The Juice® Voices

Yannick Benjamin

Yannick Benjamin is a New York City–based sommelier and recipient of the prestigious MICHELIN Guide Sommelier Award, recognizing him as one of the leading professionals in the field. He serves as the Wine Director of the University Club of New York, where he oversees a cellar of more than 2,000 selections and curates one of the country’s most dynamic wine programs, including exclusive tastings and some of the Club’s most distinguished wine dinners featuring leading producers from around the world.

He is also the owner of Beaupierre Wines & Spirits in Hell’s Kitchen, a family-run business founded by Hell’s Kitchen natives of French descent. Beaupierre is more than a wine shop—it serves as a community hub grounded in inclusivity, diversity, sustainability, and family-centered values.

Yannick is the co-founder of Wine on Wheels, a charitable organization that brings together the wine community to support individuals living with disabilities.

His early professional experience includes positions at some of New York’s most celebrated restaurants, including Le Cirque, Jean-Georges, Felidia, and Atelier at the Ritz-Carlton. He was also a co-founder of Contento, the East Harlem restaurant built on the philosophy of “accessible for all,” combining high-level hospitality with a deeply inclusive design and mission.

Yannick has been recognized as one of Wine Enthusiast’s Top 40 Under 40 and was named Person of the Year by New Mobility Magazine in 2017. In 2021, he received the Wine Enthusiast Wine Star Award for Sommelier/Wine Director of the Year.

He serves as a panel judge for several of the wine industry’s most respected competitions, including 5StarWines – the Book, the Decanter World Wine Awards, and the TEXSOM International Wine Awards.

Yannick has appeared on major television networks including ABC, NBC, and CBS, and was featured in the Esquire Network documentary series Uncorked.

Renowned wine critic Jancis Robinson of the Financial Times described him as “the new star of New York’s gastronomic firmament,” while Wine Spectator has praised his work for revealing a “kinder, gentler side of the profession.” His work and advocacy through Wine on Wheels have been featured in major national and international publications.

https://www.instagram.com/yannickbenjamin
https://x.com/YannickBenjamin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yannick-benjamin-b50a5b5
https://www.facebook.com/yannick.benjamin

https://wineonwheels.org/
https://www.beaupierrewine.com/
https://www.instagram.com/beaupierrewinenyc