'Godfather' of US wine Fred Dame, 68, has his Master Sommelier titled and his membership to the Court of Sommeliers, America revoked after sexual misconduct investigations closed
The 'Godfather' of US wine Fred Dame is among six master sommeliers to be stripped of his title after he slapped female colleagues on the backside and touched them inappropriately.
Dame, 68, had his membership revoked by the Court of Master Sommeliers, America, a prestigious non-profit, after a wide ranging probe into sexual misconduct allegations.
A total of 21 women accused Dame and the five other master sommeliers in October 2020 of sexual harassment in separate instances.
The other men expelled from the court on Wednesday include, Robert Bath, Fred Dexheimer, Drew Hendricks, Joseph Linder, and Matt Stamp. The decision will be finalized within 30 days and the men have that time period to appeal.
A seventh member, Geoff Kruth, 46, who was also originally accused but left the organization before the investigation started, has also been banned from ever reapplying for reinstatement, the Court disclosed in a statement. Eleven women alone accused Kruth of sexual misconduct.
The six men stripped of their titles were accused of a range of inappropriate behavior, which includes non-consensual touching, flirting, and exploitative sexual relationships, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Dame (pictured with Tasting Panel Magazine Editor Meredith May in 2007) was accused, alongside five other men, of inappropriate touching and sexual advances. Two women accused Dame of slapping their backsides at a professional event and several accused him of inappropriate touching
Five other men will lose their memberships as well, including Joseph Linder (left) and Matt Stamp (right). Stamp was caught up in a cheating scandal in 2018, where all 24 new inductees were suspended after cheating allegations came forward. The sommelier admitted to having sexual relationships with two women who took that exam
All the men were accused of a range of inappropriate behaviors, which includes non-consensual touching, flirting, and exploitative sexual relationships. The court didn't specify which allegations were associated with which man. Bath, who was one of the first to gain the title of Master Sommelier in the US, was suspended from the Court from 2007 to 2009 after multiple sexual misconduct allegations
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Court said: 'The investigation findings confirmed that perceived power was exploited by members of the organization.'
Drew Hendricks was accused by one woman of asking her 'Are you at least going to give me a pair of panties to snuggle with' while he slept on her couch and she denied allowing him in her bed. He denied saying that
Dame, who is a co-founder of the American Court of Sommeliers, was accused by several women of unwanted touching. Two women, Liz Dowty Mitchell, 37, who is now the curator of No Limit Wine Club, and Victoria James, 30, who is a director at Michelin-starred Manhattan restaurant Cote, accused Dame of slapping their backsides.
James also claimed she had sex with Kruth, who resigned, and said she thought if she 'appeased him' he would 'go away', according to the New York Times.
'The sad thing is that you get used to being beholden to men in this industry. I felt like I didn't have a choice,' she told the publication.
Known as the 'godfather of US wine', Dame had a storied career and starred in the 2013 documentary, titled Somms, that followed four sommeliers as they prepared for the Master Sommelier exam. He started his career at the Sardine Factory in Monterey, California, in the 1980s and was a brand ambassador for Daou Vineyards in Paso Robles until October 2020, when the scandal broke.
The Court's independent investigation found that master sommeliers were perceived as 'untouchable' and they abused their 'titles' to engage in 'unethical behavior,' in a 'male-dominated culture.'
Of the 172 master sommeliers in America, only 28 of them are women. One of the women, Emily Wines - a master sommelier in Oakland, California - is a chair on the board of directors for the Court.
Twenty-one women - most of whom remained unnamed - detailed their experiences to The New York Times in October 2020, with an unnamed accuser claiming that
