Ep. 1263 Yannick Benjamin | Voices Meet the Vinitaly International Academy Ambassador

Coming soon to a city near you, Vineita Lee Road Show. Have you ever wondered how to attend Vineita Lee for free? Are you a wine trade professional interested in a sponsored trip to Vienie to the International Academy, or Vien Italy, the wine and spirits exhibition. Coming soon to Princeton, New Jersey, Harlem, New York, and Chinatown in New York City, Cardiff in Wales, London, in England, and Roost in Austria. We'll be giving away our new textbook Italian Wine Unplug two point zero. Find out more about these exciting events, and for details on how to attend, go to liveshop. Vineitally dot com. Limited spots available. Sign up now. We'll see you soon. Welcome to this special meet the judges series on voices. This subseries will introduce several of the international panel of judges taking part in the five star wines and wine without walls, competitions. Taking place on March twenty eighth to the thirtieth. In the leda, to Vinitay and opera wine. Today, I'm starting a new mini series on voices, meeting with some of the judges for the upcoming seventh edition of five star wines and wine without walls election, which will be held here in verona from the twenty eighth to the thirtieth of March, immediately proceeding meaningfully international wine and spirits exhibition. I'm especially pleased to welcome Yonic Benjamin voices tonight Jonic was my very first guest way back in November of twenty twenty one. So he's gonna be my first guest for this mini series. He's a renowned sommelier and beverage director. He's won way too many awards for me to talk about, but most recently, he was awarded the prestigious one million dollar Craig h Nielsen visionary prize, which is an award for those pushing boundaries while living with spinal cord injuries. And Yannick co founded the charitable organization, wheeling forward, that hosts wine on wheels programs all across country raising funds for spinal cord injury research. And he's a very influential advocate for disability accessibility in restaurant industry, and not just for guests, but for workers as well, which I think people tend to overlook sometimes. He has his partner, George Gallego. They own together a very award winning restaurant called Contento in Harlem, where we just hosted the Vinitally roadshow event last week, and he's open BOPier wine and spirits. An accessible neighborhood wine shop in hell's kitchen in the same building that he grew up in, which is really exciting. So welcome back, Janek. Thank you so much for taking time. I know you're off to France tomorrow, so I'm really glad to talk to you. Well, thank you for having me. I appreciate that. No. It's a huge pleasure. You've been such a great friend for for Via and for Vineetoli for so many years. How did you get involved as a judge for five star wines and wine without walls? You know, I, I was invited down for wine to wine as a keynote speaker. And, of course, what a great place to build relationships and to network and to connect with people that you would normally have the chance to connect with. And it was just from there. It just kinda really happened organically to be quite honest with you. And I was asked to to come in and judge, and I was absolutely honored and delighted to be able to do so. And so that's how it all happened. Typically, you've become what's called a panel chair for wine without walls, which is the part of the selection that focuses on organic and biodynamic and sustainable wines, a panel chair oversees the other judges on his or her particular panel. Why is the wine without walls part of the selection so important to you? Why did you choose that? Well, I mean, For me, I'm I'm I'm very much about, you know, working with wines that practice, sustainability from an environmental aspect, but also from a social aspect to it. So I think, those are really two key elements and, you know, same thing, that same philosophy that I that that I carry with me, it it also happens at content of the restaurant and the same thing at Baupier, you know, I mean, the wine can be excellent. But, you know, if they're if they're not respecting in a land and and you find out that they're not allowing their own kids to go play in the vineyards because they just sprayed it. You know, you know, I might have some hesitations on on on trying to sell that wine. Or on the other end, maybe they are practicing, you know, environmental sustainability. But they're not paying their workers fairly or they're not treating them fairly and there's not a great reputation. And those are ones that I really may not wanna support as well. So this is an important category, especially for the sustainability of wine itself and the world of wine going forward into the future. I love that you brought that out. I one of the things that I've learned over the past year, interviewing people about diversity and inclusion is this aspect of sustainability. I think most people have a perception that it just has do with as you said chemicals and and saving water and using less electricity and having a smaller carbon footprint. But being sustainable on a human level is is incredibly important in our industry and looking after vineyard stewards and the mental health of people who work in in the business is is a big part of it. So I'm really glad you touched on that because that's something that I have