Catherine Fallis- Master Sommelier

"Gourmands, sensualists, and bon vivants of any age, background, and budget will love learning with grape goddess while sharing her most decadent, luxurious, hilarious, and outrageous experiences."

Master Sommelier Catherine Fallis, Founder and President of Planet Grape LLC, guest host on NBC-11 TV’s Wine Country Living, and Adjunct Instructor of Wine and Food at the Culinary Institute of America-Greystone, created the grape goddess guides to good living to give all Earthlings a chance to learn about life’s simpler and more decadent pleasures without the intimidation factor.

In 1997, the U.K. based International Court of Master Sommeliers granted her this prestigious title, making her one of only thirteen female M.S.'s in the world. She holds a Bachelors of Science degree from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration. She was introduced to wine while backpacking around Europe in college days, and honed her skills later when she returned to live in Florence and Paris.

"Europeans have a truly dramatic sense of presentation. They serve wine and food with flair and panache." Upon her return to New York she continued her education of wine and food in five star houses, working with industry luminaries Alain Sailhac at Le Cirque, Leona Helmsley at the Helmsley Palace Hotel, and Kevin Zraly at Windows on the World. In 1993 she joined the harvest team with Jean-Michel Cazes and Daniel Llose at Chateaux Pichon-Baron and Lynch-Bages in Bordeaux, France. Always thirsting for knowledge, her insatiable curiosity has led to a collection of diplomas and accolades from internationally renowned wine, spirits, culinary and hospitality training organizations including Windows on the World, Sterling School of Service and Hospitality, The Culinary Institute of America, and the Mumm Master Program in Reims, France.

After making history at Windows on the World as the first Sommelier/Wine School Coordinator, she was Wine Manager of Paradise Beverage in Hawaii while working also as Sommelier at the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel. She then was Seagram Classics District Manager for Greater Los Angeles, and in 1996 moved to San Francisco, where she opened her first consulting firm, Sheegar Productions. There she created the highly profitable beverage, cigar, and cigar accessory program for Fume Restaurant, Cigar Bar, and Emporium while beginning to write about cigars, wine, and lifestyle.

In January 2000 Fallis started Planet Grape LLC, a company committed to bringing a passion for wine, food, and good living into the lives of everyday people. She is creator of the grape goddess guides to good living series including Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Professional wine programs, Palate Pleasures, and Palate Pleasures on the Road, available now as e-learning, on CD-Roms, and as live seminars. She is Editor, the Pocket Guide to Wine (Global Publishing), has penned chapters in The Global Encyclopedia of Wine (Wine Appreciation Guild), The Chalk Hill Winery Sommelier Guide to Restaurants in America (Chalk Hill Press), America: The Complete Story (Global Publishing), and Travelers' Tales. She contributed to Oz Clarke's Wine Atlas (Little, Brown and Company), co-edited the Beverage Testing Institute's Guide to Buying Wine series, and published their premiere issue of Tastings, The Journal.

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