Fred Dame, Godfather Of Us Wine, May Be Cast Out ‘for Slapping Women’

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The most esteemed group in the American wine industry has moved to expel six master sommeliers after a sexual misconduct investigation found it had a “male-dominated culture” with “untouchable” senior members.

Among those expected to be expelled from the Court of Master Sommeliers, subject to appeal, was Dame, 68, who has been described as “the godfather of the American sommelier industry”.

Dame, a co-founder of the court and a revered figure in the business, was accused of making sexual comments and unwanted touching, including slapping the bottoms of female colleagues, according to reports. They added that Bob Bath, a renowned wine expert, has had his membership terminated, alongside Fred Dexheimer, a consultant, and Drew Hendricks, who had been a director at a Texas-based company.

Author: Kieran Southern
Date: November 21, 2021
Source and Complete Article: thetimes.co.uk