| Birth Name: | Michael Steinbergerm |
| Birth Date: | 23 January 1967 |
| Occupation: | Author Journalist |
Michael Steinberger is an American author and journalist, who served as the wine columnist of the internet magazine Slate from 2002 to 2011.[1]
He has been described as "one of the greatest wine writers on the planet",[2] and to possess a "blessedly trustworthy voice and palate".[3] Steinberger has himself stated his palate is Euro-centric, having been cultivated on French wine, with the wine from Bordeaux and Burgundy being his "touchstones".[4]
Currently, Steinberger serves as a freelance writer, often involving topics regarding tennis, for publications including The New York Times.
Steinberger has previously worked as a Hong Kong correspondent for Maclean's.[5] He has also contributed to publications such as The New York Times,[6] [7] Saveur, Financial Times,[8] The Economist, Food & Wine,[9] New York Magazine, Wine Spectator,[10] The World of Fine Wine,[11] and Sommelier Journal.[12] Steinberger's Slate column that had run since June, 2002 was terminated as a result of layoffs by Slate parent company The Washington Post Company in August, 2011.[1] [13]
Steinberger's book Au Revoir to All That was published in June, 2009.
One of Steinberger's articles published by Slate in 2002, "Grape Rot: The New Wine Spectator's Distinct Aroma of Fishiness",[14] led to a harsh response by Wine Spectator executive editor Tom Matthews. Steinberger's articles were no longer published in Wine Spectator after the article, and Matthews demanded a retraction of the article, while recommending that Slate "no longer accept Steinberger's unprofessional and potentially libelous contributions".
An article that revealed Steinberger's distaste for the Sauvignon blanc grape, "White Lies: Why Sauvignon Blanc is Overrated",[15] was widely met with surprise by the wine writers' community.[16] [17]
In a Slate article titled "Change We Can Taste", written concerning an interview with White House food and beverage operations usher Daniel Shanks published on Bloomberg.com,[18] Steinberger called for a new "wine policy" for the Obama presidency.[19] Coining the term "Shafer-gate", in reference to the serving of bottles of "extravagant" 2003 Shafer Hillside Select, costing around $250 a bottle, at a November 2008 emergency economic summit, the article described the Bush era tactics of "shock and awe" in terms of wine policy, achieved with what Steinberger calls "fruit bombs"; he wrote that the White House wine service had been "hostage to a profoundly misguided strategy", and pointed to Obama's opportunity "to act swiftly and boldly on the wine front".[19] When the article was described by Decanter.com to have "slammed the White House wine policy",[20] its contents were quoted and reiterated without any element of satire.
Steinberger currently resides in Hockessin, Delaware with his wife and two kids.