Parker staff change

I have met David S. on one occasion--when he was presenting Loire wines at a wine shop in Raleigh. I found his expertise impeccable and his tastes (for the more subtle, refined wines) in line with mine. I have also read some of his reviews of German wines and find them to be very descriptive and reliable. Good news that he will have broader responsibilties. I hope it doesn't spread him too thin as a reviewer.

David and Robin, thanks for the additional information. I no longer subscribe to the Advocate, so was blissfully unaware of all this.

Jenise, the anouncement was done by Parker on his discussion forum ("Mark Squires' Bulletin Board"), not in the TWA. No subscription necessary, for read-only not even registration.

Woefully in the dark here: Did Rovani quit, or was he scuttled?

Obviously a discreet silence falls over all this, but let's say that they gave Rovani the literary equivalent of a going-away party, with a nice gold watch and a certificate for his wall, and all sorts of compliments, while Mr. Thomases (about whom I know literally nothing) apparently felt the back of the door hit him in the hindquarters as he left amid a chorus of "no comments."

As has been pointed out it was Pierre's own wish to return into retail business. No discreet silence at all, Pierre himself started a thread a forthnight ago anouncing his departure: http://dat.erobertparker.com/bboard/showthread.php?t=102310

As to Daniel Thomases, the reason of his departure is also quite simple: Parker wanted more coverage, but Daniel — whose main job is writing for the Veronelli guide — declined.

What do you think of Squires getting Portugese dry reds? Is Mark really expert in that area or his Parker just tossing him a bone? Or is it both?

Squires: It could be perceived as an insult giving someone such a small area (though I doubt it's that) - perhaps a trial period deal they struck to enable Squires to establish credibility as a writer?

To the best of my knowledge, Mark is a full-time lawyer without any intention to quit his job to become a full-time writer. So I think all this is mere speculation.

[Jenise]

Robin, no joke re Squires, it's in Bill's original post:

Parker has also hired Dr Jay Miller, with whom he has tasted wine weekly for almost 25 years. Miller will leave his post as the buyer and manager of Bin 604, a Baltimore wine shop, to cover Portugal's fortified wines, the Pacific Northwest, Spain, Australia and South America. Mark Squires, who oversees the Bulletin Board on Parker's Web site, will cover Portugal's dry wines.