ECOMMERCE WINES & WISDOM

WITH SOMMELIER YANNICK BENJAMIN

Can you tell a bit about being a sommelier and what exactly is it?

My name is Yannick Benjamin and I am the Head Sommelier of The University Club. I was born into a family of French restaurateurs, and I have worked in highly regarded restaurants throughout NYC: Le Cirque, Oceana, Jean-Georges, Atlas, Felidia, and Atelier at the Ritz-Carlton.

Additionally, I worked for over ten years for Le Du’s Wines, one of the top wine retail stores in Manhattan. In 2003, a car accident left me paralyzed from the waist down. However, my passion for wine drove me to quickly adapt, outfitting my wheelchair with a table that allowed me to continue working as a sommelier to educate on wine. I also went on to create “Wine on Wheels,” one of New York City’s largest and most exciting wine events. “Wine on Wheels” brings hundreds of esteemed sommeliers together to pour over 180 wines from around the world for noble charity.

What has been the biggest change in the wine world since you started and how do you see technology playing a role in the present and future of wine?

The biggest change has been the fact that wines are now purchased on a regular basis online. One of my favorite aspects of technology is that a guest can have a bottle of a wine at the restaurant and right at the moment order it with a wine store. Going forward the presence of technology will continue to grow and it already has an immense presence such as: wine cellar management apps, Multi-sensory wine experiences through Zoom, Augmented reality wine label, and we have already seen technology used to improve the winemaking process and it continues to do so.

Is there anything that you think our readers should know about you, wine, technology or the world in general?

I don't want to be on the easy path but on the one that forces me to be creative and appreciate every second that has been gifted upon me. Passion is what has given me direction in my journey but my desire has allowed me to push through unexpected obstacles. During the journey many mistakes are made but that is the only way to achieve your goals. You must fight your own fears and not be afraid of failure. I always have embraced my failures over my accomplishments. A lot of great things can come from failure but nothing will ever get accomplished if you remain in fear. Your personal evolution can't happen if you refuse to adapt and live in complacency. Our life is about overcoming challenges and defeating our own limitations.

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