to admit. I wasn't really, you know, aware of when I thought of sustainability until very recently. And I think it's crucial. Our industry needs healthy people who are supported, you know, feel like they're valued. So that's a that's a big part of being sustainable nowadays. You're gonna lose your business if you don't have people feeling valued at your work. So so Let me just ask you. I know a lot of people who are listening, I have never judged a wine competition. It's it's funny. I I always love the peep the questions people ask me about judging wine competition. So let's talk about this for a moment as a as a panel chair. Yes. What's your role in the selection process? Well, first off, you know, and you're grouped up with other fellow, wide professionals and wide lovers and and incredibly passionate people, but You know, I always find myself kind of being the moderator. Right? You know, as we're judging these wines, it's really important to stay focused and to judge each glass of wine for what it is and not try to compare it to anything else. Not going to the rabbit hole of like this, you know, twenty minute conversation, you know, let's let's really just analyze this one and also try to remind people, like, you know, just it may not be your particular style, but is the wine making good? Is it of a high quality? Does it does it hit all the points needed to be considered a quality wine? And that's the most important thing. You know, I mean, there are plenty of wines that I recognize that I may not like as far as style goes but I can still recognize the the beauty of it and the the the the execution of the wine itself. So it's really trying to keep people focused and in line and also just keep it moving. You know, I mean, we, you know, there's a lot of wines to go through. And, there's certainly, a discipline to it that goes behind it. And, my job I feel like is really to just delegate, and then you identify, you know, within the group in in a, you know, pretty fast. Certain people have, you know, different gifts. You know, some people might, you know, smell certain things on the nose, and people have and other people rely on their palate more for texture. So, you know, really trying to, like, use all of that to the best of your ability and identifying, everyone's talent. I think that's that's a really important part. And I like what you said about reminding people that personal preference is not the same as assessing quality. There are a lot of wines out there that I know are high quality wines, but aren't particularly my favorite. And the reverse is true. I will own it. There are a lot of wines out there that I know aren't the best quality, but I happen to like them. So I think just reminding people that personal preference doesn't play a part in a in a wine selection. So do you judge any other wine competitions or selections? I've not yeah. I've done I've done for the state of New York. The governor's cup, which is a lot of fun. And it's great to support local. And then also Texom, I do every year Oh, wow. Out in Dallas. Yeah. Oh, cool. Cool. So how how are those competitions different from five star wines and wine without walls? Well in America. Right. Right. For sure. So, you know, with, the one that I do, I've done for New York, you know, that's a heavy focus. I mean, well, only focusing on on wines from New York. And then in Texon, you know, you get a a a mix bag of wines from all around the world, you know, but what I like about that one is, you know, there's some there's some really good affordable wines, you know, where I would say the app, you know, critical mass peep, really wines that are accessible for critical mass. And then with the, you know, the the the the the one in Verona, I would say, you know, we're talking about wines that wow. I mean grapes from Italy that I've never tasted. It's like I didn't even know this existed. Like, are you kidding me? You know, this is only a book that I would read, a grape that I would read about in a book. So but the structure, is quite, I think overall the same. I do think that, you know, in Verona, you know, the team over there, definitely. My gosh. You know, they're definitely a lot more advanced with with technology. We all have our own little iPads and all that kind of stuff. And so as far as that, the efficiency is is is quite high. Are you enjoying this podcast? Don't forget to visit our YouTube channel, mama jumbo shrimp. For fascinating videos covering Stevie Kim and her travels across Italy and beyond, meeting winemakers, eating local foods and taking in the scenery. Now back to the show. I was saying that's really good to hear. I'm I'm proud to be part of it. So, it's it's nice to hear that that there's positive side from the judges. I think people don't really understand the amount of organization that goes into wine competitions. The, you know, hours and hours and hours of, getting winds ready and in order to be poured things. So it's nice to be called efficient. That's that's really helpful. And verona, of course, five star wines and wine without walls take place at a very busy time. In verona. It's it's that time of year in the spring. Usually, late March or April, where there are several other events going on, including, obviously, Vin Italy and Vin Italy International Academy, the Italian wine Ambassador course, and opera wine, which we develop in collaboration with wine spectator. So