Category: Notes from the Future

Things You Need to Know: How to Entertain a 5 Year Old in a Wine Shop

Originally published on October 24, 2011.

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: Oh I remember those days. One of the huge perks of owning the business is that no one can tell you not to bring your kids to work. The kid in the picture actually drinks wine now. And has a pretty decent palate!

This installment of Things You Need to Know doesn’t really apply to all potential wine store owners. Just the ones that think it would be a good idea to open a wine store six months or so before having a third kid. Because if you, then eventually there will be a day when your manager has the rare weekend off, your newest staffer has a delayed start date due a nasty bronchial infection, your backups all dare to have lives outside of being your backups…and one of your kids will have a birthday party in the wide-open space of a Brooklyn park that guarantees at least one of your other kids will wander off into the Brooklyn wilderness if your husband attempts to take all three of them to the party.

Which is a long way of saying that if you have three kids and a wine store, eventually you’ll wind up with one of them in the shop in need of a couple hours worth of entertainment. They want to have fun. You want to get some work done. But there’s only so much work that can get done when the kiddo can’t even reach the counter.

Here are some tips:

Stock the Bottles Game

Shocking how well this one works. Probably because the kids aren’t usually allowed to touch the bottles. But in this game, not only do they get to touch the bottles…they get to MOVE THEM! To play, each shelf section is assigned a letter (another use for the indispensable Post-It Note.) Then the grown up calls out “yellow tops, Section A” or green tops, Section C,” or whatever. The lucky kiddo gets to PICK UP and MOVE THE BOTTLES from the wherever they’ve been piled to the assigned section. Once all the bottles are lined up, the lucky kiddo gets to yet again, PICK UP THE BOTTLES and HAND THEM to the grown up who puts them on the shelf. And if the kid is very, very lucky, he may even get to PUT BOTTLES ON THE SHEFL ALL BY HIMSELF! (Unless you’re 3 – 7 years old, you probably can’t imagine how exciting this is.)

Make a Display Game

First, you need to explain that a “display” is something you set up to be eye catching so people will stop as they walk by and want to learn more. Then you let the kiddo loose with various, often forbidden goodies, in this case, corks, plastic cups, flower pots (from the actual spring window display, fake autumn leaves, and yes….BOTTLES!

Photo Shoot

Give him the phone. Let him take pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. Delete as needed. (Although some may turn out to be sort of cool, in an abstract impressionist sort of way.)

Last Resort
Let Angry Birds and Red Remover get you through the home stretch.

Today, we actually didn’t need to get to the Last Resort phase. The plastic dinos came out of the rolly bag (yes, we packed a rolly bag even through the apartment is right round the corner.) They took over a few wine boxes and the husband and other two kiddos returned just as they were about to annex the Australia section.

Hurricane Prepardness – Don’t Forget the Wine

Originally published on August 26, 2011.

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: This was Hurricane Irene, which turned out to be a bit of a nothing burger. At least down in NYC. Upstate in the Hudson Valley it was a major disaster. One year later, in October 2012, Hurricane Sandy would be another story. But we’ll get to that in future posts!

If you haven’t heard, there’s a hurricane on the way. Everyone here is busy putting together their emergency preparedness kits (except me, I’m putting together this blog post.)

The National Hurricane Center recommends the following: Batteries, water, insurance papers (in a zip lock bag), tools, full tanks of gas, pet car items, a traditional telephone (you know, the sort that plugs directly into the wall) a radio (who has a radio??), canned food, prescription drugs…..on and on.

But they make no mention of a really important thing: WINE

Highly recommended in hurricane situations: BOX WINE

Box wines are ideal for upping your hurricane preparedness. One 3 Liter box includes the equivalent of four bottles, but in a much lighter format. And each box usually come with a handle, which makes them especially easy to evacuate. And a bonus: the bag-in-the-box can be used as a pillow. So you have one less thing to pack.

Given all this, I fully expect to see box wines included in the next version of the National Hurricane Center’s official preparedness list!

NOTE: Thank you to Jeanna for making the initial recommendation to include a box or two in your kit.

