Hello and welcome! My name is Michael and I’m excited to be here talking all things wine. I’ve always had a love for writing so this is a great expression for me to share my versatility and creative side. I had the wonderful opportunity to publish a bar/cocktail book titled “The Cocktail Revolution: Journey of a Liquid Chef” in 2020, which details my journey in the industry. I am originally from Harrisburg, PA (Central PA), but I moved to Geneva, NY in the heart of the Finger Lakes in 2019 to further my wine career. I completed my wine certifications and independent study so I was ready apply those skills. I have a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and worked in the counseling and social work field up to having a child. I was a stay-at-home dad and needed to find a part-time job working nights and weekends. I found an ad in the local newspaper for a bartending school and thought this temporary career would work well. I realized that I was pretty good at this bartending and hospitality thing and I could do it as a permanent career. Eventually bartending lead to pseudo-somm work, management, consultation, teaching/instruction, and opening up my own business. The rest is history!
My interests outside of wine are cats (I have 2 lovelies), traveling, learning about different cultures, shopping, fast cars, Pittsburgh sports, reading, book hoarding, good old-fashioned rock-n-roll music, and musical theater. I am pretty fluent in French and French culture. My dream is to stock people’s wine cellars with exquisite and collectible wine and serve as their wine consultant personal sommelier. Cheers to this wine relationship we are establishing. Let’s have fun! Thank you for being here! ~ M