Foster's Group has taken the unusual step of appointing a master sommelier to a new position of vice-president of luxury sales in the US, who will be responsible for its portfolio of high-end brands such as Australia's Penfolds Grange as well as Beringer, Chateau St Jean and St Clement. Fred Dame, who has held senior executive roles at Constellation Brands and Allied Domecq, is one of only 102 Americans to have passed the rigorous master sommelier's examination. His appointment comes as Foster's and other wine companies strive to grow sales of top-end wines in a country mired in recession, poor consumer sentiment and high unemployment