We’ve Got Booze! And Grilled Oranges.

These are grilled oranges. (Note the lovely charred bits.)

These are oranges on their way to getting grilled.

Now you may be wondering, why exactly am I grilling oranges? (You may also be wondering if that’s a propane tank being used to get those oranges grilled, but I’m not going to answer that one.)

Well, these oranges are being grilled as part of our attempt to make a cocktail, the Negroni Sbagliato, for a recent Thursday Tasting Session featuring Lini Lambrusco. Wait…a cocktail? Isn’t Frankly Wines a wine-only store? An oddity of the New York market that sells wine, wine, and only wine?

We were, but after about three years of selling wine, wine, and only wine, I finally succumbed to the lure of a liquor license. Enough regular customers were coming in and asking if we had any spirits, or liquor, or alcohol (even though wine is alcohol) that it just seemed like the neighborly thing to do. So I submitted the paperwork and the big,fat check (there’s always a big, fat check) and eked out the additional shelf space for an extremely well-edited selection.

One month into it, it seems to be doing the trick. It’s nice to be able to answer the question “do you have any liquor?” with a “why yes, we do” rather than a “no…but there’s a shop over that way that does.” You can only give away so much business before you decide to fix he situation. So the additional business is nice, as is being able to better serve our regulars, but what’s really fun? Cocktails!

Saturdays have been designated as Cocktail Day (haven’t had a chance to come up with a kicky name, so for now, it’s just plain, old Cocktail Day.) Nick, the store manager, takes a walk across the street to the Amish Market, picks a few things off the shelf, and whips up a cocktail. Occasionally, he goes a little crazy and we have to figure out a way to grill oranges on short notice. But when you check out those lovely charred bits and taste the end cocktail, you realize it was all worth it! 

Causse Marines – A Very Nice 3-Pack

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: I adored these wines… and this is a good reminder that I need to look them up all these years in the future. I still have this sweet memory of meeting vigneron Virginie at a tasting and talking about the sparkling Mauzac. She said they loved it, but it was “old people wine.” That was close to 15 years ago, so I guess I could say I was an old soul. But now… I’m just… old people. (I joke a bit, I’m really not that old. But I’m definitely not young!)

Long time, no blog. But lots of Twitter. Oh, those were the days. You can still follow me at Follow me @franklywines where you can get exxtremely up-to-the minute musings on life as a wine retailer. I probably won’t blog about the fun that is running from an off-site distributor tasting to pick up a pre-schooler while trying to wipe the purple stains from my teeth. But I will tweet about it. Because that’s exactly what Twitter is for!

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: Oh Twitter, RIP. How I loved you back in the day. It’s hard to image now, but Wine Twitter (before we knew to call it Wine Twitter) was a fun, kind, even charming place to hang out. Joe Dressner was the closest we came to a villian, and to call him that would be in correct. He was more like the Socrates of the platform -keeping us all honest and challenging our beliefs. This was also the time of #reallylongpunnyhashtagsjustforfun. Lyle Fass was the king of this. You can still follow me at @christy.frank.wine or over at IG’s Threads, but I rarely play on those platforms. I’m still on IG as myself and as Copake Wine Works, just because it’s so darn easy. Or for kicks, do some deep scrolling on my old Twitter a.k.ka. X account to see what it was like back in the day.

But in the hopes of getting this blog rolling again, I’ll do one of my quickie cut-and-paste jobs from the web site. I could feel guilty about these cut-and-pasties, but I’m a big believe in frequency and repetition. I know most of you aren’t reading this blog…and the newsletter…and the tweets…and the facebook page…oh wait, there’s no facebook page….yet. So I’ll just keep posting the same things in multiple places in the hopes that most people catch everything at least once.

So…in the name of frequency and repetition, here we go…again…

Domaine de Causse Marines – Tres Cool, Tres Tasty

I will admit it. For a long time I had a thing against the wines of Causse Marines. The label was just a little too cheekily cute, the name was almost certainly a pun that was far beyond my less-then-beginner French, and the bottles kept appearing on the menu and shelves of every new hip wine bar and shop. In other words, I was convinced these wines were far too cool to be any good. Well, shame on me. Because when I finally got around to actually trying these wines, poured for me by one of the owners, I was completely smitten.

