Wayne Belding, MS is a geologist turned oenophile.  He has written about wine for over 40 years for local and national publications.  In 1990, he became the 13th American to pass the Master Sommelier Diploma examination.  Since that time, he has been active in teaching and examining at all levels of the Master Sommelier program. He has served as Education Director and Chairman of the Court of Master Sommeliers – Americas. 

Over the years, he has taught thousands of sommeliers and industry professionals.  After decades as a successful retail owner, he now is a frequent wine reviewer, competition judge and speaker at wine events.  He is a partner at Preferabli, the leading AI-driven, personalization software for the wine and spirits industry. He is also the author of “Diving Into Wine”, a guide for wine consumers.