A permanent desire to “learn everything” has brought winemaker Michael Shaps international success.
Michael Shaps
Photos by Jen Fariello
By almost anyone’s standards, Michael Shaps has made it. He has a successful Virginia winery, an impressive roster of contract winemaking clients, and a winery in France’s iconic Burgundy region, and he made a very impressive showing at this year’s Governor’s Cup. Between his Michael Shaps label and his Virginia Wineworks contract winemaking label, five of his wines made it into the Virginia Wineries Association 2019 Governor’s Cup Case (the case comprises the 12 highest-scoring wines), and a whopping 22 were awarded gold medals.
But on a Friday afternoon, you’ll find him at his winery having lunch with his staff and buzzing with energy and ideas. He’s definitely still rolling up his sleeves, not resting on his laurels.
A handful of Virginia Governor’s Cup winners.
This is not a new trait. When he was asked to take over the wine program at the Boston restaurant where he worked in the late 1980s, he had very little experience with wine. He had to learn fast: “I was just basically a sponge; I just wanted to learn everything,” says Shaps of the crash course in wine tasting and buying he received on the job.
This desire to learn everything got him interested in making wine rather than continuing on the sommelier track. “I was just curious, and it was something totally different than what I grew up doing,” he says. “I was a suburban kid and didn’t really have a lot of farming, agriculture, or science background.” And while he researched a number of programs that would help him learn how to make wine, his love of Burgundy inspired him to look to France, to the Lycée Viticole de Beaune.
Michael and Christie Shaps.
Initially the school he chose didn’t want to accept him. “The director scratched his head and said, your French really isn’t good enough,” says Shaps. But like the Karate Kid of wine, he was persistent and, eventually, the director made him a deal: He could stay as long as he passed the classes and did conversational English with the students after school. “When that door was opened a crack, I barreled through,” says Shaps.
After finishing the program, Shaps had job offers in France and California. But a little bit of serendipity brought him to Virginia. He happened to be flipping through an issue of Wine Spectator at the winery where he worked in Burgundy and read an article on Virginia as an up-and-coming wine region. “To me it made perfect sense. In terms of climate, it was more similar to Burgundy,” he says. “Being an East Coast person, I just thought it had potential for me, instead of going to California. I did interview at a bunch of places on the West Coast and had some opportunities, but … it’s not me.” In 1995, Shaps started at Jefferson Vineyards—but he wasn’t done with Burgundy just yet.
In 2004, with the wine market a little shaky after 9/11, Shaps’ former boss at the winery in Burgundy was worried about his job security. He and Shaps had remained good friends, and Shaps suggested they do something together. They eventually found a fixer-upper property in Meursault, and Maison Shaps & Roucher-Sarrazin was born. By 2012, Roucher-Sarrazin had grown tired of entrepreneurial life, and Shaps and a group of investors bought him out. The property is now known as Maison Shaps.
Many people would have been intimidated by Burgundy’s importance. But when asked if it was difficult to settle into a community there, Shaps says, “It’s not Paris; it’s not some other regions that are a little snooty.” “There are real farmers [there], real authentic people, and they appreciated my passion for Burgundy, my appreciation of their culture, and they took right to me because I was respectful and wanted to learn.”
Barrels of wine in process.
Snobbery is an occupational hazard in the wine world, but Shaps has not succumbed to it. His tasting room is not a lavish affair. Wines are served in stemless glasses, tasting fees aren’t exorbitant, and the tasting room staff is educated, but friendly and approachable. And far from being wedded to the traditional cork, Shaps has experimented with bag-in-box packaging and has found great success selling his wine in kegs to local restaurants.
When it comes to the Governor’s Cup, Shaps is just as excited about the other winners as he is about his own. “We’re evolving here, which is great,” he says. “To see the diversity in the Governor’s Cup case is great. It just shows that we don’t know everything.”
And his own favorite wine? Shaps says it depends on what he’s eating. His palate is always evolving, and he always wants to try new things. That said, cabernet franc is a favorite. His own Michael Shaps Cabernet Franc is fresh-tasting with bright red fruit flavors and ripe tannins.
It’s clear that he still sees almost every situation as an opportunity to expand his knowledge. Although he may be established in two important wine regions, Michael Shaps is definitely not done learning.
Wine Tasting with Michael Shaps
A refillable growler and boxed wines at Wineworks.
• Visit Michael Shaps’ two tasting rooms in Charlottesville: Wineworks is at 1781 Harris Creek Way, and Wineworks Extended is at 1585 Avon St. Extended.
• Shaps owns the Michael Shaps wine label, Shenandoah Vineyards, and Maison Shaps in Burgundy, France. He also consults for Greenhill Winery and Vineyards.
• Virginia Wineworks’ contract-winemaking clients include: The Barns at Hamilton Station, Brix & Columns Vineyards, Everleigh Vineyards, General’s Ridge Vineyard, The Hague Winery, Hamlet Vineyards, Honah Lee Vineyard, Chateau MerrillAnne, Mount Ida Farm, Nicewonder Vineyards, Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards, SummerWind Vineyard, The Winery at Kindred Pointe, Upper Shirley Vineyards, and Valerie Hill Vineyard & Winery.
This article originally appeared in our August 2019 issue.
