Washington Wine Academy Faculty Speakers

The Washington Wine Academy is privileged to have the highly acclaimed wine columnists from the Washington Post, Washington Times and Washingtonian Magazine as our featured faculty. In additionan, we are fortunate to have the DC Area's most knowledgeable wine speakers as part of our team to provide you the best of the best.

Michael Franz

Michael Franz is a wine writer, educator, and consultant. He is editor of Wine Review Online, wine columnist for France magazine, and a freelance contributor to many national and international wine magazines. He wrote nearly 300 articles as regular wine columnist for The Washington Post from 1994 to 2005. Franz left the Post in 2005 to help found Wine Review Online as editor and managing partner. Wine Review Online has quickly become one of the world’s most widely viewed wine publications, now logging as many as two million hits per month.

Franz teaches wine classes for Washington Wine Academy and L’Academie de Cuisine, and is also a wine consultant for 13 restaurants in the National Capital area with combined annual wine sales of more than $10 million.

He has conducted more than 950 site visits and tastings at wineries across Western and Eastern Europe, South America, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. He tastes approximately 9,000 wines each year, and regularly serves as a judge at national and international wine competitions and as Chief Judge for competitions in Washington, D.C., San Diego and New Zealand.

Franz has testified as an expert witness in several cases related to the wine trade in Federal District Court. He has appeared on numerous television shows, and is frequently interviewed on National Public Radio.

Paul Lukacs

The Washington Wine Academy is equally pleased to have Paul Lukacs as our featured wine speaker in our faculty lineup.

Paul Lukacs is a wine writer, educator, and advisor. He is the author of American Vintage: The Rise of American Wine (Houghton Mifflin). A social history of wine in the United States, both its production and its appreciation, American Vintage won the three major wine "book of the year" awards in 2001-from the James Beard Foundation, Champagne Veuve Clicquot, and the International Association of Culinary Professionals. It was favorably reviewed in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and most of the major American newspapers and book reviews.

Since 1994, Lukacs has written features, columns, and individual wine profiles for The Washington Times on a weekly basis. In addition, beginning in 2002, he became the regular wine columnist for Washingtonian Magazine . In these positions, he covers wines and wine making all across the globe. He also has written about wine on a freelance basis for many magazines, including Saveur, Wine and Spirits, Food Arts, and American Heritage. He has traveled to many of the world's most important wine growing regions, and evaluates literally thousands of wines every year.

Besides writing about wine, Lukacs has taught numerous wine appreciation and education classes. Since 1999 he has worked as a wine consultant for restaurants in the Washington, D. C. area, helping select wines for wine lists, pair wine with menu items, and train wait staff. Lukacs has served as a judge at numerous wine competitions, both in America and in Europe. In addition, he is one of the co-organizers and co-founders of the International Oyster Wine Competition, held each November in Washington.

Lukacs also serves as the chair of the English department at Loyola College in Maryland. His academic specialty is 19th Century American literature, and he has published in leading academic journals in that field.

He lives in Baltimore with his wife Marguerite Thomas.

Ben Giliberti

Acclaimed wine critic, Ben Giliberti recently retired as wine critic for the Washington Post, which he has happily been doing for over 20 years. His popular wine column appeared weekly in Washington Post food section on the Wine Plus page, as well as in the Los Angeles Times, Long Island Newsday, The Detroit News, The Charlotte Observer, the Providence Journal and other newspapers across the country.

His articles on dining have also appeared in the Wine Spectator, The Wine News, Wine & Spirits, Cigar Aficionado, Washington Flyer and other magazines.

He has traveled regularly throughout the vineyards of Europe and United States. He began his career in journalism in his freshman year at Yale covering ice hockey for WYBC, the campus radio station.

In 2005, he retired from the United States Justice Department after a 30 year career as a lawyer in the antitrust field. He is married and lives in Washington with his wife and two daughters.

Dave McIntyre

Dave McIntyre has published Dave McIntyre’s WineLine on the Internet since 1999, offering an alternative and informative take on wine. He is currently the wine columnist for the Washington Post and a contributor to Foodservice Monthly, a trade publication covering Virginia, Maryland, DC and Delaware.

His other food and wine writings have appeared in Wine Enthusiast, the San Francisco Chronicle's Wine section, Wines & Vines, WineReviewOnline, The Wine Report, Washington Life, Decanter.com, Touring & Tasting, WineToday.com (New York Times Online), Restaurant Digest, Capital Style, The Washington Post, DC magazine, and the national and Washington D.C. newsletters of the American Institute of Wine & Food.

Dave has also appeared as a guest wine expert on “The Kojo Nnamdi Show” on National Public Radio and on WTOP radio as well as Montgomery Community Television. He wrote the biweekly “Good Libations” column for Washington Sidewalk.com from 1997-1999.

Dave contributes entries on Eastern U.S. wineries for the Oz Clarke guides and serves as a judge for several wine competitions in Virginia and New York. He serves on the Auction Committee for the American Heart Association's "Heart's Delight" wine auction and is a past board member of the Vinifera Wine Growers Association and the National Capital Area Chapter of the American Institute of Wine and Food.

