In the global wine world, Southgate’s Madeline Triffon is an internationally recognized expert.

She is a master sommelier – a wine professional specializing in service.

“Having had no mentors other than work, the wine was my teacher,” she said. “My career has been an opportunity for endless growth and lifelong learning.”

Born in New London, Connecticut, Triffon’s early life was shaped by Greco-Roman culture.

“We moved to Athens, Greece when I was 3,” she said. “Later, I attended boarding school in Rome for a year.”

She returned to the U.S. at age 18.

“The freedom in America just stunned me,” she said. “I enrolled at the University of Michigan, studying theater while working in restaurants to pay tuition. I fell in love with the hospitality and service industry.”

In 1977, Triffon began working at La Fontaine, a French restaurant inside Detroit’s new Renaissance Center.

“The food and beverage director asked me if I wanted to be a sommelier,” she recalled. “I said, ‘sure, what’s that?’ without really knowing what it was. Here I am in my early 20s suddenly ordering wine for a 1,400-room hotel.”

From there, her career accelerated. She spent several years at the legendary London Chop House, managing a prestigious wine list of 500 selections. Then she built another great wine program at Detroit’s Rattlesnake Club.

In 1987, she became one of the first women in the United States, and the second globally, to pass the rigorous three-part master sommelier exam, including its notoriously difficult blind tasting.

“I had 10 years of tasting wine with focus as a buyer, but I taught myself how to blind taste in three months” she said. “This involves identifying wines deductively, with no knowledge of grape variety or region of origin. The exam requires hard work and commitment.”

Since 2011, Triffon has been the director of wine events at Plum Market, an up-market grocery retailer with stores in Oakland County, Ann Arbor and Florida.

“Wine is often seen as elitist,” she said. “But it doesn’t have to be. I’m very glad that people find my approach comforting and reassuring.”

She emphasizes a few key principles.

“Climate and geography shape a wine’s character, structure comes from acidity, tannin and alcohol, and ultimately the aromatics are vital,” she said. “Everyone can experience a visceral sensory recognition of quality. For example, you can be deeply touched by music without knowing the intimate mechanics of it. Same with wine.”

Despite her global reputation, Triffon remains deeply connected to her local community. She moved to Southgate in 1977 and never left.

“Southgate is grassroots America,” she said. “I appreciate my neighborhood as much as I did when I first moved here. It’s still the same great area almost 50 years later. I love walking around our small peaceful parks. Shopping is easy in our town, too.”

She can sometimes be found working quietly in local libraries or visiting the Detroit Institute of Arts. At home, she keeps things simple.

“I work in silence, with lots of sunlight and black tea,” she said. “I don’t drink wine at home. Only water and tea!”

Her passion for wine remains as strong as ever.

“The first wine that touched me was Puligny-Montrachet, an exceptional white burgundy, made from Chardonnay. I still love that kind of wine but today it’s a lot pricier!” she said.

Madeline remains an indefatigable supporter of Michigan wines.

“The best Michigan wines bear critical examination internationally,” she said. “Especially our dry Rieslings. Pros the world over will put their nose in the glass and often think ‘Michigan? Really? Wow!”