A Wine Blog from the Files of Christy Frank
Originally published on May 18, 2010. I’m just going to pretend it hasn’t been, oh, nearly a month since my last post and will dive right in with an announcement of this week’s Thursday tasting. We’re going to be cracking open some Bodeags Riojanas wines, one of my favorite Rioja producers. We usually don’t let … Continue reading “TASTING….TASTING….1…2…3: Rah Rah Rioja”
Originally published on August 16, 2009. So I was last seen in this space ranting, or maybe it was whining, about the giant sucking sound set off by Eric Asimov’s Wednesday New York Times column about old-school Rioja. I was probably being a little overly dramatic. To start, a mention in the New York Times will certainly raise … Continue reading “The Semi-Loud Gurgle – or Why I’ll Still Be Able to Buy More Rioja Than I Should”
Originally published on August 12, 2009. Did you hear it? Over wine distributor warehouses on Staten Island and Long Island and near the ports of New Jersey? What was it? A giant vacuum cleaner? A massive sieve? A colander from the great beyond? No, it was the sound of many bottles of Rioja being sucked … Continue reading “The Giant Sucking Sound – or What Happened to All the Old School Rioja?”
Originally published on November 11, 2011. It’s true. I make this recomendation every year. But that’s because it works. And because I really love the wine. And because maybe this year….you’ll take me up on it! Lopez de Heredia Tondonia Rosado Gran Reserva 2000 (Rioja, Spain): Imagine Thanksgiving dinner (the food, not your crazy uncle or … Continue reading “Thanksgiving Wine Reco #2: For Those Who Really Trust Us”
Originally published on December 10, 2010. A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: Look at that price! Fourtheen years later, the a single bottle would cost $90 (which is still not a bad deal, given what these wines are! This may not come as a surprise, but Frankly Wines is a little obsessed with Chateau Musar, the … Continue reading “Holiday Gift Idea #3: Musar 2-Pack”
Originally published on December 10, 2010. Not a holiday goes by that I can’t find a reason to mention Lopez de Heredia. If this is the first you’re noticing…we’ll you’re really not paying attention! But if I learned anything in my corporate marketing days, it’s all about repeat exposure so….here we go again! I’ll keep … Continue reading “Holiday Gift Idea #2: Lopez Love 3-Pack”
Originally published November 13, 2010. A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: Cue up the old lady crying into the wind. Other oldish-timers will look at the price below and start to scream as well. Lopez de Heredia Rosado was never meant to be a cult wine. At a long ago breakfast-tasting (yes, breakfast tasting,) Maria José … Continue reading “Thanksgiving Day Suggestion #1: For Those Who Really Trust Us”
Originally published on August 26, 2010. I have tasted about 98% of the wines stocked on the Frankly Wines shelves. When a customer brings a bottle to the counter and asks if I’ve tried it, I’m always surprised when they’re surprised when I quote this statistic. But I forget that I operate in a very … Continue reading “Buying on Faith”
Originally published on June 9, 2010. If you’re read this blog for any period of time, you’ll pick up on a couple recurring themes: 1. I don’t like when people ask me about parking rules 2. Corks. Lots and lots of corks. (Technically, you don’t need to actually read – just look at the background of the … Continue reading “And Still More Validation of My Good Taste: Rouquefort Corail Rose in the New York Times”
Originally published on November 24, 2010. Since Suggestion #6 involved a wine I couldn’t even sell, these next suggestions center on wines exclusively available at Frankly Wines. OK, the wines aren’t exclusive to my store, but I dare you to find all these ones at any one place…other than Frankly Wines! All horn tooting aside, … Continue reading “Thanksgiving Day Suggestion #7, #8, and #9: For the Grab & Go Set”