Wine Situation Final Five

The Wine Situation hosts everyone from winemakers to writers to find out what a person’s situation is…with wine. At the end of each episode, host Ellen Clifford wants to know the basics of her guests’ final thoughts on wine, drink and food. This month, Ellen talks with Yannick Benjamin, co-founder of Contento Restaurant in East Harlem and Beaupierre Wines & Spirits in Hell's Kitchen, as well as Wine on Wheels, an organization uniting wine enthusiasts and sommeliers to channel their passion for fine wines into charitable endeavors. This was edited for length! QUESTION ONE Ellen: Question number one: whatcha drinking? What are you into these days? Yannick: Albariño , albariño, albariño. QUESTION TWO Ellen: Question number two: do you have a favorite or unusual pairing? Yannick: I think contrast is a really good thing. I think sometimes we try to look for similarities, but contrast can be a really interesting thing. You take a grape like Riesling when it’s off-dry, and if you try that with a really dry meaty dish, especially cured meats, that really works well, like peanut butter and jelly. QUESTION THREE Ellen: If you could make wine yourself, what would you make, and what would you name it? Yannick: If it were white, I probably would do something with Chenin Blanc …I would like to look for some old vines and then make something small production. And then my second one would probably be a Gamay , for sure, from Beaujolais - I think this is a wonderful grape. And then, my other favorite—I was really blown away a couple of years ago when I visited Galicia . It’s a unique place, and I just love the people out there. I think it would be really fun to do an Albariño, have a private label and have all the proceeds go to Wine on Wheels. QUESTION FOUR Ellen: Question number four: What is your favorite snack? Yannick: I don’t know if it counts as a snack, but nothing satisfies me more than a good protein shake: vanilla protein, ice water, banana and peanut butter. I’m so satisfied with that. QUESTION FIVE Ellen: Question number five: what’s bringing you joy these days? Yannick: My restaurant Contento, when I go there and get to be around the staff, that brings me lots of joy. When I have the opportunity to go to my wine store that’s in the same building I was born and raised in, I get to see my mom because she lives right above it, and I get to see my wife who works there full-time…and every night when I get home I get to see my beautiful dogs Amelie and Maximus, and finally, I read a lot about philosophy, more specifically Stoicism, so love reading about that every single day. It’s part of my practice, that’s part of who I am, and taking moments of meditation for myself is really key. *** You can find Yannick on Instagram @wineonwheelsnyc and @yannickbenjamin and www.wineonwheels.org Check out the previous Wine Situation podcast with Jenna Duran here .