Michael began his winemaking career working as a Winemaking Intern for the 2012 harvest at Knob Hall Winery in Maryland. This experience exposed him to the potential of the East Coast as a winemaking region. After this, he worked as an Assistant Brewer for Three Stars Brewing Company in Washington, D.C. from December 2012 until June 2014. He holds a Master of Science in Viticulture and Enology from UC Davis, with a focus on microbial spoilage and redox chemistry. He is now the Research Exchange Coordinator for the Virginia Winemakers Research Exchange. His experiences in fermentation have instilled in him a passion for the East Coast wine, beer, and cider industries.