Here are her credentials:

Master Sommelier

"Highest Service Score in the History of the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas" FRED DAME MS

French Wine Scholar

Master of Wine Second Year Candidate

Master Sabreuse

Mumm Master Program, Reims, France

Schramsberg Sparkling Wine Symposium

Connaisseur en Vins de France, Le Comite National des Vins de France

German Wine Correspondence Course, German Wine Information Bureau

International Wine Center Wine Course

Harriet Lembeck's Wines & Spirits of the World Program, Magna Cum Laude

Sterling School of Service & Hospitality One Day Seminar

Sterling School of Service & Hospitality Advanced Course

Sterling School of Service & Hospitality Spirits Program

Windows on the World Wines & Wine Service

Windows on the World Advanced Wine Seminar

Advanced Certified Wine Professional, Culinary Institute of America, Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies

Wine Judge - Los Angeles County Fair, San Diego Wine Competition, San Francisco Wine Competition, Salinas Valley Wine Festival, Dallas Morning News Wine Competition, Oregon State Fair, Chaine des Rotisseurs Young Sommelier Competition

Advanced Certified Wine Professional, Culinary Institute of America, Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies

Wine Judge - Los Angeles County Fair, San Diego Wine Competition, San Francisco Wine Competition, Salinas Valley Wine Festival, Dallas Morning News Wine Competition, Oregon State Fair, Chaine des Rotisseurs Young Sommelier Competition

Yin and Yang

On November 2, 1997, in London, after five years of testing, I became the fifth woman in the world to have earned my Master Sommelier Diploma. I celebrated with colleagues in the Dorchester Hotel bar, with a shot of single malt scotch and a Cuban cigar. Later that month, back home in San Francisco,my car was rear-ended, leaving me with permanent damage to the base of my spine. I would never jog again, and was told not to ski or horseback ride either but some things are worth the pain.

The Master Sommelier Diploma, granted by the based Court of Master Sommeliers, is the ultimate professional credential that anyone can attain worldwide. The MS syllabus includes production methods of wines and spirits, international wine laws, harmony of food and wine, wine tasting skills, and practical service and salesmanship, including service of liqueurs, brandies, ports, and cigars. In a blind tasting of six wines in twenty-five minutes, candidates must correctly identify grape varieties, country and region of origin, age, and quality. Hundreds begin but very few candidates successfully complete the program. 118 have earned the title, of which only 18 are women. Visit www.mastersommeliers.org for more information.