Frank J. Prial (November 4, 1930 – November 6, 2012) was a journalist and author, and the

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

columnist for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' for 25 years, writing the weekly "Wine Talk" column largely since 1972 until his retirement in 2004.Asimov, Eric, ''The New York Times'' (November 7, 2012)
Frank J. Prial, a Guide to the World of Fine Wine, Dies at 82
/ref>

Career

Prial graduated from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

in 1951 followed by service in the Coast Guard during the Korean War. He worked for since discontinued newspapers the ''

Newark Evening News The ''Newark Evening News'' was an American newspaper published in Newark, New Jersey. As New Jersey's largest city, Newark played a major role in New Jersey's journalistic history. At its apex, ''The News'' was widely regarded as the newspaper ...

'' and ''

New York World-Telegram The ''New York World-Telegram'', later known as the ''New York World-Telegram and The Sun'', was a New York City newspaper from 1931 to 1966. History Founded by James Gordon Bennett Sr. as ''The Evening Telegram'' in 1867, the newspaper began ...

'' before he found work as a feature writer with ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

''. He joined ''The New York Times'' as a reporter in 1970. The column "Wine Talk" was started in 1972, written between news assignments that would range from coverage of building fires to the

U.N. Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and ...

. The wine column was included in the "Living" section of ''The New York Times'' in 1977, and was printed two Sundays a month in ''The New York Times Magazine''. The column was temporarily discontinued in 1979 when Prial began work as ''The Times Paris correspondent, and it did not resume until 1984. The writing of Prial was intended to illuminate rather than obfuscate with that “peculiar subgenre of the English language” which the writer termed “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 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. Certain information is ordinarily incl ...

, 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." Prial believed that "there’s enjoyment to be had of a glass of wine without making a fetish of it or paying a lot for it." In addition to being described as unpretentious, Prial was widely regarded as a classic newspaperman.Heimoff, Steve, steveheimoff.com (November 9, 2012)
Frank J. Prial: a tribute
/ref> Prial was the co-editor of ''The Companion to Wine'' (1992), the author of the column compilation books ''Wine Talk'' (1978) and ''Decantations'' (2001), and his writing featured prominently in ''The New York Times Book of Wine'' (2012). He was inducted into the Wine Media Guild hall of fame in 2007, and accepted a membership in the Légion d’Honneur from the French government. Prial died on November 6, 2012 in West Orange, New Jersey at 82 years old, due to complications of prostate cancer.St.Pierre, Biran, ''Decanter.com'' (November 9, 2012)
Veteran New York Times wine columnist Frank Prial dies
/ref>Matthews, Thomas, ''Wine Spectator'' (November 8, 2012)
A Pioneer Passes Away
/ref>Heimoff, Steve, ''Wine Enthusiast'' (November 8, 2012)
Frank J. Prial, New York Times Wine Columnist, Passes
/ref>Shaw, Lucy, ''The Drinks Business'' (November 8, 2012)
New York Times Wine Columnist Dies
/ref>

References

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Prial, Frank J. 1930 births Georgetown University alumni 2012 deaths The New York Times writers Wine critics James Beard Foundation Award winners

Career

See also

References

External links