Is there life after Robert Parker in the world of wine criticism?

Robert Parker is finishing up the sold-out Asian leg of his Grand World Tour before heading off to the US and Bordeaux later in the year. Tickets came in at over US$1,000 per spot, but in return guests have been treated to an array of top-drawer Bordeaux and 100-point Parker wines.

The dinners and tastings come just over a year after the announcement that Parker, the world's most famous wine critic, has sold The Wine Advocate to a group of Singaporean investors for US$15 million. He has now stepped down as editor-in-chief of the publication that he began in 1978 in favour of Lisa Perrotti Brown, a master of wine based in Singapore.

There has been plenty of speculation that this tour is a swan song for Parker, who is stepping back from the intense output of wine reviews that he has maintained for well over 30 years. The new owners probably want to maximise his presence while they still can, and to cement the name of their new publication in Asia.

The subject of what happens post-Parker has already filled hundreds of wine columns and blog posts during the past year. Most are wondering who can fill the gap left by a man whose scores have moved markets, and bestowed recognition on entire wine regions.

The ferocity of this debate isn't really about the consumer. We all know that an interested wine drinker will be able to find their way to their next wine. Whether there will be another Parker to follow on from His Royal Bobness (as one potential replacement, Neal Martin, used to refer to his now boss) is beside the point for many drinkers.

Depending on their particular point of interest, they can look to Allen Meadows for Burgundy, to Jon Bonné or Antonio Galloni for California, to Fongyee Walker or Li Demei for China, to their local paper's wine columnist or their favourite blogger, or to excellent all-round critics such as Jancis Robinson, Eric Asimov, Elin McCoy, and dozens of others.