Robert's interest in wine began in 1967, when he spent a month abroad during his Christmas vacation, visiting a girlfriend at the University of Strasbourg in Alsace, France. By 1975, he began to think about writing about wine and commencing his own “independent, consumer’s guide”. Thirty-five years later, The Wine Advocate has over 50,000 subscribers, in every state in the United States, and in over 37 foreign countries. Today, virtually every knowledgeable observer agrees that The Wine Advocate exerts the most significant influence on the serious wine consumer’s buying habits and trends not only in America, but in France, England, Switzerland, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Russia, Mexico, Brazil, and China. (www.erobertparker.com)