Lars J. Leicht is VP of Education for The SOMM Journal and The Tasting Panel Magazine. A former news reporter in Oneonta, NY, passion for Italian culture lured him to the wine business.

Over a 33-year career with leading US wine importers he held various leadership roles in sales, marketing, and public relations, working and living in the U.S., Europe, Canada, the Caribbean, and Asia. A habitual speaker at sommelier conferences, cooking schools and culinary universities, he appeared in the movie Somm II: Into the Bottle. He has guided scores of scribes, wine lovers and professionals through vineyards, wineries and food meccas in Italy, including scholarship trips with SommFoundation and SommSouth. As founder and de facto “Dean” of Cru Artisan College, he has brought Italian winemakers on barnstorming trips across the U.S. for insightful seminars and exceptional tastings. In the Covid era he is a frequent webinar moderator for the SOMM Relief Project and Geographical Digest educational series.