Campo phones his lawyers

Pancho Campo MW – cut price (€20,000) access to Jay Miller 

Scene: Luxury, modern offices of law firm Cata, Schmuck and Magistral in the central Marbella, Spain. Juan-Stop Solutions, a senior partner, takes a call.

Juan-Stop (JS): Hi Pancho how are you doing?

Pancho Campo (PC): Pretty good despite the punishing schedule.

JS: Yeah I’ve been sort of following your progress – Jerez, Malaga, Murcia, Valencia, including, I hear, a quick stop off at Utiel-Requena, and Madrid. Still, business is business. How's the big American guy standing up to it?

PC: Jay Miller.

JS: Yeah, Jay. He’s getting on in years isn’t he?

PC: 67, and got a bit of rheumatoid arthritis.

JS: Just looking at your timetable makes me tired. Make sure you take care of Miller – he’s your meal ticket!

PC: Yeah, it’s been tough the last few mornings getting him out of bed…. but there’s a lot to do …...

JS: Don’t worry Pan, it will soon be Christmas and you can have a nice break.

PC: Yeah, Juan, a few days off would be good.

JS: Off to Dubai for Christmas this year, Pancho, visit the in-laws? You’d be sure of sunshine…

PC: (splutters down phone) – Basta Juan! You know I can’t go there!

JS: Sorry, just my little joke, Pan. Anyway, what can I do for you today?

PC: It’s that third-rate blogger Jim Budd. I spoke to you about him the other day. He’s gone completely over the top this time – gone way too far! I’ve been patient for two years but enough is enough.

JS: What’s he done this time? The last time we spoke about this guy he was on about Miller’s visit to Murcia.

PC: He’s still going on about Murcia, but worse, he is now attacking me about a trip to Madrid last July that never happened. Making me look real bad.

JS: You mean this Budd has invented all this?

PC: Not exactly, Juan. The trip didn’t happen because DO Vinos de Madrid couldn’t afford our management fees.

JS: So, what’s the problem, Pan?

PC: Well, Budd’s somehow got hold of an email I sent from Tuscany saying the normal price for a visit from Jay would be €40,000, but we could cut a special deal for a shortened version for €20,000.

JS: Pan, I still don’t see the problem. We just do the usual and say that this wasn’t an official trip and the €20,000 was for a marketing seminar.

PC:  The problem is, Juan, that Adela had earlier sent an email setting out our conditions for Jay to rate Madrid wines with the assessments to be published – so an official visit.

JS: I see it now, Pan – rather busts wide open your mate Parker’s ethical guidelines! Lots of sticky stuff! A real smokin’ gun, eh Pan?

PC: Juan you’ve got to do something. The guy’s fingering my balls, you know, tocándome los cojones.

JS: Pan, while we are your lawyers, we can’t take responsibility for your cojones. Anyway I’ll see what I can do. But it’ll cost, especially if you don’t pay the bill on time – no more court cases here in Marbella, please Pan*.

PC: I’d be really grateful if you can sort it! Even in Spain people are starting to ask questions!

JS: How did you send you the email?

PC: I sent it on my iPhone from the middle of Tuscany.

JS: So we can’t claim it’s a fake. Budd isn’t just fingering your balls, he’s got them in a vice!

PC: Juan, cut the jokes please – what are we going to do?

JS: Don’t panic, Pan. I think I can see a way…. iPhone, you say. Surely must have been a technical fault.  What you typed didn’t show up on the screen.

PC: Not sure I follow you, Juan…

JS: Look, Pan. When you typed – ‘under no circumstances can we accept any payment for a visit by Miller’ – it came out: ‘Private visits off the set agenda, as this would be, rarely take place, and not for a price below 40,000 euros.’

