Michael Taiani (born February 26, 1965), aka. Ty the wine guy, is a multi-proficient marketer, advisor, and entrepreneur in food, wine, and service trades. Though his efforts center within New York's historic and picturesque Hudson Valley, his influences extend on a global scale. As a contributing writer for Hudson Valley Wine Magazine, his seasonal column, "TY's Take-away" [1] [2] appears on the last page offering it's readers just that, an amusing tid-bit of information to ponder before placing it atop any coffee table.
While attending college at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) during the mid to late 1980's, he discovered a liking for the popular American alcoholic beverage, wine coolers, (ex:Bartles & James) instead of what was the standard college beverage -- beer -- offered at many fraternity houses campus wide. Post-college, he returned to New York and began to explore the world of wines available at local wine retailers.
In the early 1990's, he accepted a wine sales apprenticeship at one of New York City's major wine retailers, Crossroads (55 W14th Street). The April 1997 issue of New York Magazine rated the retail shop as "Best Wine Store in New York", [3] and Ty was the driving force behind its annual sales of over $3 million. [4] The shop was considered a magnet for those who sought iconic wines, as well as pricey 'cult wines' like Screaming Eagle and Dalla Valle. Consequently, Michael accumulated many loyal clients, including celebrities in the music, television, and film entertainments who made New York their primary/secondary residence. After work hours, his apprenticeship was expanded to include wine pairings to dishes prepared by many of Manhattan's best culinary chefs at that time - Michael Lomonaco (Windows On The World), Eric Rupert (Le Bernardin), and Rocco Dispirito (Union Pacific). [5]
After the attacks of September 11th, Michael resigned his position at Crossroads. In the time thereafter, he began to re-establish his career north of the city. As his reputation spread among the wine consumers in that region, he began holding wine tasting seminars several times per year, the largest of which was held at the Pearl River Hilton in May, 2006. [6] In that same year, he began contributing to Tastings, an upstate New York newspaper column designed to guide wine aficionados. [7] In the following year, 2007, Michael created the Wines By The Glass Wine Club after multiple requests from friends and devoted readers. Monthly meetings were quite popular and unique since they were held inside a fully-functional, kitchen designed showroom, with it's members understanding that "a wine club is only as good as the wines it offers it's members". [8] However, the club was discontinued in 2008 due to safety and legal concerns. His slogan, "Changing the wine experience one glass at a time" is a testament to his work. For unknown reasons, Crossroads permanently closed its doors in April, 2011 [9]
In June, 2013, Ty validated his vast wine knowledge by passing one of the most challenging wine examinations on the first attempt; he was accredited Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) by the Society of Wine Educators. [10]
References
edit- ^ Hudson Valley Wine Magazine, 2009 - current
- ^ http://www.hvwinemag.com/tys_takeaway12.html
- ^ New York Magazine, Best of New York/Foods, pg.57, April 14, 1997,
- ^ Market Watch, March 1993
- ^ Wine Spectator, Above and Beyond, April 30, 1998
- ^ The Journal News, Life & Style section, pg. 1, May 3, 2006
- ^ The Times-Herald Record, Sunday edition, Lifestyle section, Tastings column, May 2006 - December 2008
- ^ The Times-Herald Record, Sunday edition, Lifestyle section, Tastings column, April,22, 2007
- ^ http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2011/06/crossroads_wine.php
- ^ https://societyofwineeducators.secure.force.com/Other_CertificationVerification