The plans for Whitecliff have been long in the making. Michael has lived on the property since 1975, when he was studying organic chemistry in graduate school at SUNY, New Paltz. Upon graduation in 1978 he was hired by IBM to be trained as a semiconductor engineer. He decided to buy the property he was living on and soon became intrigued by the idea of starting a vineyard. "I wanted to do some farming, and this area was historically a grape-growing region supplying New York City," Michael explains.

Wine had figured prominently in his upbringing: his German and Italian grandfathers both made wine at home, and it was part of their everyday dinner table. Michael enjoyed his work at IBM but was eager to put to practical use his expensive graduate education. "You don't have to be a physical organic chemist to be a winemaker," he observes, "but it certainly helps."

He started planting his vineyards in 1979, beginning the research on what would do well at his specific site. This procedure involves years of trial and error to determine which varieties will produce good yields and quality while withstanding the cold winters. A few years into the process he met Yancey, and a few months later she became his wife — and a full partner in the wine venture. "She knew that I wanted to have a winery someday, but I don't think she would have married me if she had known how much work it would be," he jokes. Yancey admits it's a grueling lifestyle and a far cry from her Manhattan upbringing. Still, she finds it deeply satisfying. "We have a gorgeous site, we're keeping 70 acres in farmland, and we're excited about experimenting with great viticulture and high quality wine," she says. The Migliores expect to sell most of their wine out of their own tasting room to both tourists and locals as many Hudson Valley wineries do. Their production this year will be just 500 cases; next year it will be atleast 1500 cases as more Gamay Beaujolais grapes come into production. After that they plan to double production every year for four years. Their wines are designed to appeal to the wine drinker who has already developed a palate. "My wines are complex and handcrafted, with intensity of flavor," Michael says. Whitecliff Vineyard & Winery is also featured in Country Living Magazine, October 2001 edition.