Madeline Triffon is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

specialist and

sommelier A ''sommelier'' ( , , ), ''chef de vin'' or wine steward, is a trained and knowledgeable wine professional, normally working in fine restaurants, who specializes in all aspects of wine service as well as wine and food pairing. The role of the ''s ...

. Upon her completion of the Master Sommelier test in 1985, she was the ninth American, the first American woman, and overall only the second woman in the world to pass. She has been nicknamed "Detroit's First Lady of Wine." In 2012, she was named IntoWine.com's 90th most influential person in the United States wine industry.

Personal life and education

Madeline Triffon was born in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

. When she was three years old, her family relocated to

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. Triffon worked in the

food industry The food industry is a complex, global network of diverse businesses that supplies most of the food consumed by the world's population. The food industry today has become highly diversified, with manufacturing ranging from small, traditional, ...

to work her way through college. She sought to attend medical school. She graduated, in 1977, from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. She lives in

Southgate, Michigan Southgate is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, United States. The population was 30,047 at the 2020 census. Southgate was incorporated as a city on October 8, 1958, which was one of the last remaining portions of the now-defunct Ecorse Townshi ...

Career

After graduation, Triffon worked for

Westin Hotels & Resorts Westin Hotels & Resorts is an American upscale hotel chain owned by Marriott International. , the Westin Brand has 226 properties with 82,608 rooms in multiple countries in addition to 58 hotels with 15,741 rooms in the pipeline. History Wes ...

. Upon the opening of La Fontaine, a new French restaurant at the

Renaissance Center The Renaissance Center, commonly known as the RenCen, is a complex of seven connected skyscrapers in downtown Detroit, Michigan, United States. Located on the Detroit International Riverfront, the RenCen is owned and used by General Motors ...

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, Triffon was named sommelier. She would become wine buyer for Westin. In 1985, leadership at Westin sent her to participate in the National Sommelier Competition. She became the sommelier at London Chop House in Detroit in 1985. She took the Master Sommeliers test in 1987 and passed the test the first time she took it. At that time, she was one of nine Americans, the first American woman, and the second woman in the world to pass. The wine list she developed for the London Chop House was awarded the ''

Wine Spectator ''Wine Spectator'' is an American lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine, wine culture and wine ratings. It is the flagship publication of M. Shanken Communications, which also publishes ''Cigar Aficionado'', ''Whisky Advocate'', ''Market Watch' ...

'' Grand Award. In 1988, she became the wine director of chef Jimmy Schmidt's restaurants. In 1995, Triffon became the Director of Wine and Beverages for Unique Restaurant Corporation (URC). As Director, she maintained the

and cocktail lists for the company's restaurants. She also planned special events revolving around wine. Three of the URC restaurants wine lists were given Awards of Excellence from ''Wine Spectator'' in 1999. She became the wine director for Trowbridge Restaurant Group and left the company in the summer of 2011. In September 2011, Triffon became master sommelier of the

Plum Market A plum is a fruit of some species in ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are often called prunes, though in the United States they may be labeled as 'dried plums', especially during the 21st century. Plums are likely to have been ...

chain. She serves on the board for the United States chapter of the

Court of Master Sommeliers The Court of Master Sommeliers (CMS) is an educational organisation established in 1977 to encourage improved standards of beverage service by sommeliers, particularly in wine and food pairing. From the court's inception through 2018, a worldwid ...

Awards

*1999, Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year, ''iSanté'' *2012, Top 100 Most Influential People in the U.S. Wine Industry, IntoWine.com

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Triffon, Madeline American sommeliers Master Sommeliers People from New Haven, Connecticut People from Southgate, Michigan University of Michigan alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people)