Influential British wine critic Neil Martin, known by most as Robert Parker’s heir, has officially departed from the Wine Advocate and joined his former colleague, Antonio Galloni, at Vinous. After Parker’s cut back on his Bordeaux’s duty, Neil Martin took over the heavy responsibility of reviewing the Bordeaux futures at the Wine Advocate. His role quickly evolved into also being the sole reference for all Bordeaux review coverage, making him the wine critic to look out for when it came to Bordeaux.
Martin’s move is a surprising one and has rocked the world of wine, but as he states “Life should be about exploring possibilities. The prospect of joining Vinous raised so many that it was impossible to resist being a part of a truly world-class team,”. In his new role at Vinous, Martin will cover Bordeaux, Burgundy, South Africa and New Zealand for the online publication and receive the title of Senior Editor. He will write separate and independent reports on all wines of these regions, including En Primeur, new releases, verticals and vintage retrospective, and finally top value picks.
As Galloni states; “Neal brings to Vinous a unique combination of experience and wit that I am sure our readers will greatly enjoy. I’m thrilled to be working alongside Neal once again,”. Founded in 2013 by Antonio Galloni, Vinous has readers across 90 countries and has become a key player in the world wide wine critic scene. It has lately expanded its digital platform through its 2016 acquisition of the Delectable wine app leading this young international company to new heights.
Who will take Neil Martin’s place at the Wine Advocate? The choice of his succession can be a determinate one; it will either rebalance the reputational credibility between both The Wine Advocate and Vinous, or it could potentially propel Vinous to stepping in as the most reputational wine critic in the wine world.