Kent Benson

Kent Benson, Certified Sommelier and Certified Wine Educator, is the owner of Swirl Wine Tastings and a seasoned wine educator with a wide variety of experiences in the wine industry. He is the founder of Swirl Wine School in Central Minnesota, a consumer-focused wine education service. For Over 15 years Kent has led hundreds of wine tastings and classes, ranging from one-on-one tutorials to large corporate events. With his attention to detail and insistence on accuracy, Kent strives to give his audience a unique experience that delves deeply into the subject matter at hand. His sessions are designed with specific learning objectives in mind and wines are carefully selected to support the learning objective. Tastings are often blind to enhance the learning experience and Kent makes extensive use of maps to help make connections to the wines' origins.

In addition to wine education, Kent's industry experience has included many years as a retail floor salesman, several years as a freelance wine writer with a regular column in Minnesota Style magazine and articles published in Wines and Vines and Sommelier Journal, several years as a regular presenter during the Minnesota Renaissance Festival Wine Weekend, a couple years as the wine quiz editor for thewinehub.com, and even a stint as a cellar worker at Wild Horse Winery in Paso Robles, CA. Kent has acted as a proof reader and fact checker for wine publications such as Natalie MacLean's book Unquenchable. His travels have taken him to the wine regions of France, Italy, Germany and California.

In addition to his many certifications and designations, Kent has been recognized for his achievements: 2015 Louis Roederer Champagne Scholarship for Wine Writers & Bloggers; Runner-Up: 2008 Wine Australia AusWISE Wine Educator Competition; Honorable Mention: 2007 Wines of South Africa Essay Competition.