PC: That’s exactly it, Juan. What a genius! How soon can we send Budd one of your famous stiffies?**

JS: I’ll work on it, Pan, and get back to you. But it’s got to be really good – it has to fool Parker…

* May be another of Juan-Stop’s little jokes relating to a civil case brought by Dune Networks Sl, who did work for The Wine Academy of Spain (Pancho Campo) on the ‘Simposium Internacional del Vino’. The case was brought in 2007, seeking to recover an unpaid bill of €8,879.18. Judgment was given against Campo by a Marbella court on 27th June 2008, ordering the outstanding sum to be paid.

** stiffies – legal letter

For post with details of Vinos de Madrid emails see here.

Salon des Vins Bio du Cher et des Alentours: Bourges Sunday 11th December

Press release on first Salon des Vins Bio du Cher et des Alentours (first organic wine fair for wines from the Central Vineyards):

'La viticulture bio est en progression, et cela concerne tous les vignobles de notre région.

Afin de mettre en avant ces vins de qualité produits dans le respect de la nature, l'Association BioBerry organise le dimanche 11 décembre, de 10h à 18h, le premier

Salon des Vins Bio du Cher et des Alentours

Les viticulteurs bio des vignobles du Centre-Loire  (Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, Menetou-Salon, Quincy, Reuilly, Coteaux du Giennois et Châteaumeillant) seront présents toute la journée pour parler avec passion de leurs vins et de leurs terroirs, et vous faire déguster leurs vins.

Le BIVC (Bureau Interprofesionel des Vins du Centre) s'est associé à cette opération.

Ce salon se tiendra dans un lieu d'exception: L'ancien chai des Bonnets Rouges, au cœur du vieux Bourges, à deux pas de la cathédrale.

Vous pourrez à cette occasion visiter les magnifiques caves du XIII situées sous l'ancienne demeure et ses prestigieuses chambres d'hôtes.'


The following producers will be showing their wines:


Vincent Chauvelot (Châteaumeillant)
Domaine Mathieu Coste (Coteaux de Giennois)
Domaine Philippe Gilbert (Menetou-Salon)
Domaine du Bouchot (Pouilly-Fumé)
Domaine du Coudray (Quincy)
Domaine de Reuilly (Reuilly)
Vignoble Dauny (Sancerre)
Domaine Fouassier (Sancerre)

Some reflections on DO Madrid and Campo's €40,000

Pancho Campo, Jay Miller and some of the staff of the Wine Academy of Spain

Robert Parker concluded his rather sad and disappointing statement (see earlier post), which was posted on his website last night thus: "Until we are 100% certain of all the facts, I think this subject, which appears to be a reckless and malicious disregard for the truth and clearly aimed at damaging Miller, Campo, and TWA, needs to be closed."

Far from 'closing this subject' Parker has fanned the flames. Jim's Loire has had over 6000 visits over the past two days with over 3,600 today alone. (Jim's Loire has a sitemeter in the right hand column with information open to all.) I have also received many supportive comments.

'This blogger' is a wine journalist who has written for many magazines including Decanter since 1989 and, from time to time, newspapers including the Financial Times, the Guardian and the Independent. I have been a member of the Circle of Wine Writers for over 20 years and edited its journal, Circle Update, since 1991. I have been a blogger since August 2008 and am proud to be a member of the Internet communications community.

I have no interest whatsoever in attacking Jay Miller, The Wine Advocate or Robert Parker. Ever since this story broke Campo has sought for very obvious reasons to portray legitimate reporting on his activities as an attack on Jay Miller, Robert Parker and The Wine Advocate. Although questions can reasonably asked of Miller and Parker as to how the practices as shown in the 3rd June 2011 emails from Campo and Adela Richer could have been allowed, I have no wish to tarnish their reputations nor The Wine Advocate, based after all on the principles of Ralph Nader.

I find it extraordinary that Campo, who was convicted and sentenced** for fleecing his business partner in Dubai, has now been put in a position to fleece the Spanish wine industry and trash the reputations of Jay Miller, Robert Parker and The Wine Advocate. Was this really what Parker intended when Campo was given responsibility to manage Miller's agenda and visits in Spain? I very much doubt it. If Parker is looking for someone to sue for damaging his reputation, he needs look no further than the author of the '€40,000' email sent from Tuscany on 3rd June 2011.

