Melissa Smith
Founder of Enotrias Elite Sommelier Services, Les Dames d’Escoffier
Sonoma County Chapter
Dame Melissa L. Smith, a certified sommelier, is the founder of Enotrias Elite Sommelier Services and the creator of the Wine Collecting Master Class. While maintaining a full time position as the Head Sommelier for K&L Wine Merchants, she developed the first iPhone app for wine pronunciation, the Enotria Guide, and grew Enotrias into the Bay Area’s premier sommelier service company.
In 2018, Melissa became the first person certified by the California State Bar Association for her seminar on the Valuation of Wine Collections. Her reputation for providing high profile clients with cellar services has led to a series of MCLE seminars, where she works directly with Family Law and Trust attorneys as a valued resource for legal cases. In 2021, Melissa was recruited by the US government as an expert witness.
A CIA trained chef, Melissa spent 15 years in some of the top kitchens in the country as well as Japan, including stints at the French Laundry, and at Terra, under chef Hiro Sone. After spending years roaming the country with her knife bag and an unbridled sense of adventure, bouncing from a Relais & Chateaux dude ranch in Montana to a hunting camp in Idaho, to a charter yacht in Southeast Alaska, and a pineapple scented season in Maui, Melissa then spent time as the private chef for families of industry giants, and settled down in the San Francisco Bay Area to pursue a career in wine and hospitality.
Melissa is certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers, The Culinary Institute of America, The California State Bar Association, as well as the Bar Associations of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Illinois, Texas, Florida, New York, and Connecticut, The Sake Education Counsel, and USPAP through the Appraisers Association of America. Melissa's work has been published in print and online, and she is often used as a trusted source for industry news. Her philanthropic work includes mentoring women in wine through Battonage, contributions to SPCA, John Muir Land Trust, Children with Cancer, and micro loans to emerging businesses.
