Who is Robert Parker and what is the Wine Advocate?
The Wine Advocate’s roots go back to 1967, when Robert Parker took his first trip to France, chasing the girl who would eventually become his wife. The trip to France changed the direction of his life, not only because he got the girl, but because he also discovered wine and became obsessed. He finished his law degree but realized wine was where his heart was. In 1978 he began publishing his own wine guide, The Baltimore-Washington Wine Advocate.
“He dreamt of a publication that could be free of financial ties to wineries and merchants, a guide that would produce wholly unbiased views on wines and that served only the interests of wine consumers.” (robertparker.com)
In 1979, the name was changed to The Wine Advocate it quickly became clear that Robert Parker’s influence on the wine world would be monumental. For 30 years he continued reviewing and rating wines and earned the trust of wine collectors all over the world. In 2019, The Michelin Guide (which bought a 40% stake in the Wine Advocate in 2017) purchased The Wine Advocate, and the entire review team continues to provide unbiased and credible reviews on over 30,000 wines annually.
What is the Robert Parker Green Emblem?
In 2021, Robert Parker Wine Advocate launched the Robert Parker Green Emblem. It became the first wine review publication to recognize wineries with outstanding commitment to sustainability. The website has search tools dedicated to both Biodynamic and Organic practices – plus the Green Emblem designation, given to select wineries that demonstrate extraordinary environmentally friendly practices.
"With increasing demand from passionate consumers for wines that are made more sustainably, our Green Emblem initiative aims at highlighting winemakers who have demonstrated extraordinary efforts in practicing environmentally friendly viticulture in the face of evolving climate challenges. The ambition of our approach is to amplify and highlight sustainable practices in wineries by putting them in the spotlight." Says Robert Parker Wine Advocate, Editor-in-Chief, Joe Czerwinski.
Only 40 wineries worldwide have been recognized for this prestigious distinction and just 9 wineries from the United States are on the list. Hedges Family Estate is proud to be 1 of 2 wineries in Washington state to receive this award and we are honored to be listed with our fellow sustainable wineries.
This award, along with our Biodynamic and Organic certifications continue to keep us motivated in our farming practices and philosophies. We feel very lucky to be able to farmland and produce wine from such a special AVA. We hope to leave this land better than how we found it, so that future generations may experience the magic that is Red Mountain. The Green Emblem is another recognition of the passion that drives our work and wineries' mission.
