Miller's reputation, locally, seems quite solid. Foreman, who with chef Cindy Wolf owns such high-end Baltimore restaurants as Charleston, Pazo and Petit Louis, calls him "about as pure a taster as you're going to come up with in that world."
He speculated that his friend and former business partner, whom he has known for nearly 40 years, is the victim of the cut-throat, high-stakes wine world.
"The world of the wine blogosphere is a very jealous one, given to over-analysis," Forman says. "There are a number of people known for their skill and an awful lot of people who spend their time knocking them down."
Ian Stalfort, a wine buyer for The Wine Source doesn't know Miller personally — only his good name and that of his publication. And as someone who has tasted many of the wines Miller has reviewed, Stalfort thinks his opinions are typically astute.
"I find it really hard to believe any of these guys would jeopardize their reputation for a free trip anywhere," he says. I can't imagine anything super-nefarious was going on."
