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Wayne
Belding grew up in the mid-Hudson Valley of upstate New York, now,
ironically, a burgeoning wine-producing area. After earning a degree
in geology from the State University of New York at Binghamton in
1972, he moved to Colorado and ultimately found his way into the oil
fields of the U.S. as a geologist. Along the way, he became fascinated
with wine, and when the energy boom went bust in 1982, used that opportunity
to transform his avocation into his vocation.
He began at The Boulder Wine Merchant, a wine specialty shop in Boulder,
Colorado. He then became Sommelier at the Heritage Hotel in Denver
which, at the time, had a Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning wine
cellar. During his tenure at the Heritage, he competed in The 2nd
Annual French wine and Spirits Sommelier Competition in America, sponsored
by Food and wines from France, in 1985. He won the Denver Regional
Competition and placed seventh in the final competition in New York.
The examination experience was stimulating and, when the Court of
Master Sommeliers first came to the U.S. in 1987 and the opportunity
was presented, he began his pursuit of the Master Sommelier diploma.
After passing the basic Certificate course and Advanced Sommelier
course, he became the 13th American to pass the demanding Master Sommelier
examination at Monterey, California in 1990. In addition to passing
the rigorous examination, he also earned the Krug Cup - an award bestowed
by Krug Champagne on the person who passes all three parts of the
Master Sommelier test at the same examination and attains the highest
score of those tested. To the present, only 37 Americans have passed
the Master Sommelier examination. Since 1996, he has been Education
Chairman for the American Chapter of the Court of Master Sommeliers.
Throughout his years in the wine business, Mr. Belding has been an
educator as well. He has taught wine appreciation classes for over
fifteen years, instructing well over 1000 students in that time. He
has been a wine competition judge at the National Restaurant Association
Wine Classic in Chicago, the Colorado State Fair and the California
Wine Celebration in Denver. He has also been a featured speaker at
the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, The Telluride Wine Festival, The
Taste of Vail and the Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival in Winter
Park, Colorado. He has taught professional wine service classes throughout
the country and Since 1986, he has been an owner of The Boulder Wine
Merchant.
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