Somm-antic Drift
Michael Franz, Ph.D., is a wine writer, editor, educator, and restaurant consultant. He is editor of Wine Review Online and a regular columnist and reviewer for that website, which now attracts 1.4 million viewers annually and is among the world’s most widely visited destinations for wine reviews and commentary.
Franz’s work in wine began as regular wine columnist for The Washington Post from 1994 to 2005, and over that span he wrote nearly 300 articles before leaving to help found Wine Review Online as editor. He is also a wine consultant for 12 restaurants in the National Capital area with combined annual wine sales of more than $14 million, and teaches wine classes regularly at Capital Wine School in D.C.
He has conducted more than 1,600 site visits and tastings at wineries across Western and Eastern Europe, South America, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Franz tastes more than 9,000 wines each year, judges wine competitions regularly around the world, and has acted as Chief Judge for international competitions in San Diego, Washington, D.C., New Zealand and China. He has appeared on numerous television shows, has served as an expert witness in several cases regarding the wine trade in Federal District Court, and is interviewed often on public radio.