Hi, my names’s Frankie; not Frank, Francis or Franky, but Frankie.
For those who were wondering, my website URL comes from a double extension of Frankie; Frankster then Frankstero, in the style of the SNL’s Richmeister
In the past I have contributed to Glass of Bubbly Magazine, TheTaste.ie, wine+ magazine and The Old Man Club
The Wine Bug
I caught the “wine bug” as a student in France in 93/94. Pubs and bars were very expensive so as a student it was much cheaper to have a few friends round for a glass of wine or two. I found to my surprise that even inexpensive wines tasted quite different from one another, so I set out to try as many different ones as I could without breaking the bank. When I returned to England my best mate had experienced the same situation as me so we teamed up to teach ourselves about wine, though with a broader range than available in France.
Wine Tasting Events
I’ve been holding wine tastings for friends and colleagues since the late 90s. Usually they have been informal blind tastings where participants try to guess some of the attributes of the wine in their glass (country, vintage, grape(s), ABV etc.), mainly for fun but also hoping that people would find out more about what they like.
At a tasting event arranged by the Sports & Social (S&S) committee of a previous workplace in October 2008 I was underwhelmed so I volunteered to hold them thereafter – they are still the most popular S&S events.
I stepped in to host one of the fortnightly tastings at Sweeney’s in April 2011 when the main man Kevin was away. I also hosted one of the four tables at the Sweeney’s Wine Fair in April 2012.
Wine Courses
• 2010 Sweeney’s “Learn About Wine” Course
• 2010/11 WSET Advanced Certificate (Merit)
Selected Wine Trips
• 2000 Margaret River, Coonawarra, Hunter Valley
• 2003 Yarra Valley, Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley, Eden Valley, McLaren Vale, Glenrowan, Rutherglen
• 2009 Waipara, Central Otago, Nelson, Marlborough, Martinborough, Hawkes Bay
• 2012 Champagne, Alsace, Chablis
• 2013 Champagne, Alsace
Contact Me
- Twitter: @frankstero
- Instagram: @frankstero
- Email: frankiecook72-at-gmail-dot-com
Ah, the wine bug…one of the best wine bugs. That 2012 Champagne and Alsace trips sounds great! Have been to both regions, many years ago. And loved them both for their unique characteristics and landscapes….looking forward to reading more of your writing.
Many thanks! Heading back there next week, can’t wait!
Thank you for following my blog. Look forward to sharing more with you. xoxo Anais
Thanks for following my blog. I hope to have more wine nonsense up soon, cheers 🙂
You’re welcome, I look forward to reading it!
Hi Frankie,
Thanks for following my blog, The Half-Eaten Mind 🙂
Vijay
Hey there, thanks for liking one of my posts. I’m looking to try and improve my writing/blog over the next year and would love some feedback as to what you liked about it. Thanks
Thanks for coming in to see me at Steve Says…come again, stay a while – have a drink even! Happy blogging and don’t forget to check out my music blog http://talkaboutpopmusic.net/. Cheers, Steve…
Thank you for stopping by my blog.
Hi Frankie,
I don’t know how I haven’t stumbled upon your blog until now. Great stuff that I will read with interest.
Best,
Conor
Hi Conor, I was just thinking the same about your blog! (though you have a much bigger following than me)
Cheers, Frankie
I’ve been at it long enough, I do write what I like rather than chasing numbers. I am a firm believer in quality over quantity every time. I like what I see here.