New York Times: The Pour
3/23/2010
Frankly Wines, a "tiny shop, packed with choices," is one of the stores featured in Eric Asimov's piece on new New York wine stores.
FROM THE ARTICLE:
Americans today are bombarded with opportunities to learn about wine. New books approach the subject from every conceivable angle, culinary schools offer classes at all levels, and the Internet, well, it just won’t shut up. But the most influential voice many people will hear belongs to their local retailer.
Christy Frank, who opened Frankly Wines just over two years ago on West Broadway in Manhattan, was more interested in coexistence than competition. Just a few blocks away are well-established shops, including Tribeca Wine Merchants and one of the city’s leading stores, Chambers Street Wines.
Ms. Frank, who left her job with a wine distributor to spend more time with her husband and children, had visited hundreds of shops and had a precise image of how to fill her 320 square feet.
"I wanted a generalist shop, crammed with everything you might find in a good textbook on wine,” she said. She does not try to outdo Chambers Street in areas in which it excels, like Beaujolais and the Loire. But, textbook in mind, she offers excellent educational packages, like a case of wines that illustrate the different meanings of the term “dry.”
“We listen and ask questions, like, ‘Do you mean creamy, buttery dry or grapefruit dry,’ ” she said. “We take the time to help them understand what they really want so they can ask more definitively.”
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