Keith Wallace (wine writer)

Keith Wallace, M.S. Oenology and Viticulture (University of California, Davis) is the wine columnist for The Daily Beast.^[1] He founded The Wine School of Philadelphia.

Keith Wallace
A winemaking lesson in Tuscany

Previously he served as an executive chef and a journalist for National Public Radio, as well as a winemaker and wine consultant in the United States and Italy.^[2]

Wine School of Philadelphia

Founded in 2001 by Wallace, The Wine School of Philadelphia is a school for sommeliers, wine educators, and winemakers. It offers sommelier certification via the National Wine School. In 2018, it was the highest rated wine school in the United States.^[3]

Publications

He has contributed to Philadelphia Magazine, Philadelphia Style, Windows on the World Complete Wine Course: 25th Anniversary Edition and Barron's New Wine Lovers Companion, among other publications. He created and co-starred in the Philly Uncorked show for www.philly.com.

His food and wine book Corked & Forked: Four Seasons of Eats and Drinks was published by Running Press in 2011.^[4] The book was critically hailed by multiple publications, including Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and Booklist.^[5] The book went on to hit the Amazon Bestseller list for Food and Wine books in 2011.^[6]

Television

Wallace has been the star of two shows. In 2008, he co-wrote and co-starred in Philly Uncorked. Produced by Philly.com, the show featured Wallace and his co-star Maria Valetta. The show revolved around wine education and wine recommendations. It was underwritten by the PLCB and filmed by Banyan Productions.^[7]

The upcoming show Whine & Cheese features Mr. Wallace as the show's wine expert. He is featured in all eleven of the first season's episodes.^[8]

Controversy

The Wine School of Philadelphia received national press attention in 2009 when the WWE challenged its trademark application with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office for the mark, "Sommelier Smackdown".^[9] Litigation surrounding the school's intellectual property rights is ongoing.

Also in 2009, the Wine School and founder Wallace were featured on NPR's All Things Considered^[10] as a result of Wallace's controversial article published in The Daily Beast, "How Wine Became Like Fast Food".^[11]

Epilepsy

In 2018, the podcast Philly Who revealed that Wallace had had epilepsy since a car crash that left him severely injured and also killed his fiancé in Baltimore, Maryland. During the interview, he admitted to working as a winemaker in Napa Valley and Chianti for years without revealing his disability to his employers. .^[12] A previous article in the neighborhood newspaper Chestnut Hill Local featured a story on his seizure dog, Rosie.^[13]

See also

• List of wine personalities