Frank J. Prial
Francis Joseph Prial | |
---|---|
Born | Newark, New Jersey, US | November 4, 1930
Died | November 6, 2012 West Orange, New Jersey, US | (aged 82)
Occupation(s) | Journalist, The New York Times wine columnist, author |
Spouse | Jeanne S. Prial |
Children | 3 |
Frank J. Prial (November 4, 1930 – November 6, 2012) was a journalist and author, and the wine columnist for The New York Times for 25 years, writing the weekly "Wine Talk" column largely since 1972 until his retirement in 2004.[1]
Career
Prial graduated from
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.”[3] 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."[3] 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.[1][2][4][5]
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,[6] and accepted a membership in the Légion d’Honneur from the French government.[2]
Prial died on November 6, 2012, in West Orange, New Jersey, at 82 years old, due to complications of prostate cancer.[1][2][4][7][8]
See also
- List of wine personalities
References
- Prial, Frank J. (1978). Wine Talk. Times Books. ISBN 0812907930.
- George, Rosemary, MW; Edwards, Michael (1992). Prial, Frank (ed.). The Companion to Wine. Mirabel Books. ISBN 1873901011.)
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(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - Prial, Frank J. (2001). Decantations. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 9780312284435.
- Footnotes
- ^ a b c d Asimov, Eric, The New York Times (November 7, 2012). Frank J. Prial, a Guide to the World of Fine Wine, Dies at 82
- ^ a b c d St.Pierre, Biran, Decanter.com (November 9, 2012). Veteran New York Times wine columnist Frank Prial dies
- ^ a b Oberdorf, Janna. Bullpen. "Backgrounder: Frank J. Prial". Archived from the original on September 3, 2006.
- ^ a b Matthews, Thomas, Wine Spectator (November 8, 2012). A Pioneer Passes Away
- ^ Heimoff, Steve, steveheimoff.com (November 9, 2012). Frank J. Prial: a tribute
- ^ Wine Media Guild. "Hall of Fame inductees 2007".
- ^ Heimoff, Steve, Wine Enthusiast (November 8, 2012). Frank J. Prial, New York Times Wine Columnist, Passes
- ^ Shaw, Lucy, The Drinks Business (November 8, 2012). New York Times Wine Columnist Dies