Causse Marines is the domaine of Virginie Maignien and Patrice Lescarret, two charming young vignerons. They’re doing their little part to preserve obscure local grapes like Mauzac, Duras, Braucol, and Loin-de-l’oeil. Their wines fall firmly into the “natural wine” category, with nothing added (except the very minimal amount of SO2 needed to keep the wines from getting all funky), nothing taken away. The vines are tended biodynamically with no pesticides, fungicides or artificial fertilizers. All this adds up to vibrant, unique, highly-drinkable…and yes…very cool wines.

3-Pack includes:

Domaine de Causse Marines Les Grielles Blanc 2008: This could be the perfect spring/summer wine. It’s a blend of the not-so-well-known grapes Muscadel, Loin-de-l’oeil, and Mauzac. The Muscadel adds a bit of a floral touch, but the overall taste is crisp, clean and delicious – sort of like springtime in a bottle.

Domaine de Causse Marines Peyrouzelles Rouge 2008: You’ve probably never heard of Duras or Braucol (also known as Fer Savadou.) These are the local red grapes of Gaillac which on their own, make for lighter, spicy, aromatic reds. This one has touch of Syrah in the blend, which plumps it up just a bit. It’s an easy drinking wine which is especially nice with a bit of a chill.

Causse Marines Preambulles Vin Mousseaux Brut 2009: A petillant natural made from 100% Mauzac. The funkiest of the bunch with a bit of a bruisey green apple, but it finishes crisp and clean. Think of it as a grape-based beer alternative. Or just think of it as good!

Price: $50

Holiday Gift Idea #3: Musar 2-Pack

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 Lebanese wines with a back story that’s the stuff of legends.  Winery and vineyards located in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. Founded in the 1930’s, with wine produced in nearly every harvest despite battles waged among the vines. Cellars that served as bomb shelters in the 80’s. Certain vintages that taste of gunpowder.

What I really like about Chateau Musar is that it tastes like nothing so much as itself. When describing wine to customers, I’ll often compare regions and grapes, like some wino-version of a Hollywood pitch (it’s like a Beaujolais on steroids with a little bit of Shiraz-spice thrown in.) But with Chateau Musar, there are no comparisons. It’s a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Cinsault and a few other grapes. It’s a constantly evolving mix of exotic spices, stunningly vibrant fruit, earthy, gamey, meatiness. It lasts practically forever and is a classic example of a wine that you want to keep tasting as it changes. You want to grow old together.

And that’s just the reds! The whites are just as fascinating – maybe even more so. Made from the Merwah and Obaideh grapes, the wine reminds me a bit of traditional aged white Rioja. Well, not exactly, but it’s in that realm of wines done in a slightly oxidized style. It’s nutty, with notes of caramelized nuts, dried fruits, a bit of honey (but not at all sweet) and exotic church spices. (I can hear you ask, “church spices?” Think incense, the scent of midnight mass, exotic, heady spices.)

If the reds last practically forever, the whites last even longer. They’re best served near room temperature and Serge Hochar, the legendary figurehead of Chateau Musar, insists they’re served after the reds. I certainly can’t disagree.

And that’s just the reds! The whites are just as fascinating – maybe even more so. Made from the Merwah and Obaideh grapes, the wine reminds me a bit of traditional aged white Rioja. Well, not exactly, but it’s in that realm of wines done in a slightly oxidized style. It’s nutty, with notes of caramelized nuts, dried fruits, a bit of honey (but not at all sweet) and exotic church spices. (I can hear you ask, “church spices?” Think incense, the scent of midnight mass, exotic, heady spices.) If the reds last practically forever, the whites last even longer. They’re best served near room temperature and Serge Hochar, the legendary figurehead of Chateau Musar, insists they’re served after the reds. I certainly can’t disagree.

