Although Joe Benyak has been surrounded by the wines of Walla Walla, Columbia Valley and Willamette Valley for most of his whole life, it took getting lost in Tuscany and having a glass of Fattoria Nittardi Chianti Classico paired with pecorino and pears to get him hooked on wine. A year and a half engulfed in the European lifestyle (Italy and The Netherlands) changed his outlook on life and laid the groundwork for eventually leaving his day job in Seattle in 2011 to dive in head first into the wine industry.
Already WSET Advanced certified, his knowledge and passion for wine led him to pack up for France and end up in the mysterious and magical Burgundy wine region to study for his Masters in Wine Business in Dijon. Whether it be working a Burgundy harvest, leading a wine tasting in Seattle or writing in his blog winesmoves.blogspot.com, Joe is constantly learning from his experiences and more than willing to share his knowledge and opinions to anyone with a curiosity for wine, or to anyone who will actually listen to him.
Born and raised in Seattle, Joe studied at Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA where he learned the art of drinking, but at the study abroad program in Florence, Italy in 2007 is where he began to understand the beauty and complexity of fermented beverages.
