One man has the kind of power in the wine world that no critic in any field has ever had. How did that happen? A conversation with his biographer about a remarkable story.

Wine Power

Robert Parker is the most powerful and influential wine critic in the world. In this country, in Europe, in the Far East, he determines to a great extent what people buy and by extension what wines get into retail stores. He also determines to a surprising degree how wines are made in every important wine producing nation. Nearly every wine consumer knows his double digit rating system, and those numbers very directly decide the success of a wine in the marketplace. It is hard to overestimate his influence.

Mr. Parker grew up in rural Maryland, and still lives close to what was once his family’s dairy farm. Nothing in his childhood except perhaps a keen sense of smell indicated his future. He ate a normal American diet and neither he nor his family had a particular interest in food. The household beverages were milk, soda, coffee and for his father, a cocktail. They never drank wine. He met his future wife to whom he is still married after more than 30 years when they were 12 years old. He went on to become a lawyer after an undergraduate soccer scholarship.

It is the contrast between Mr. Parker’s unremarkable beginnings and his most extraordinary position now that makes his life story so interesting, and a new book by Elin McCoy chronicles that unique progression. Ms. McCoy was here in the Hamptons a few days ago to promote her book, titled “The Emperor of Wine, and subtitled “The Rise of Robert M. Parker, Jr., and the Reign of American Taste.”

It’s a fascinating story and Ms. McCoy is clearly the person to tell it. A wine writer with considerable experience, she has followed Mr. Parker’s rise since she first met him in 1981, and seems to have had remarkable access to his thinking. In explaining exactly who Mr. Parker is she gives us an incisive, behind the scenes tour of the world of wine. . Her prose is clear and elegant, and she strikes the correct balance between Mr. Parker’s biography and the anecdotes and explanations that give the story life and vitality.

Ms. McCoy was the guest of Michael Cinque of Amagansett Wines & Spirits. The arrangement seemed appropriate since Mr. Cinque himself is influential in what we drink in the Hamptons and in the many other places where he has customers. Mr. Cinque hosted a Champagne reception for the author in his store on Main Street in Amagansett, and the group later walked a few doors east to Gordon’s for a meal featuring Spanish wines. We had a chance to discuss the book with Ms. McCoy and she is as good a conversationalist as she is a writer. That should be no surprise since she is a frequent speaker at wine events and she is immensely knowledgeable.

Mr. Parker is of course a controversial figure. No one of his importance could fail to ignite opinions for and against. In one of the many fascinating chapters in the book, Ms. McCoy deftly explains the reasons why and becomes an advocate for both camps. This is no mere trick of logic. Her arguments are personal and passionate.

Ms. McCoy says that “Robert Parker has the kind of power in the wine world that no critic in any field has ever had.” True enough, but contradictions are inherent in that kind of control. He wanted wine drinking to be democratic, yet he is an elite expert. He took authority away from merchants, but handed it to the media. He encouraged people to trust their own taste, but he became the supreme judge. And his scoring system unintentionally encouraged the idea that only top-rated wines are worthwhile. But things that are so obvious now as to be accepted knowledge are the result of Mr. Parker’s preeminence. Consider the very idea that wine can be judged and rated, or that there are still undiscovered wines and regions. These are Mr. Parker’s substantial contributions.

We have finally a man who has revolutionized the way in which we approach wine and an author who has thoroughly examined and evaluated that revolution. Like a top rated Parker wine, this book is rich, layered, well proportioned, and stays in your mind long after you have finished it.