Frank J. Prial
Encyclopedia
Frank J. Prial, who graduated from Georgetown University
in 1951, was the wine
columnist
for The New York Times
for 25 years, writing the weekly "Wine Talk" column since 1972 until his retirement in 2005.
The writing of Prial was intended to illuminate rather than obfuscate with that “peculiar subgenre of the English language” that he calls
“winespeak”. Prial stated that a person “should not have to be a budding enologist to enjoy reading about wine.” Believing that what is in the bottle is much more important than what is on the wine label
Prial observed that “Shorn of their carefully constructed mystiques, their beautiful labels and clever marketing, many expensive wines are really not that much superior to their less expensive rivals.” The wine writer believes that “there’s enjoyment to be had of a glass of wine without making a fetish of it or paying a lot for it.”
Prial is the author of Wine Talk published in 1978, Companion to Wine published in 1992 and Decantations published in 2001.
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
in 1951, was the wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
for 25 years, writing the weekly "Wine Talk" column since 1972 until his retirement in 2005.
The writing of Prial was intended to illuminate rather than obfuscate with that “peculiar subgenre of the English language” that he calls
“winespeak”. Prial stated that a person “should not have to be a budding enologist to enjoy reading about wine.” Believing that what is in the bottle is much more important than what is on the wine label
Wine label
Wine labels are important sources of information for consumers since they tell the type and origin of the wine. The label is often the only resource a buyer has for evaluating the wine before purchasing it...
Prial observed that “Shorn of their carefully constructed mystiques, their beautiful labels and clever marketing, many expensive wines are really not that much superior to their less expensive rivals.” The wine writer believes that “there’s enjoyment to be had of a glass of wine without making a fetish of it or paying a lot for it.”
Prial is the author of Wine Talk published in 1978, Companion to Wine published in 1992 and Decantations published in 2001.