In 1990 Michael Shaps moved to Burgundy, France and enrolled in the Lycée Viticole de Beaune to study oenology and viticulture. After receiving his diploma in 1991, he continued to work in Puligny Montrachet for an additional year before returning to the United States. In 1995 he moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, and was the Winemaker at Jefferson Vineyards for six vintages. With the 2000 vintage, Michael produced his first wines under his own label, “Michael Shaps”. In 2004 he won the coveted Virginia Governor’s Cup for his 2002 Cabernet Franc. That same year, he returned to Burgundy and started a winery, Maison Shaps, in Meursault. In 2007, Michael acquired the former Montdomaine Winery, in Charlottesville, VA and established Virginia Wineworks, where he produces the Michael Shaps wines. The Wineworks facility is also home to Virginia’s first contract winemaking operation, now producing over eighteen different client brands, totaling 30,000 cases annually. In 2018 Michael Shaps became the faithful steward of Shenandoah Vineyards, the second oldest winery in Virginia.