are you gonna be attending any of these other events this year? Which one's your favorite? Oh, I love the opera, wine tasting. My gosh. It's it's so much it's so much fun and to have, you know, It it's it's a smaller version, and it's very intimate. And I just love the organization. I love the flow of it. It's really one of my favorite tastings to participate in. Well, that, again, thank you. So good to hear. I have to say it is one of my favorites too. It's lovely. For those who don't know, being totally international Verona Fierde, we collaborate with wine spectator magazine, and they announced the one hundred and thirty best Italian wines and those producers bring those wines, and there's a very gala, wonderful, invitation only tasting on the night before Van Italy opens. And it is one of the most lovely events. I think the atmosphere's so great because People who are there really love Italian wine. It's a it's professional crowd. It's not open to the public, and it does have a special feeling. So I'll be glad to see you there this year. But, I'm gonna ask you a little bit about your day job because not only are you, you know, running a restaurant, and a charity and educating people and doing a lot of other things that we won't go into right this minute, but I know you're importing Italian wines now as well for your new business. And you have been doing that in the past as well. So tell us a little bit about the Italian wine market near you in New York. How's it growing these days? Who are your customers? Who's buying Italian wine in Harlem? Yeah. Well, the Italian wine market has been just booming. And I think that's a reflection on you know, from a culinary aspect, I mean, you cannot walk down the block without passing by an Italian restaurant. You know? There has been the, you know, and it always has been this incredible love affair for Italian food here in the United States. And so that really helps. And so when you have such a influx of, this of Italian restaurants from, you know, in all five boroughs for that matter, you're definitely gonna that comes with a lot of wine as well. A lot of Italian spirits as well. And so I really have to give credit to those that, you know, have this passion for Italian food and Italian restaurants And I think they are really the the most important variable and the success of Italian wines, infiltrating and really making their step here in the city of New York. Yeah. I think that's that's a really good point. And it's good to hear that, you know, Italy has a has a special place in New York's heart. So it's good to hear that that is still really vibrant and still kind of driving some some of the wine market there. Your restaurant you mentioned, you know, Contento, you have this kind of really cool blend of peruvian and French cuisine and this unbelievable sort of biblical wine list. I just wonder what are some of your favorite pairings with your dishes at Contento, but with Italian wines? Yeah. You know what, that's a great question. And I generally, you know, we'll just stick on, like, the the really, the the the the Peruvian centric dishes. And I really love, like, Italian white wines. You know, I think they go really well because there's a the, you know, proving additions can, you know, they have high acid a lot of them. There's a saltiness to them. There's a lot of these aromatic aromas because there's all these unique ingredients. And I just feel like it's just a perfect ingredient, a perfect compliment when we talk about grapes like Bernatra, Verdicchio, Verintino, things of that nature, even pecorino. I think they really compliment the food quite well. I think oftentimes, people find, or there's a stigmatization about Italian white varietals being kind of boring and dull, and I I actually completely disagree. My gosh, there's so many wonderful producers making incredible, refreshing, complex Italian whites. For reds, I would go more generally speaking grapes like Barbera and dolcizzo, even, you know, Norello Mescalise, you know, Fropato, wines that are just aromatic and and crunchy and and have nice acidity and not not overpowering. I love it. I you're so singing my song. I I love the textural element of Italian white wines have have you know, we can't say tannins, but a real texture to them. And they can make yeah. They can make such a difference with, foods that come from other cultures around the world. One of my favorite things to do is pair Italian wines with things like Thai food and Indian food and Mexican food and, and it's always it's always a fun game to play. So, well, Yannik, I don't wanna take up a lot of your time, and I'm so grateful to talk to you tonight. I'm really looking forward to seeing you again in verona and I hope you have a safe and successful, prosperous, positive trip to France. Thank you so much. Appreciate that. And thank you for being such a good friend to Italian wine podcast. Tavia and to Gugan Italy, and we'll see you in Verona soon. Thank you. Have a great one. Okay? You too. Take care. Bye now. Thank you for listening and remember to tune in next Wednesday. I'll be chatting with another fascinating guest. Italian wine podcast is among the leading wine podcasts in the world, and the only one with a daily show. Tune in every day and discover all our different shows. You can find us at Italian wine podcast dot com, SoundCloud, Spotify Himalaya or wherever you get your pot.