Chateau Musar Rouge 2001: A very classic Musar, with trademark red fruits, spice, tea leaves, and funk are all nicely in balance. It’s drinking nicely now but has the bones to age for a very, very, very long time.

Chateau Musar Blanc 2001: Just a baby, as far as Musar whites go. At this young age, it really is closest to a white Rioja – tightly wound, racy acidity, some citrus, a bit of a waxy texture, exotic spices just starting to reveal themselves. Keep it for about, oh, 50 years and it will really start to show its stuff.

Price: $90

Holiday Gift Idea #1: Chardonnay-Hater’s 3-Pack

Originally published on December 8, 2010.

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: This was a fabulous pack back then. And it would still be a fabulous pack today. Maybe it’s time to get another I Hate Chardonnay Pack happening.

Everybody loves to hate Chardonnay. But there’s a lot more variety to the grape than most people expect. Give the hater in your life this cheeky 3-Pack of Chardonnay-based wines that taste nothing like the typical “Chardonnay.”

3-Pack includes:

Philippe Chavy Bourgogne Blanc 2008 (Burgundy, France): Many people don’t realize that white Burgundy is made from Chardonnay. But it is – and it’s generally considered the mack daddy of Chardonnay expression. Other regions around the world strive for the balance of elegance, richness, nuttiness, minerality and subtle fruit that is good white Burgundy (a.k.a. Chardonnay)

Chateau de Beru Chablis 2007 (Burgundy, France): This is miles away from the big, buttery Chardonnay bombs that the haters love to hate. From the cool, northerly part of France, it’s all minerally and razor-edged – like green apples, shimmery oyster shells, and chalky stones

Michel Gahier Arbois “Les Crets” 2006 (Arbois, Jura, France): This doesn’t taste like any other Chardonnay you’ve ever had – unless you’re already a fan of this obscure region near France’s board with Switzerland. It’s made in the Jura’s traditional, purposely oxidized style, which gives it a nutty, twangy, slight sherry note. Sound scary? It’s stunning with cream and mushroom–based dishes.

Price: $69

Thanksgiving Day Suggestion #10: For Those Who are Feeling a Little Extravagant

Originally posted November 21, 2010.

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: I completely forgot this existed. But oh my, was it good. It’s time for the Jura to make a come back! Or… given that the Jura never went away, it’s time for me to refocus on that region and make an effort to sell more of it.

Jacques Puffeney Vin de Paille 2003 375ml (Arbois, Jura, France)
This stuff is so good, you’ll want to beat your head against a wall and rip off your arms. You’ll want to counter the intense pleasure with some serious pain…hence the arm ripping and head banging. It’s made from the same Savagnin grape as the Jura’s more famous Vin Jaune. But in this version, those grapes are laid out on mats to dry (or maybe just in boxes.) This concentrates the sugars, resulting in a sweet wine that brings to mind sweet and savory notes of walnuts, brown sugar, maple syrup, and some sort of spice. If that sounds rich, it is – but that richness is balanced by a sneaky spine of acidity that prevents even a hint of anything cloying. Yes, it’s expensive. But it’s delicious and tastes like absolutely nothing other than Vin de Paille. If you’re feeling spendy, it’s well worth a few bruises and an arm or two. Seriously.

Price: $77.99

Thanksgiving Day Suggestion #9: For Those Who Want a (Kind of) Zinfandel

Originally posted November 20, 2010.

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: More like a note to myself – a reminder to buy more of this wine. More recently, we regularly sell the Foradori wines from the Marema, but I need to get this back on the shelf. It’s just so, so good. Geeky and crowd-pleasing? As a wine buyer, that’s my favorite sort of wine.

Foradori Teroldego Rotaliano 2007 (Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy)
Most lists of Thanksgiving wine suggestions will usually include a Zinfandel. It’s the whole “American holiday-American grape variety” thing. And while I’m not going to prevent anyone from buying a nice bottle of Ridge or Dashe Zinfandel, I’m not going to formally include this grape on my list.

But I will include a wine that can sort of fill that Zinfandel spot…a Teroldego.