Dave came into food and wine writing as a journalist who wanted to combine his profession and his passion. For 10 years he was a foreign correspondent in his home town of Washington, D.C., reporting on U.S. politics and foreign policy for the English-language service of the Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa, a major European wire service. His reporting and analyses were widely published in English-language papers around the globe.

Since February 2003, Dave has been a Public Affairs Officer with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Rockville, Maryland.

Dave lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife, Lily, and their daughter, Emma Mei.

Jason Whiteside, WSET Certified

Jason Whiteside, CSW is currently a Wine Consultant with The Country Vintner in Northern Virginia. Jason was previously a Sommelier & Wine Consultant on the Dutch/French Island of St. Maarten, and was the original Wine Director of Cosimo Restaurant & Wine Bar in Malvern, PA. 

His experience also includes wine making and wine writing. As part of the Winemaking Team at Chaddsford Winery, in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania (the largest winery in the Commonwealth), he helped make both the 2006 and 2007 vintages. He has contributed articles for Philadelphia-based MAINLINE MAGAZINE and FINE FOOD & FUN.

Jason holds the Level 4 Diploma Certificate in Wine & Spirits from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, and is also a WSET Certified Wine Educator.  He is a member of the Society of Wine Educators, earning their Certified Specialist of Wine qualification in 2006. He is also holds the title of Spanish Wine Educator through the Wine Academy of Spain. 

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Tom Finigan, CSW

Tom Finigan, CSW has been involved with wine and food for over twelve years.  He came to Washington D.C. in 2005 after two years as Wine Director and Manager of James Beard Award winning celebrity Chef Ming Tsai’s sole restaurant, Blue Ginger.  During his time there he also served as the wine and beverage consultant for seasons 2 and 3 of Ming’s acclaimed PBS cooking series “Simply Ming” as well as the companion cookbook “Ming’s Master Recipes”.  While in D.C. Tom was the Wine Director of the award winning Butterfield 9 restaurant downtown. 

He is currently a Senior Sales Consultant with Washburn Wine Company of Baltimore, Maryland managing Washington, D.C. and an Instructor with the Washington Wine Academy.  Tom is currently a candidate for the Diploma in Wines and Spirits from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET).  In addition, Tom holds the WSET Advanced Certificate in Wines and Spirits, the Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) with the Society of Wine Educators, The Rhone Valley Master with the French Wine Society and has completed the Napa Valley Vintner’s Association’s “Napa Rocks” program. 

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in music, he is also a member of the Wine Century Club and holds a Black Belt in Enshin Kai-Kan Karate.  Locally, he has appeared as a wine expert on Federal News Radio and the Fox 5 Morning Show.  Tom has contributed articles to the American Culinary Federation and the International Wine Review and speaks regularly at food and wine events in both public and private settings throughout the D.C. Metro Area.

Ray O'Mara

Ray O’Mara is Marriott General Manager at the Aspen Institute’s Aspen Wye River Conference Center on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.  

After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, he joined Marriott Hotels and ascended through various Food and Beverage positions prior to being appointed General Manager.

 A member of the Society of Wine Educators, he is a Certified Wine Educator. Ray has also earned, Court of Master Sommeliers, Certified Sommelier, WSET Advanced Certificate, CIVB, International Bordeaux Tutor, BIVB, Certified Burgundy Instructor, Spanish Wine Academy, Spanish Wine Educator, and French Wine Academy, French Wine Scholar.

Ray was a founding member and past president of the Texas Sommelier Society, and has judged in numerous wine competitions including the Dallas International Wine Festival, the Sonoma County Fair and the Virginia Governors Cup.

A passionate wine enthusiast, student and educator, Ray is presently enrolled in the WSET diploma program and is a member of Tasters Guild International, and the Eastern Shore Wine Tasters.

Jill Zimorski

Jill Zimorski is Beverage Director for ThinkFoodGroup where she oversees the award-winning wine and cocktail programs at José Andrés’ popular Washington restaurants: Café Atlantico, Jaleo, minibar by josé andrés, Oyamel and Zaytinya. Zimorski also leads monthly wine seminars for all seven restaurants within the company.

Zimorski is a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers and has completed the Advanced Certificate Course offered through the Wine Spirits and Education Trust. She is also a Certified Specialist of Wine through the Society of Wine Educators and a Certified Spanish Wine Educator.

Prior to her promotion to beverage director for ThinkFoodGroup, Zimorksi directed the beverage program at Café Atlantico. The pioneering Nuevo Latino restaurant located in the Penn Quarter is also home to the critically acclaimed minibar by josé andrés. Appointed in July of 2006, she managed and developed Café Atlantico’s evolving wine list that highlighted Old and New World selections. Under her direction, Café Atlantico’s celebrated cocktail program was named one of the most innovative cocktail programs in the country by the New York Times.

Jamie Foster

The more you stimulate your senses, the more you enjoy! This is how Jamie Foster, founder of vinstrategies.com, describes her approach to helping people become comfortable with wine.

