Pancho Campo's MW still has legs!

'Primer Master of Wine español'

I was intrigued to receive a copy of marketing blurb from The Wine Academy twinned with Chrand Management about a three day course – Curso de Marketing, y Organización de Eventos para la Industria del Vino. The course will be held in Marbella on the following dates: 16th-18th November 2012 and 22nd-24th February 2013. The blurb was sent out this week to a potentially interested party.   

'Primer Master of Wine español'...... Curiously there is no mention that Francisco 'Pancho' Campo is the first Spanish/Chilean Master of Wine to resign his MW. I assume that the Institute of Masters of Wine* are relaxed that ex-MW Campo is still making use of the qualification he resigned in May 2012 because of a change of direction – as he told the Institute of Masters of Wine: 'in light of his move into more sports and music events and away from wine'. 


*: Siobhan Turner, executive director of The Institute of Masters of Wine'  clarified the Institute's position in early May 2012 in response to a query from Harold Heckle regarding whether a ex-MW could use their previous qualification to 'vie for business'. Her response:  

'It is a matter of fact that someone passed or did not pass the MW exams, and as long as it was clear that the person in question was no longer a member of the Institute, we could not complain.' (6.5.2012)

Does Pancho Campo make it clear above that he is no longer a 'Master of Wine'? I leave you to judge. 

I'm also impressed that Francisco is still claiming, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that he organised Pink Floyd concerts – a master of elasticity!  

Pancho Campo MW and Chrand Management

Daniel Li (CavesMaître France), Robert Parker and Pancho Campo MW

Hong Kong November 2011

Mr Li and his CavesMaître appear to have been ditched

Robert Parker sans Li

Pancho Campo@WineFuture HK and his major sponsor: CavesMaître (the Chinese Castel) 

Today Harpers 'Wine & Spirit Trade Review' has published a 'news report' entitled Pancho Campo looks outside wine after ‘disgusting attacks'. The 'article' covers Campo's move away from wine and on the events company called Chrand Management (Corporate Incentives and Events Management, SL). 

Pancho Campo MW alleges in the article that 'disgusting attacks' on him and his close family have driven him away, at least in part, from wine. Campo has previously claimed that his children suffered attacks and harassment. If this is correct, then I would could condemn such behaviour as strongly as Campo does himself. 

If, however, Campo is widening 'disgusting attacks' to cover 'Campogate' and the way that he and The Wine Academy of Spain organised Jay Miller's Spanish visits for The Wine Advocate then I would reject this as spin. If Campo thought my various posts on Jim's Loire were 'disgusting' rather than fair comment, he could have carried out his threat to sue. Campo claimed on decanter.com 8th December 2011) 'that he would continue his legal action against Jim Budd'. 

If he is indeed continuing 'his legal action' Campo and his lawyers are being extraordinarily discreet as I have not to date received any communication from either Campo or his lawyers.

Following Jay Miller's retirement from the Wine Advocate, Campo has decided he needs to broaden his portfolio away from just wine and return to promoting the sorts of events that he used to promote in Dubai and before that in Spain.

According to Harpers 'Specialist lifestyle events company Chrand Management has bought the Wine Academy of Spain to help run a series of consumer events featuring gastronomy, sport, wine and culture.' Unfortunately Chrand Management's website makes no mention of when the company was founded nor who its directors are or nor whether it has had any existence independent of Pancho Campo MW and The Wine Academy of Spain. As far as I can see all its history and the events portrayed on the website relate to Campo. A Google search on Chrand Management brings up no past history. Chrand Management would appear to be a recently formed vehicle to rebrand Campo – Charade Management SL, perhaps? Certainly this would be a more memorable name.

Campo is certainly a director of Chrand and appears to still be Presidente of The Wine Academy:

Chrand Management shares the same address as The Wine Academy of Spain:El Rosario 2, Edificio VidaRed Planta Baja, Local 1 - 29620 Marbella – Málaga.

It is notable that under Chrand's 'the clients' section' – 'Our events have been sponsored by some of the most prestigious international brands' – there is no mention of Daniel Li and CavesMaître (The Chinese Castel), although Mr Li's CavesMaître was a major sponsor of WineFuture HK only last November. 

'The scope of activities will surprise you' tweet (20th March 2012) 

+ Chrand Management joined Facebook on 16th March (2012)  

Their scope may have surprised Roger Waters:

 

Doubtless Waters may have noticed that Campo is no longer claiming to have promoted a Pink Floyd concert in Dubai, a venue they never played. He might be surprised at the possibility that Chrand Management might have been responsible for the whole of Waters' 'In the Flesh Tour'  – 'one of the events we managed and promoted'. The 'In the Flesh Tour' involved at total of 105 concerts over 1999, 2000 and 2002. I suspect Campo meant that he promoted one of these concerts: on April 15th 2002 at the Golf & Yacht Club in Dubai. Although it is an achievement to have put on one of the these concerts even if it represents less than 1% of the events.

One of Chrand management's claimed successes is Vinoble: 'Vinoble 2010

The Wine Academy managed the 2011* edition of Vinoble, the world´s most important fair for sweet, dessert and fortified wines. It was held in Jerez, Spain in May 2010.' 

The bi-annual Vinoble was founded in 1998 and there were six editions before Campo and The Wine Academy took over the running of the 2010 edition. The 2012 edition has now been cancelled.  

I'm reminded of an old Who classic:

"Meet the new Boss, same as the old Boss" (Won’t get fooled again)



* Now amended to 2010.

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.