The Michelin Guide said it has become the 100% shareholder of influential American wine publication Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, having initially bought a 40% stake in the Advocate in 2017.
It announced the acquisition on Friday 22 November during a Wine Advocate tasting in New York, where writers showcased some of their favourite recent wine discoveries.
News of Michelin’s takeover came six months after it was announced that Robert Parker Jr had formally retired from reviewing wines for the Wine Advocate.
Nicolas Achard, the newly appointed CEO of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (RPWA), said of the deal, ‘We got to know each other for the past two years before we decided to complete the acquisition and we realised that Michelin and the Wine Advocate had the same culture in regards to the importance of their independence.’
He added, ‘People curious about wine and gastronomy will be offered a unique set of experiences thanks to the internationally-recognised know-how and independent, unbiased selections of both companies.’
Both sides said they were excited about integrating wine and gastronomy and creating ‘exclusive’ experiences based on food and wine pairing. There are also plans to create new wine and food-based digital content and services.
Lisa Perotti-Brown, RPWA editor-in-chief, said that ‘the new team’s ambitions include reaffirming its role as the worldwide reference for wine, by expanding RPWA’s geographical footprint along with the ever-increasing interest for wine culture in historical as well as emerging wine markets’.
Before the arrival of Michelin, Parker had previously sold a controlling stake in the Advocate to Asia-based investors, in December 2012.
See also: Robert Parker formally retires