Jamie's passion for wine blossomed during her studies at the prestigious Aspen Wine Program, the International Wine School, and New York's Institute of Culinary Education. Through London's Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET), she has been awarded both the WSET Level 2 Intermediate Certificate and Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Wines, Spirits and other Alcoholic Beverages. Jamie also has completed the Winemaking for Distance Learners course offered by the world renown Department of Viticulture and Enology through the continuing education branch of the University of California, Davis. She is participating in London's WSET Diploma program.

Classes and wine tastings offered by Jamie can teach you to use your senses of sight, smell, taste and touch to distinguish the subtleties of wine. With glass in hand, she'll serve as your tour guide as you experience wines from vineyards in France, Italy, Spain, Australia, Chile, Portugal and Germany. She'll also introduce you to domestic wines produced by wineries across the United States.

As a member of the Society of Wine Educators, Jamie enthusiastically shares her passion and knowledge about wine through consulting and education programs. She offers teleclasses as a component of the VinSenses Wine Education Series. Jamie also writes and publishes a wine newsletter and serves as a weekend sommelier at a local restaurant.Jamie holds a B.B.A in Information Systems from Howard University and a M.S. in Technology Management from the University of Maryland and uses those skills by day. She lives with her son in Bowie, Maryland.

Additional Wine Speakers

The Washington Wine Academy is also proud to feature a number of very knowledgeable wine educators in the Washington, DC area. These folks are in the wine business in some way or another as wine buyers, wine sellers, wine aficionados, educators and all love wine in general.

Whatever the event - the Washington Wine Academy has the perfect speaker for your private wine tasting. Contact us and see what we can do for you to bring our love of wine into your home or business!

Washington Wine Academy Staff

Jim Barker

The man behind the Washington Wine Academy is President and Founder Jim Barker, whose fascination with wine is as extensive as his experience in staging interesting events; both extend to his college days nearly 20 years ago.

Our organization and faculty focus is on ensuring that you have a pleasurable, enriching experience.

Says, Barker, "It's great to give people an opportunity to have a wonderful evening, and it's due to our efforts."

Mendy Figueroa

Mendy joins the Washington Wine Academy, providing part-time private event sales.

Mendy resides in Fairfax, VA with her husband and family. Having served as a contractor to the Federal government for several years, creating and maintaining databases, she joined America Online as a senior database administrator for AOL Operations. After years of managing the 24x7 operation of database systems in support of the worlds’ largest online service provider, Mendy decided to take some time off to enjoy the finer things in life!

Mendy cheerfully joins the academy with energy and enthusiasm!

Says, Barker, "It's great to give people an opportunity to have a wonderful evening, and it's due to our efforts."

Alex Evans

A native Washingtonian, Alex graduated from Northwestern University where she studied communications, specializing in business communication. Her many jobs while there included work at an online direct marketing company, work in a press department of MTV Networks, and work at an Australian wine importer, her introduction to the wide world of wine.

Following graduation, she moved to Australia where she worked for a winery in the Yarra Valley outside of Melbourne. Starting in its restaurant and tasting room, she then moved to production to work as the only cellar hand during vintage. From there, she moved to Sydney where she worked for the Australian Rugby League when she wasn’t travelling to wine regions around Australia and New Zealand.

Alex’s other experience includes hospitality and event work, both domestic and internationally. She is very excited to be on board at the Washington Wine Academy as she believes wine education is the single most important part of the industry and the experience should always be fun.

The Washington Wine Academy is VERY happy to have Alex on board!

Richard W. "Will" Shore

Will Shore, Volunteer Coordinator for the Washington Wine Academy and former President of the DC Chapter of Wine Brats. Will has been active in wine and wine groups since 1999 and organizes fun, accessible events that allow attendees to begin their wine education in informal social settings. These include bus trips (to wineries and festivals), dinners, wine cruises, food & wine pairings (Fresh Harvest, Carnivore feast), the semi-annual Great Wines under $15 events and is always coming up with new and interesting events. If you are looking to host a private event with WWA - please email Mendy Figueroa and she will be glad to assist you.

After serving several years in the US Navy as a submarine officer, Will took a year off and drove around the United Sates visiting wineries and brewpubs where he developed a strong interest in wine, brewing, and a ridiculously large collection of glasses.

Will resides in Alexandria, VA along with Monster (his cat) and of course a lot of wine.

Chef Alan Bennett

Alan has joined the Washington Wine Acadamy as Executive Chef. Alan is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. He is currently the Chef/Owner of Robustus Culinary Arts and Wine. Robustus offers Culinary classes in the home as well as wine/cheese and cigar pairings.

Alan's company also does small caterings from  casual to formal. Alan has an extensice background with Marriott and Ritz Carlaton where Alan was a gradute of the Marriott Management Program. Recently before opening his own Company Alan was the Food and Beverage Director for a local Country Club.

Alan has passed the Introductory Sommilier Course with the Court of Master Sommiliers and has recently taken the Advance Class through the Wine Spirt and Education Trust and the Washington Wine Academy.