About Marianne Frantz

A Certified Wine Educator, Marianne holds a Diploma in Wine & Spirits from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) of London, and has also earned the Advanced Sommelier qualification from the Court of Master Sommeliers. After successfully participating in an educational competition sponsored by the Wines of Australia in the spring of 2008, Marianne became an educational Ambassador for Wine Australia USA. She is also a Certified Spanish Wine Educator.

Sampling Strategies

Boston Wine Expo, South Beach Food & Wine Festival, Apsen Food & Wine - all perfect opportunities to sip, sample and learn about wine. Trouble is - many wine lovers have a difficult time trying out more than a handful of wines before they suffer from palate fatigue or (worse yet) a major wine buzz. So how do professionals taste 50-100 wines in a day? Real professionals spit when sampling wine. The same holds true for professional training. I always require WSET [...]

By |2008-04-27T15:49:37-04:00April 27th, 2008|Wine Blog|

Tuning In to Bordeaux 2005

You may have heard - and how could you not given all the press the wine has received - that the Bordeaux 2005 vintage is stellar. In fact, non-stop chatter among those "in-the-know" has caused most top chateau to sell out before the container-laden boats even hit our shores.  As top collectors gobble them up fast to build impressive cellars that most of us can only dream about where, you may wonder, does this leave the rest of us? No worries. I have a plan. Typically, excellent [...]

By |2008-03-25T13:24:29-04:00March 25th, 2008|Wine Blog|

Sippin' with the Sinskeys

I am in Napa Valley right now attending the Master of Wine seminars and want to share a few new found finds. First, if you are considering a trip to Napa Valley, consider staying in Yountville. The town is cute as a button and the Villagio Inn rocks. Rooms are moderately priced, the pianist in the lobby (Frederick Nighthawk) is awesome and multiple restaurants are located right across the street including Ad Hock, Redd, Bistro Jeanty, Bouchon and more. Best part. [...]

By |2008-02-08T04:00:38-05:00February 8th, 2008|Wine Blog|

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

In response to the day's snowfall, we ordered in lunch from Moxie located just four doors away; partly because it is too cold to venture out and partly because Jonathan Bennett has revamped a school lunch favorite that reeks of those precious snow days - grilled cheese & tomato soup. While this version is all grown up, (think fresh mozzarella with sundried tomato and pesto) the fact that we sated our palates in a school (wine not whine) brings back fond food memories. It also creates an interesting [...]

By |2008-01-24T16:45:50-05:00January 24th, 2008|Wine Blog|

What's the best city?

When I lived in New York City, I passed a friendly man working the same corner every morning on my way to the subway. Each morning he would smile, shake a paper cup full of change, and ask "What's the best city?" To which he would respond, "generosity." If that did not drum up enough change, he would quickly follow up with "And what's the best nation?" You guessed it, "donation." I often think of this only-in-NYC-scene when I give a donation [...]

By |2008-01-14T13:16:09-05:00January 14th, 2008|Wine Blog|

Celebrating with Bubbles

Whenever I sip Champagne from a fluted glass  I think of Karen MacNeil, wine educator and author of The Wine Bible. Years ago, Karen joined me as a guide in producing a tour of Bordeaux for American Express Platinum cardholders. During the opening night celebration she addressed the group, raised a glass of Champagne and said, "Offer someone a flute of Champagne and watch their body language change. Regardless of the occasion, everyone sits a little straighter with a Champagne flute in [...]

By |2007-12-03T18:29:17-05:00December 3rd, 2007|Uncategorized|

Thanksgiving Day Wines

Deciding what wines to bring to your family Thanksgiving Day dinner is an interesting task. From a culinary perspective, you have spices, flavors and textures that vary more than anyother meal of the year. Take Aunt Betty's sweet yam casserole with marshmellows plopped on top. Makes me think of a German Spatlese Riesling. Serve the yams along side a slice of Tom Turkey smothered in spiced cranberry sauce and I reach for a bottle of fruity Dolcetto or a Pinot [...]

By |2007-11-16T18:23:41-05:00November 16th, 2007|Uncategorized|

Scary Wines

It's October and the pumpkins are starting to roll out in mass. I must admit that this is my favorite month of the year. The leaves are turning, the weather is crisp and the food moves from lightly grilled to savory and slow cooked. In terms of wine, that mean beefier examples such a Zins, Syrah, Bordeaux, Rhone, Shiraz for reds and blended whites or concentrated varieties such as Pinot Gris from Alsace and Spatlese Riesling from Germany that have the extra body required [...]

By |2007-10-04T20:04:37-04:00October 4th, 2007|Uncategorized|

Blends Are IN

I tasted a white wine today that realigned my analytical approach to whites. Medium in body with crisp acidity and just enough oak influence to give it curves on the palate, the wine was far from being varietally correct - and with good reason. It was a blend. Having tasted tons of high acid Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, refreshing Roses from around the world and quaffing-worthy Pinot Grigio this summer, I was pleasantly at ease with the balance of the blend [...]

By |2007-09-25T14:50:34-04:00September 25th, 2007|Uncategorized|

Breaking it Down

One of the best ways to learn about a region is to focus all your vinous energy on a small region or set of regions. Take Italy for example. With so many different native grapes, Italy is a bear of a country to get your arms around. As such, every so often I break it down and focus my efforts. Right now, it is the north east regions of Veneto, Trentino and Friuli. I start by printing a map off the internet - the importer [...]

By |2007-09-12T11:38:46-04:00September 12th, 2007|Uncategorized|

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