Private Members’ Wine Club 67 Pall Mall will be hosting an online Panel Discussion focussing on Diversity in Wine, on Friday 30th October at 6pm.
This event will be open to all, and will cover the importance of diversity in the wine industry and explore what needs to be done to create a more inclusive community.
The session will be led by 67 Pall Mall’s Sommelier, Fikayo Ifaturoti who will welcome a panel of experts. The online panel discussion will include conversations surrounding their love of wine and, primarily, their future hopes for the industry.
Panellists include:
Tahiirah Habibi
Tahiirah is an esteemed Sommelier, Founder and Executive Director. Frustrated with the lack of diversity in the industry, she uses her skills to bridge the intersection of wine and culture.
In 2017, she launched Hue Society as a safe space for the community to learn and find resources in one place. She had created a cultural space for the Black community to share their developments and experiences in wine.
Tahiirah is the first Black woman to grace the cover of Wine Enthusiast 40 under 40 list and has been featured in Ocean Drive as one of the top 5 female sommeliers and in VinePair, Wine Enthusiast, Upscale Magazine, and Imbibe Magazine to name a few.
Tahiirah’s work is rooted in empowering the community for both consumers and business owners. Infamous for her pioneering work in the wine industry, Tahiirah recently co-founded The Roots Fund, a non-profit organisation that will create new educational pathways, financial assistance and career opportunities for Black & Indigenous people in the wine industry.
Yannick Benjamin
Yannick’s tireless work and innovative vision is bringing awareness and visibility to seldom-heard voices in the wine industry and championing inclusivity. Yannick Benjamin will bring his energy and passion to East Harlem as he plans on opening his first restaurant, Contento NYC in 2020. Contento will be a barrier-free restaurant where wine and food come together. It will be a place where they share a story of who they are, their history, psychology, social needs, and where social sustainability will be practised. Additionally, it will be a space where they also plan to utilise their experiences and location to offer enriched programs that will enhance the quality of life for people living with disabilities.
Miguel de Leon
Miguel is a wine professional of colour currently living in New York City. He is the wine director of Pinch Chinese in SoHo and Jeepney Filipino Gastropub in the East Village. Heavily involved in supporting LGBTQ, he also writes for PUNCH, a James Beard award-winning online beverage magazine, where he threads stories about human impacts, human interventions, and human consequences in wine.
Sandia Chang
A Saturday Kitchen and Sunday Brunch regular, California-born Sandia worked in some of the world’s most sought-after restaurants – including Copenhagen’s Noma and New York’s Per Se – before launching Bubbledogs and the two-Michelin-starred Kitchen Table in 2012 with her husband James Knappett.
67 Pall Mall invite everyone to pour a glass, join the discussion and take a step in the right direction to move forward as an industry.
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Date: Friday 30th October, 6pm BST
To attend join the Zoom session here 5 mins before the start: