Charles Bennett

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 recent board member of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, the world’s oldest and largest wine and food society, Charlie headed the Chaîne’s 2,000+ member association of wine enthusiasts (the Société Mondiale du Vin), oversaw the Chaîne's national young sommelier competition, and led 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.

---