Italian Wine Podcast

Welcome to Episode 1263, the first episode in a special sub series on Cynthia Chaplin’s show slot “Voices”. This sub series is called “Meet the Judges” in which Cynthia interviews the international panel of wine judges who will take part in the 5Star Wines & Wines Without Walls competition this March on the 28th to 30th, 2023. Today Cynthia sits down with Yannick Benjamin. About today’s guest: Benjamin, a New York City-based sommelier, is the cofounder of Contento in East Harlem, which opened in 2021. He is also a co-founder and director of development for Wine on Wheels, an organization that helps recently disabled people. In 2003, a car accident left Benjamin paralyzed, but he pursued his dreams to attend college and become a sommelier. Having worked in his early years at Le Cirque, Jean-Georges, Felidia and Atelier at the Ritz Carlton, Benjamin went back to wine service at Le Dû’s Wines for more than seven years and also became an accomplished athlete. Benjamin and partners opened Contento with the ethos a