-46 of the magazine- I really don’t know (I would be glad if some reader can do the translation; I hate the Google translation –many have promised to do it, but none has dared as the article is rather long!). However, I am glad that I was with Robert Parker as a part of the Trieze Stars de la degustation jugent les vins français.
I have been invited to the RiojaFutures Conference in Spain in mid- November where ‘king’ Parker will also be present. Perhaps, if I am able to attend the conference, I shall come back and write another blog, ‘When I was Robert Parker-Part II’.
Subhash Arora
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