Michael A. Cimino

Author Bio – Michael A. Cimino, founder Cottage Views LLC

Michael A. Cimino has been a certified sommelier with the Sommelier Society of America since 1993. He was sponsored by Iron Chef winner Peter X. Kelly, from the famed Xaviar’s Restaurant Group, where he worked for ten years. In February of 2000 the New York Times hailed Mr. Cimino as a “master of accommodating guests and selecting wines.” He went on to speak at WOR Radio’s annual Taste of New York alongside celebrity chefs Lydia Bastianich and John Halligan.

In 2001 Michael branched out on his own and established a restaurant consulting company, Cottage Views, and Cottage Views School of Wine. As a consultant to several high profile establishments he was awarded the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and Wine Enthusiasts’ Award of Distinction for his contributions to the wine programs at Glenmere Mansion (Relais & Chateaux), and the Park Steakhouse, among others.

As an author, journalist, and radio personality Michael has worked at several suburban New York radio stations and was a regular contributor to Rock Society magazine (London, UK) and the New York Review of Records.

Following the homogenization of New York Radio, Michael founded Cottage Views Classic Rock News and won acclaim from the international music community with poignant reviews and interviews with legendary Rock musicians, including The Kinks’ Davies brothers, The Beatles’ original drummer Pete Best, Gregg Rolie of Santana and Journey fame, the late bassists John Entwistle of The Who and Noel Redding of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, members of Upstate New York’s 10,000 Maniacs, Little Feat, Fairport Convention, Strawbs, and dozens of others.

Michael's best known work, Badfinger and Beyond – The Biography of Joey Molland, was released to wide acclaim and debuted at the Fest for Beatles Fans in Chicago in 2011. Michael’s first book, The Waitperson’s Guide To Wine – Practical Information For Service, was compiled from his wine lectures and is used as a training tool in newly opened restaurants and dining establishments. A newly updated and expanded version, A Beginner’s Guide to Wine, was released October 23, 2019.

Michael's autobiography Music Head - A Memoir of Purpose, released in June of 2023, received rave reviews from authors Lise Leroux (One Hand Clapping) and Cynthia G. Neale (Catherine - Queen of the Tumbling Waters). It contains an abundance of music history as well as his personal reflections of his time spent in music journalism and NY radio.

His latest book, The Ultimate Mixtape - A Classic Rock Lover's Guide to New Music, was released in the spring of 2026. In it he critiques the most important recordings of the past 25 years made by members of the Rock era's elite. The book has received 5 star reviews across the board and Tom Frangione of SiriusXM radio’s The Beatles Channel wrote, “Michael has captured the essence of a great mixtape. His taste in latter day music by classic artists who’ve unfortunately been ignored is impeccable.” The book has since been converted to a radio show (The Ultimate Mixtape Radio Hour) which he hosts once a week on WGCC, in Geneva, NY.

Michael currently resides in the Finger Lakes, where he owns Cottage Views bed and breakfast with his fiancée.