Join Yannick Benjamin, one of the stars of Esquire TV’s “Uncorked” and “the new star of New York’s gastronomic firmament,” as he takes you on a vinous journey from the far east end of Long Island to the western pocket of the Niagara Escarpment, visiting the Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes along the way!
Get ready to experience the breathtaking diversity of New York wines in just one hour. Beginning with the sparkling, crisp acidity of an elegant Blanc de Blanc from the Finger Lakes family who helped create the New York wine industry as we know it, to the lush and intense Bordeaux blend from the Long Island family championing fine winemaking in the Hamptons, we promise this will be a virtual tasting that will pique your senses and your interest in the New York State of wine.
Featured Wines:
- Dr. Konstantin Frank 2014 Blanc de Blancs
- Wagner Vineyards 2018 Caywood East Riesling
- Paumanok Vineyards 2019 Sauvignon Blanc
- Fjord 2019 Albariño
- Arrowhead Spring 2017 Cabernet Franc
- Wölffer Estate 2017 Fatalis Fatum
Taste along with us: We encourage participants to register early and purchase wines by September 15th at BuyNewYorkWines.com for delivery, or from your local retailer.*
*For those in the Capital Region of New York, wines can be found at Exit 9 Wine And Liquor.
Questions: Please contact Jennifer Cooper at the New York Wine & Grape Foundation
We look forward to having you join us for the first-ever virtual tasting hosted by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation!
About the Moderator:Yannick is the Head Sommelier at the University Club and Proprietor of Contento Restaurant located in NYC. A proud New Yorker, born into a family of French restaurateurs, Yannick knew that hospitality was his calling from a young age.
Yannick worked at Le Cirque, Oceana, JeanGeorges, and Atlas before becoming a sommelier at Felidia and Atelier at the Ritz-Carlton. In 2003, a car accident left Benjamin paralyzed below the waist and he quickly adapted, outfitting his wheelchair with a table that allows him to work the floor as a sommelier.
Yannick has been recognized among Wine Enthusiast’s Top 40 under 40 and was named Person of the Year by New Mobility Magazine in 2017. He was the resident sommelier on the hit radio show “On the Town with Michael Riedel” on AM 970 The Answer and has made multiple appearances on ABC, NBC, and CBS.
In 2015, Yannick starred in “Uncorked,” a documentary series about sommeliers on Esquire TV. Jancis Robinson of the Financial Times calls Benjamin “the new star of New York’s gastronomic firmament” and The Wine Spectator talks about Benjamin revealing a “kinder, gentler side of the profession.”
Yannick created Wine on Wheels – one of New York City’s largest and most exciting wine events which has also been expanded to other cities in Chicago, Portland, and Washington DC. Wine on Wheels brings together hundreds of esteemed sommeliers volunteering to pour over 250 wines from around the world for charity. Yannick is also a para-athlete and competes in marathons to raise money for Wheeling Forward.
Sponsored by: American National Insurance and Cadus Cooperage, Inc.
