(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 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 Celebritées 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.

In The Georgian, The Fairmont Olympic Hotel’s fine dining restaurant featuring French-inspired Pacific Northwest cuisine, Linder oversees an extensive wine list, constantly changing it to reflect what’s best and to complement the different dishes offered in the restaurant. “I love that I get to meet a lot of interesting people in The Georgian and talk to them about my favorite thing – wine!”

Washington has three other Master Sommeliers: Angelo Tavernaro, who is an educator and wine consultant in Prosser, WA; Greg Harrington, who is the owner and winemaker of Gramercy Cellars, a boutique winery in Walla Walla, WA; and Shayn Bjornholm, the Washington Wine Commission education director who is based in Seattle, WA.
When he’s not overseeing the wine program at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel, Linder can be found tasting wine with Seattle’s top Sommeliers or teaching up-and-coming young Sommeliers.

He lives in Seattle with his wife, Karla, and four children, Chase, Jack, Leo, and Hans; as well as his German Shepard Luna, two cats and a 90-gallon fish tank with African cichlids.

For more information, please contact:

Meg Paynor
Public Relations Manager
Tel: (206) 287-4056
Fax: (206) 623-2271
Email: meg.paynor@fairmont.com