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Thursday, August 21, 2008
Wine Spectator rises to the defense
Wine Spectator Executive Editor Thomas Matthews has presented in one of the magazine’s online forums a vigorous and spirited defense of its actions in giving an Award of Excellence to a fictitious Italian restaurant.
Matthews details the efforts of his magazine to check out the restaurant and points out that the inclusion of a handful of low-scoring wines represented only a small portion of the wine list that was submitted to the magazine. Here is how Matthews summarized what he called the “elaborate hoax” that led to the brouhaha:
It has now been demonstrated that an elaborate hoax can deceive Wine Spectator.
This act of malicious duplicity reminds us that no one is completely immune to fraud. It is sad that an unscrupulous person can attack a publication that has earned its reputation for integrity over the past 32 years. Wine Spectator will clearly have to be more vigilant in the future.
Most importantly, however, this scam does not tarnish the legitimate accomplishments of the thousands of real restaurants who currently hold Wine Spectator awards, a result of their skill, hard work and passion for wine.
In addition to the Spectator’s own forum linked to in the opening paragraph, the most robust discussion of the issues involved is occurring over on the Vinography wine blog.
What do you think of Wine Spectator’s defense?
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