Charles Bennett, CWP, CSW, founder of Exploring Wine, has been a wine lover and collector for over 30 years. Charlie is certified as a wine professional by the Culinary Institute of America and the Society of Wine Educators. As a board member of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, the world’s oldest and largest wine and food society, he heads the Chaîne’s 2,000+ member association of wine enthusiasts (the Société Mondiale du Vin), runs the Chaîne's national young sommelier competition, and leads the Chaîne’s national wine programs.
Charlie holds degrees from Stanford and Tufts Universities. In earlier careers he was an Emmy award-winning producer and reporter on public television, a business strategy consultant to CEOs of several Fortune 500 companies, and VP of Internet Services for a major computer company. He has been leading wine trips and seminars for Exploring Wine customers for more than a decade.
Jill Philipson
Jill is an experienced events and travel planner and former television director who is Exploring Wine’s logistics guru, marketing coordinator, and webmaster. She and Charlie Bennett have been married for more than 35 years.