Court of Master Sommeliers Awards Title of Master Sommelier

There are 97 Master Sommeliers in the United States

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. October 14, 2008

SEATTLE, WA, February 26, 2008. The Court of Master Sommeliers has awarded The Fairmont Olympic Hotel's Joseph Linder the internationally recognized title of Master Sommelier following the Master Sommelier Diploma Examination, which took place February 10-13 2008. Bringing more than 25 years of experience to the restaurant and wine industry, Linder is one of only four Master Sommeliers in Washington and the only one currently working for a restaurant, The Georgian. There are 97 Master Sommeliers in the United States and a total of 158 Master Sommeliers worldwide.

The Master Sommelier diploma is the highest distinction a professional can attain in fine wine and beverage service. Testing is focused on the areas needed for superior beverage department management, which include Tasting, Theory, Practical and Dining Room Application, and encompasses spirits, beers, cigars as well as global wine knowledge.

"It is with great honor that we welcome nine new dedicated wine professionals to the Court. Each displayed the exceptional wine knowledge, precise tasting ability, and exemplary service capability that this difficult examination requires; they will be a tremendous asset to wine education and the growth of our organization," said Joseph Spellman, Chairman of the Court of Master Sommeliers, American Chapter.

The Court of Master Sommeliers awarded nine wine professionals the internationally recognized title of Master Sommelier following the Master Sommelier Diploma Examination, which took place 10-13 February 2008 at the Hotel Healdsburg in Healdsburg, California.

The other eight winners were:

---| Emily Wines of Fifth Floor Restaurant, in San Francisco, CA

---| Jesse Becker, Sommelier at Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, CO;

---| Chris Blanchard, Wine Director and Sommelier at REDD Restaurant in Napa, CA;

---| Drew Hendricks, Wine Director at Charlie Palmer at the Joule in Dallas, TX;

---| Geoff Kruth, Wine Director at the Farmhouse Inn and Restaurant in Forestville, CA;

---| Joseph Phillips, Sommelier at Sensi at Bellagio Resort in Las Vegas, CA;

---| Steven Poe, Beverage Director at Big Canyon Country Club, Newport Beach, CA; and

---| Sean Razee, Beverage Director of Spago at The Ritz-Carlton in Bachelor Gulch, CO.

"The value was in the journey rather than the destination and I am looking forward to many years of personal wine growth," says Linder, who began his career at the Bad Gleichenberg Restaurant and Hotel School in Austria and who also spent nine years in New York working at Le Bernardin and Daniel. "My biggest satisfaction will come from giving back to other candidates - encouraging, teaching, training and helping them."

Having worked for such prestigious establishments as the Ritz-Carlton in London and Chef Joel Robuchon's restaurant Les Celebrit'ees at the Hotel Nikko in Paris, Linder has a uniquely international savoir-faire.

"I feel very privileged to have had this chance to experience years of testing and studying. It takes dedication, passion and commitment to succeed in earning the Diploma," remarked Linder, who trained with the Seattle Tasting Group. "But now I am wondering what to do without my daily routine of studying and more studying. I keep drifting back to my books."

Linder is interested in the wine regions of Spain and Portugal, but is a big admirer of Washington wines and feels they keep improving, rivaling some of the better-known wines. When relaxing at home, he "loves whatever is in my glass at the moment. It is always changing and it never gets boring." When not having a glass of wine, he reaches for a cold Pilsner.