”Sort of” is the key phase. Because really, Teroldego doesn’t have much in common with Zinfandel. It’s rarely seen outside the little Campo Rotaliano region at the base of the Italian Alps. It makes wines that are lighter than even the lightest Zinfandel, with less spice, more herbal notes, and more minerality. It’s not even related to Zinfandel – most people who track such things consider it a cousin of Syrah.

But it is red. And it does have a similar red-berry character. And…..well, like I said – it’s red!

So why am I trying to shove it into the Zinfandel hole?

It’s because I really like this wine. I’m always forgetting about it when it comes time to purchase wines for the store or recommend wines to the customers. Which has everything to do with me – and nothing to do with the wine – because it’s a very good wine. It does offer up enough fruit to keep all but the most die-hard fruit fanatics happy. But it’s elegant and vibrant and has an underlying complexity that makes it a very good match with many foods. Some Teroldegos can get a little earthy/funky, but Elisabetta Foradori manages a nice balance between the fruit and the earthier/herbally elements. We’ve had it open at the store and it’s one of those “oh yeah, I’ll take a bottle” wines.

I’m specifically recommending her Teroldego Rotaliano, but she also does a higher end version called Granato. Its flavors are a bit more concentrated and it sees more time in oak. I like that one much more when it’s had a little time to age – when the polish and sheen of its youth has time to mellow into something with a little more funk and earth. And of course, if you’re feeling really fancy, I happen to have a couple bottles from the 2002, 2001, and 200 vintage on hand. At least until I decide to drink them myself.

Price: $22.99 

Thanksgiving Day Suggestion #8: For Those Who Really Want to Drink Beer

Originally posted November 19, 2010.

A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: I still adore this wine. And happily, the price is still quite similar to what it used to be!

Donati Camillo Malvasia Dolce Frissante 2007 (Emilia Romagna, Italy): This is not the first time I’ve written about this wine. It’s irresistible and addictive. It’s also hard to sell without a lot of arm twisting. But at this point, I’ve forced enough bottles on unsuspecting friends, customers, and (my) mother(s) that I’m comfortable twisting those arms. Because everyone who has tried it likes it. Not just likes it, but loves it. Even becomes ridiculously addicted to it. So this crazy cross between a beer and cream soda has gained a permanent place on the shelf. As long as it’s in stock at the distributor, it’s in stock at Frankly Wines.

There is a dry version which I enjoyed recently. But with every sip I kept wanting that little bit of sweetness, of extra creaminess and overall deliciousness that this one – the Dolce – offers up. So this is the one. Just use the excuse that at least one of your guests would rather be drinking beer and serve this as your “sort of beer-like substitute.” And then just try not to like it.

Price: $20.99

A bottle of Donati sparkling wine next to two stemless glasses filled with it. The picture is sort of blurry thanks to the old iphone I was using and the sepia filters that were the rage of the day.

Thanksgiving Day Suggestion #4: For Those Who Really Need a Lot to Drink

Originally published on November 14, 2010.

A NOTE FROM THE PAST: Up at Copake Wine Works, we’re still big into box wine. The players may have changed, but good boxed wine still remains one of the best ways to stock up on something you know you like for every day drinking.

Full disclosure (because bloggers are very big on discloser): this post is essentially a re-run from last year.

Last year, in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, I realized that a lot of people don’t really like their relatives and are making their wine choices with that in mind. “Lots of wine and cheap, because I really don’t like who I’m dining with,” was not an uncommon request.

The perfect solution?

Box wine. Good box wine.

A three-liter box = 4 bottles in one container, complete with a handy tap. One for the table and one for the kitchen and you’re set to deal with even the peskiest relatives.  This year’s selection includes a Cotes du Rhone, a cru Beaujolais, a Chilean Cabernet, a Chardonnay and a Riesling. Equivilized bottle prices range from just over $6/bottle for the whites to $14 for the cur Beaujolais (which also comes in a very cute wooden box.)

Quality and quantity. Let’s all give thanks for box wine. Good box wine.