Eddie Osterland, MS (d. 2023)
The Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas remembers Eddie Osterland, Master Sommelier, educator, author, and a pioneering figure in the American sommelier profession. Eddie passed away in September 2023.
In 1973, Eddie became the first American to earn the Master Sommelier Diploma, passing the examination in London on his first attempt. For several years afterward, he was the only Master Sommelier in the United States, helping introduce the credential and the sommelier profession to a broader American audience.
Eddie’s path to the Master Sommelier Diploma included formal wine studies at the Université de Bordeaux, where he earned a D.U.A.D. in professional wine tasting. He also worked as a sommelier in Hawaii and later as Head Sommelier at Hôtel de la Poste in Beaune, France. After returning to the United States, he served as Director of Trade Education at the International Wine Center in New York.
Over the course of his career, Eddie became widely known as an educator and speaker on wine, food, hospitality, and entertaining. Through seminars, corporate programs, and his book Power Entertaining, he sought to make wine approachable and to demonstrate how food, wine, and hospitality can bring people together.
As America’s first Master Sommelier, Eddie held a unique place in the history of the profession. The Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas recognizes his contributions as an educator, mentor, and advocate for wine and hospitality, and the path he helped establish for generations of sommeliers who followed.
