VERONA, ITALY (PRWEB) – The Course
July 2022 marked an exciting foray into the UK and Europe for VIA. The July course was held in London and Austria for the very first time, bringing Italian wine education to two new countries. In London, the course was taught live by VIA Faculty member Sarah Heller MW at the Institute of Masters of Wine, with the satellite venue in Austria was the Weinakademie in Rust participating by live link. Managing Director of Vinitaly International, Stevie Kim, remarked, “I was delighted to be able to host our first UK edition of VIA at the Institute of Masters of Wine, a location that represents the pinnacle of wine education. Likewise, the Weinakademie in Rust presents the largest WSET program available in Europe.”
Students participated for 3 days, tasting 38 Italian wines and taking a difficult 2.5 hour exam. The result? Seven students became newly certified Italian Wine Ambassadors. London student Richard Taylor summed up his experience, “Taking the VIA Italian Wine Ambassador course moved me such a long way on in my Italian wine journey, and it is such a joy to be part of this community over the last few weeks and heading into the future.”
What is VIA
The Vinitaly International Academy certification course is recognised as the gold standard of Italian wine education. The VIA community comprises over 1000 candidates, of whom 307 have now achieved the title Italian Wine Ambassador and 15 of those are qualified as Italian Wine Experts. All elements of the course are carefully curated by the VIA Faculty team, made up of Sarah Heller MW and Henry Davar IWE, assisted and advised by scientific advisor Professor Attilio Scienza. The ethos behind the course is a sound scientific focus on the native grapes of Italy and on the characteristics of the 20 regions’ biodiversity, history, culture, and business.
The VIA Community, composed of all students who have ever studied the program since its inception in 2017, welcomes wine professionals and wine enthusiasts from all over the world, forming a supportive and professional network that extends far beyond the limits of the classroom and includes lasting friendships, an open forum for sharing wine information, and career opportunities. Members continue to participate throughout the year in events such as Academic Field Trips all across Italy, gathering in Verona to judge at 5StarWines and Wine Without Walls, attending OperaWine and wine2wine Business Forum, and continually increasing their knowledge and growing their connections across the wine sector.
Students who take the VIA course come from every aspect of the wine sector, including educators, journalists, importers, hospitality, retailers, and beyond. Faculty member Sarah Heller MW reflected on the impact of VIA, “We invite students to join a profound and up to the minute conversation about Italian wines and what makes them so unique in the world, giving them new tools to communicate these wines and the solid foundation to become true Ambassadors, promoting Italian wines around the world.”
Upcoming VIA Italian Wine Ambassador Courses
VIA holds satellite courses at various times during the year. The Flagship Course is held annually in Verona in the days leading up to Vinitaly International Wine and Spirits Exhibition. The next Flagship course will be held 24-27 March 2023. Applications will open in January 2023. Satellite courses in other locations around the world will be announced later in the year, through VIA social media and on the VIA website.
For more information, please visit our website at:
https://vinitalyinternational.com/vinitaly-international-academy/
Instagram: vinitaly international
To Apply: https://eventi.vinitalytour.com/en/sign-up-via/
Send us an email at: via@justdothework.it if you have further question
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About: Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) aims to be the gold standard of Italian wine education. It offers a complete educational path with standardized courses that will teach professionals and educators to master the diversity of Italian wine in a rigorous, organized manner. VIA’s main objective is to foster a global network of highly qualified professionals such as Italian Wine Ambassadors and Italian Wine Experts: in turn, they will support and promote Italian wine throughout the world. VIA was founded by Stevie Kim, Managing Director of Vinitaly International. The new VIA ecosystem avails of the guidance of Italian trade associations Federdoc, Federvini, Vignaioli Indipendenti FIVI, and Unione Italiana Vini as members of the Institutional Advisory Board. Italian vine genetics scholar, Prof. Attilio Scienza, oversees VIA’s scientific and educational direction as the Chief Scientist. VIA Faculty Sarah Heller MW and Henry Davar teach the flagship Italian Wine Ambassador course. To date, there are 307 Certified Italian Wine Ambassadors of which 15 are also Italian Wine Experts.
