(Napa Valley, Calif.) December 19, 2012—Greg Harrington, chairman of the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas, announced that Master Sommeliers Laura Maniec, Andrew McNamara, Keith Goldston and Brett Zimmerman will join the CMSA’s Board of Directors beginning in January 2013.

Maniec is the owner of Manhattan’s Corkbuzz, McNamara is the Director of Fine Wine for Premier Beverage Company in Florida, Goldston is a wine educator and restaurant consultant in Los Angeles, and Zimmerman is the owner of Boulder Wine Merchant in Colorado.

Of the new appointments, Harrington stated “with the leadership of the new members of Board of Directors, I am confident that the Court of Master Sommeliers will continue to be the leading organization for Wine and Service Excellence and maintain the rigorous standards of the Master Sommelier Diploma.”

About the Court of Master Sommeliers

The Court of Master Sommeliers was established to encourage improved standards of beverage knowledge and service in hotels and restaurants. Education was then, and remains today, the Court's charter. The first successful Master Sommelier examination was held in the United Kingdom in 1969. By April 1977, the Court of Master Sommeliers was established as the premier international examining body.

Over the four decades since the Court's first examination was held, 197 individuals have earned the Master Sommelier Diploma. In the service of wine, spirits and other alcoholic beverages, the Master Sommelier Diploma is the ultimate professional credential anyone can attain worldwide.