Here is a little bit about me, my business, The Michael Pour, and how I got here.
My name is Michael and I’m excited to be here talking ‘wine’. I’ve always had a love for writing, so this is a great way to share my creative side, versatility, and knowledge about wine.
I am originally from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in the south-central part of the state. In 2019, I moved to Geneva, New York, northern tip of Seneca Lake, in the heart of the Finger Lakes, to further my wine career and embrace a new beginning.
I have a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and worked in the counseling and social work industry for the early part of my career. In 2000, I became a stay-at-home dad and needed to find a part-time job where I could work nights and weekends for childcare.
One day, I found a classified ad in the local newspaper (that was how you found a job back then) for a bartending school and thought that this would be a fun career. This would work well with my schedule. I quickly learned that I was pretty good at this bartending thing and possessed the people skills to be successful and do it as a career.
My passion for the industry took flight in 2002 when I became a bartender at a full-service, upscale restaurant in the Marriott hotel servicing the airport and capital city. Eventually simple bartending led to a deep dive into wine and food/wine pairings from the excellent menu and wine program.
After many years bartending and doing wine work in the hotel business and making cameos at nightclubs, bars, pubs, and private parties, I decided to take a job as a mixology instructor and wine expert at a nationally recognized bartending school. In addition to teaching/instruction at the school, I provided consultation services to local restaurants.
In 2012, I decided to open up my own business called, Raise Your Spirits, Inc. providing bar consultation, cocktail, spirits, wine, hospitality services and event services to individuals, event and wedding venues, and companies.
During this time, I started blogging and writing about my experiences in the industry, which led to writing and publishing a bar and cocktail book titled “The Cocktail Revolution: Journey of a Liquid Chef” during the pandemic in 2020.
After living in PA most of my life and running my business, Raise Your Spirits, Inc. for eight years, I decided to take a leap of faith, start anew, leave family and friends, and move to upstate NY and the beautiful Finger Lakes region to focus on my wine career.
I completed my wine education through the Wine & Spirit Education Trust School based in London, England. I earned my Level 3 Advanced Certification in Wine. I continued my wine education by earning my wine specialist certificate in French wine.
My knowledge, experience, and expertise with Finger Lakes and New York State wine is very strong. I strive to learn new things in the world of wine and stay on top of the trends.
From 2019 to 2023, I worked as a wine educator, tasting room manager, wine club director, marketing and public relations director for numerous wineries on Keuka, Seneca, Cayuga Lakes.
For the latter part of my time in the Finger Lakes, I served as the GM and ran the exquisite wine and cocktail program at Portico Restaurant, an upscale, Italian steakhouse in Del Lago Resort & Casino.
During this time, I rebranded my old business to “The Michael Pour” where I focused primarily on wine, providing consultation services, private wine tasting events, wine lists, virtual and in-person wine classes, networking, and storytelling through writing and blogging about wine.
In August of 2024, my life and career took me to Syracuse, NY with the intent of continuing my business operations and work with private venues, bars, restaurants, and organizations doing wine tasting events, wine classes, wine dinners, marketing, and consultation.
My hope is to bring the excitement of Finger Lakes and New York State wine to the Central NY region and Syracuse area. As a member of Women for Winesense, Syracuse Chapter, potential board member and former member of Finger Lakes and Rochester chapters, I am excited about the opportunity to grow my business and support a wonderful organization offering fun, wine programs in the area. All are welcome (men, women, non-binary) to join our group.
Visit the website for more info (Syracuse Chapter page). I will be teaching a fun wine tasting class in January through the Syracuse Chapter (see image) so I hope to see you there.
Would you like to experience great wine for your formal or casual dinner party? Are you looking to plan a special event with your friends or colleagues and want it to be epic? Are you an establishment who wants to elevate your wine program?
Whether you are an experienced wine drinker, host parties or events, a business, or someone just getting started in the industry, you’ve come to the right place.
My dream is to stock people’s wine cellars with exquisite and collectible wine and serve as their wine consultant and personal sommelier.
I also moonlight as a freelance beauty consultant, MUA, and skincare consultant after spending time with Mary Kay, Sephora and Ulta Beauty over the years. I currently work as a brand ambassador for Urban Decay Cosmetics and IT Cosmetics.
My interests outside of wine are kitties (I have 2 cute furries), traveling and seeing the world, learning about different cultures, shopping, pizza, old-world Pinot Noir, purple and green colors, fast cars, Pittsburgh sports, all things beauty, reading, writing, book hoarding (not a fan of kindling), good old-fashioned rock-n-roll music, and musical theater.
I am partially fluent in French and love French culture, which goes hand in hand with French wine.
Thanks for stopping by! Let’s get acquainted and go on this fun journey together. Please let me know if I can be service to you or your place of business. Being new to the area, I would love to meet you – Michael