FOOD&DRINK
5 Questions with Frank Pagliaro Owner, Frank’s Union Wine Mart
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n 1986, Earl Pagliaro purchased the old bowling alley at 1206 N. Union St. in Wilmington and invited his son, Frank, to run the liquor business located there, called Gallucio’s Liquors. He invited his son, Frank, to run the business. Although the job interrupted his studies at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Frank Pagliaro was game. After all, his friends joked, he’d already earned an honorary diploma in the moderate consumption of alcohol with an emphasis on beer funnels. The detour put Pagliaro on a career path that’s remained steady. In 1993, he and wife Nina took over the business and rechristened it Frank’s Union Wine Mart. And, oh, the changes he’s seen.
28 . Food & Drink
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What was your most popular varietal 25 years ago? Nineteen eighty-six was right about the start of the white zinfandel craze, which was popularized by Sutter Home. I personally never cared for the crap, as you’ll read on my window: “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drink White Zinfandel.”
What’s been the most unappreciated varietal over the years? Without a doubt, Riesling. And it still is today. The legacy of German Riesling in the American market faces what I call the “Blue Nun problem.” In the 1970s and ’80s, German wine became almost synonymous with a certain breed of inferior, ubiquitous, regional wines. Typically not even made from Riesling, they were usually from Müller-Thurgau [a white grape], grown on flat sites on the wrong side of the river—if they even came from Germany at all. Just this past year, we’ve quadrupled our German Riesling section with a total of 56 selections, all from the stellar 2009 vintage.
Can you really smell chocolate and strawberries in a glass of wine? Absolutely. And sometimes less desirable scents as well, like barnyard, petrol, and rotten egg.
Do you swish and spit? Or do you swallow? At trade tastings and with reps at the shop, I always spit. Hey, what can I say? I’m working. But when tasting with customers at the shop, I always join them and swallow. After work and on the weekends, I’m a swallower.
What’s going to be the next big thing in wine trends? In-home wine tastings are the next big thing, which has been happening for the last 18 months or so. We’ve had an influx of requests for wine-tasting presentations at milestone birthday parties, bridal showers, dinner parties, and cocktail parties. My staff loves it, too. They get to schmooze with customers, present cool selections, and talk wine all night. February | O&A
1/21/2011 1:19:00 PM