Michael Yurch, President of Sherry-Lehmann

Starting at Sherry-Lehmann in 1985 as a Sales Manager, Michael became Chief of Purchasing six months later. In 1989 he was elevated to Executive Vice President and Partner and was named President in October of 1997. As a respected leader in the industry, he has appeared as a Guest Wine Expert on the PBS Television series “Travels and Traditions”. He has also been a frequent Guest Wine Expert on “The Joey Reynolds Show”, and a featured guest on NPR’s “The Splendid Table”. Michael is also a founding member of the Informal Coalition to Preserve Consumer Access to Wine; a group formed to defend and expand the rights of American vintners to export their products to all American markets.

For his achievements, Mr. Yurch has received numerous awards and accolades. In 2002, he was awarded the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Coteaux du Champagne. He was also the recipient of the 2007 Retailer of the Year Award from the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, the Comitato Grandi Cru d’Italia Award for lifetime service to the Italian Wine Industry in 2008, a Distinguished Service Award by the Italian Trade Commission in 2009, and was inducted into the Italian Trade Commission’s Wines of Italy Hall of Fame in 2011.

Michael is a moderator at the ‘Independent retail’ business session.