Benjamin Spencer is a winemaker, sommelier, journalist, and a communications specialist living in Sicily, on Mount Etna – Europe's largest and most-active volcano.
He knows the mountain and the landscape, the local wines, the best foods, and a few good jokes.
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After receiving a degree in Writing from the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University, Ben pursued an apprenticeship in the California wine business. Over the course of ten years, he worked as a winemaker for some of California’s most sought-after artisan and internationally traded brands.
In addition to his professional career, Ben has studied Viticulture, Enology, and Wine Theory with the University of California at Davis, the Court of Master Sommeliers, and the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). In 2011 Ben achieved a Diploma of Wines and Spirits from the WSET.
After working a... [More]
Benjamin Spencer is a winemaker, sommelier, journalist, and a communications specialist living in Sicily, on Mount Etna – Europe's largest and most-active volcano.
He knows the mountain and the landscape, the local wines, the best foods, and a few good jokes.
MORE ABOUT THIS INSIDER
After receiving a degree in Writing from the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University, Ben pursued an apprenticeship in the California wine business. Over the course of ten years, he worked as a winemaker for some of California’s most sought-after artisan and internationally traded brands.
In addition to his professional career, Ben has studied Viticulture, Enology, and Wine Theory with the University of California at Davis, the Court of Master Sommeliers, and the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). In 2011 Ben achieved a Diploma of Wines and Spirits from the WSET.
After working as a sommelier at Aubergine, in 2008, Ben launched Leojami Wines in California. Leojami (pronounced LAY-oh-jah-MEE) products are frequently hailed by experts and critics. Other wineries with which Ben is working or has worked closely include Azienda Agricola Biondi, Bernardus (Assistant Winemaker – 10 years). In 2011, Ben founded AmericanWineWriter.com and AmericanWinemaker.com to catalog and promote his wine studies and consulting services.
In 2012, Ben moved to Sicily and launched an innovative wine education center, The Etna Wine School.
His novel, Honey Rider, is available by CLICKING HERE and through most online book sellers. His other writing has been featured in Barfly, Trouble, Signatures, Mutineer, IntoWine, CadillacCicatrix, and WineDogs.
