Rich Frank
Friday, November 27 2009 16:00
With a warm and inviting tone (similar to the reputation of his family’s winery and tasting room), Rich Frank of Frank Family Vineyards in the Napa Valley couldn’t be a better proponent for what a wine experience should be.
A former Hollywood executive with Disney, Paramount, and the USA Network, Rich is by nature a creative soul. While the early years of his career were spent aiding in the design of movie posters or ad campaigns, now the majority of his time involves working on things like developing one of the first see-through labels on a Napa Valley wine bottle or deciding what shape the bottles should be for his various varietals. Rich prides himself on being involved at every level. His passion for wine, his creativity, and his warm, convivial personality convey a sense of familiarity and comfort.
It is this personality and the family he has created in Frank Family Vineyards that make the wine business what it should be. Maintaining an inviting tasting room at the winery (where they don’t charge to taste their wines) says a great deal about what can sometimes be seen as a stuffy or haughty business. “We don’t like to treat people as customers, but rather as our guests,” says Frank, admitting that perhaps this philosophy carries over from his days at Disney.
Producing wines that play to his own tastes and preferences, Frank says he wants to “make wines for what they are.” Wonderfully balanced, approachable, and expressive of their varietal components, Frank Family Vineyards’ creations represent what this business is all about: the simplicity and beauty of a glass of wine.
Images courtesy of Frank Family Vineyards.
