Yannick Benjamin is a decide on the 2025 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).
Yannick Benjamin
Yannick has achieved the esteemed title of Sommelier of the 12 months, as acknowledged by the celebrated Michelin Information. Yannick, a sommelier based mostly in New York Metropolis, is the co-founder of Contento Restaurant in East Harlem and Beaupierre Wines & Spirits in Hell’s Kitchen. Beaupierre, a household enterprise, is led by Hell’s Kitchen natives of French descent. Distinguished from different NYC-based wine outlets, Beaupierre upholds family-oriented values and serves as a group hub for inclusivity, variety, and sustainability.
Yannick can also be a co-founder of Wine on Wheels, uniting wine fans and sommeliers for charitable endeavors. Regardless of a life-changing automotive accident in 2003 that left him paralyzed, Yannick pursued his goals, attending school and changing into a sommelier. His early skilled experiences embrace working at famend institutions like Le Cirque, Jean-Georges, Felidia, and Atelier on the Ritz Carlton.
Yannick and his companions established Contento with the ethos “accessible for all.” The restaurant exemplifies high quality hospitality with an inclusive method. Yannick has been featured amongst Wine Fanatic’s High 40 beneath 40 and named Particular person of the 12 months by New Mobility Journal in 2017.
Yannick has served because the resident sommelier on the radio present “On The City with Michael Riedel” on AM 970 The Reply and appeared on main networks like ABC, NBC, and CBS. In 2015, he was featured in “Uncorked,” a documentary sequence on Esquire TV.
Jancis Robinson of the Monetary Instances referred to Yannick as “the brand new star of New York’s gastronomic firmament,” and The Wine Spectator highlighted his means to showcase a “kinder, gentler facet of the career.” Yannick’s journey and the success of Wheeling Ahead, a company he helps, have been featured in main publications. In 2021, Yannick was acknowledged as Sommelier/Wine Director of The 12 months on the Wine Fanatic Wine Star Awards.
Comply with Yannick on Instagram and see his web site right here.
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