Very insightful comment by a José Maria from Rioja on Oliver Styles's blog captures perfectly the concerns raised by allowing Campo to be Miller’s well-paid gatekeeper, while emphasising that this controversy is not another example of 'Parker bashing' .

'Hi,

Pay attention to what is going on in Spain now. This is not “Another Parker-bashing article”. Nothing against Parker. Nothing against him or Jay Miller being paid for speaking, teaching… The wine industry in Spain is happy to have TWA, Parker, Miller and any other wine critic in our country, taste our wines, have fun and write about all of it back home to their readers. They are all welcome!!!

What I don’t understand, as well as many others in Spain is why Parker hired Pancho Campo to set up Miller´s agenda. We are astonished!!! Does Parker know what is going on here in Spain? I seriously doubt he would approve how Pancho Campo is using Jay Miller´s visits to Spain in his own benefit.

It is not the Master classes that Pancho´s business organized in Jumilla, Navarra, La Mancha, and next week in Madrid with the Cooperatives using Jay Miller, and making lots of money. It is that if you DONT pay Pancho´s business Miller doesn’t show up, like in Madrid DO. It is about all the visits organized to wineries which did not deserve a ‘in person’ visit by the famous critic but as they sponsor and pay Pancho´s business they get privileged access to Miller.*

There are dozens of examples but in our region we all know about Campo Viejo, or the Araex Grupo wineries, all big Pancho´s sponsors.

It is not against Parker or TWA, it is about how a character like Pancho Campo are using this deal to his own profit. I hope Mr Parker is aware what has been going on in Spain during the last year as soon as possible. TWA, Parker, Jay Miller, James Suckling, Bettane, Jancis Robinson all are welcome to Spain (and Rioja!) but please organize the agenda in your own, or ICEX, or any other organism but not through Pancho Campo´s business.

Again, nothing against Parker!

Have a good weekend. Chema

(http://wine-life.co.uk/news-review/how-much-is-a-wine-critic-worth)

Furthermore the detailed points raised on the El Mundo forum (http://foros.elmundo.es/foros/viewtopic.php?t=69631) by Andres Arevalo 10 days ago remain unanswered.


*: I assume that as part of their investigations Parker's swarm of lawyers will have been instructed to look into any convergence between Campo's business interests and the regions and the wineries that Miller visits using the following as a guiding principle:


'We would never permit a winery to pay us for the privilege of tasting their wine or visiting the winery. Moreover, Campo also understands his organization cannot charge wineries for Miller's visits. Both of them have full knowledge that is an appalling conflict of interest that would not be tolerated under any circumstance.'

Robert Parker: 30.11.2011

**: Trial in Dubai June 2003

I gather that Campo has claimed that 'he had no legal representation at the trial'. Technically this is probably correct as the future MW had scarpered before the trial. It is believed that Campo paid to be smuggled out of the country probably on a boat and then headed to Spain. He left behind his Chilean passport, which he had surrendered to the court in June 2002 when he was charged. Campo was sentenced to a year's imprisonment to be followed by deportation. Despite being removed in 2010 from the Interpol wanted list, the sentence is understood to still stand. For those who point out Dubai's human rights record, should be aware that Campo's parents-in-law continue to live in Dubai.

**

The last minute decision on Tuesday (29th November) that Jay Miller would be able to taste wines of DO Vinos de Madrid yesterday (1st December) shows that Spanish regions, who refuse to bow to Campo's outrageous financial demands, can have their wines rated without charge by Miller if the media spotlight is bright enough. The Spanish press has a big role to play here.

It isn't, however, just the local press but the international wine press who can hold Campo to account. By attending WineFuture Rioja in 2009, when Campo was wanted on Interpol, participants immeasurably strengthened his Spanish power base. Those, who in 2009 cashed Campo's cheques, have a very clear responsibility to ensure that he does not now screw the Spanish wine industry, especially at this time of crisis.