Verona, Italy – The VIA Certification Course, conducted by Ian D’Agata, Scientific Director of VIA, represents a one and only opportunity for wine professionals to gain extensive knowledge on the vast subject of Italian grape varieties and wines. Currently, no International certification program offers this kind of comprehensive study of Italian wines. Understandably so, as the wines made from native grapes remain largely obscure, often within the growing region itself. Even for the Master of Wine or the Master Sommelier, Italy, despite ranking as the world’s largest wine producing country, remains somewhat of an enigma and an untapped resource for the discovery of intriguing new wines.
Candidate, Natasha Hughes MW, from the UK, explains, “Italy remains a gap in my knowledge and I relish the opportunity to understand the diversity of wines made in this country, both in terms of theory and tasting.” In a market that is rapidly shifting toward millennial wine consumers, current international knowledge of Italian wines is, in fact, largely relegated to the most prestigious and largest wine growing areas, giving an unbalanced view of Italian wines today. In a recent 2014 Wine Market Council High Frequency Wine Drinker Survey, American millennials show interest in novelty, delve into the wine stories, and look for authenticity in the glass. They are more inclined to drink imported wines and enjoy experimenting with wines served by the glass.
An affirmation of the strategic interest in Italian wines can be seen in the calibre of candidates selected for the 2017 edition, and the influential roles they occupy in international markets: Natasha Hughes MW (UK), Levi Dalton (USA), Deborah Parker Wong DWSET (USA), Robin Kick MW (Switzerland), Nicholas Paris MW (USA), Laura DePasquale MS (USA), Kathy Morgan MS (USA). See full bios at http://www.vinitalyinternational.com/vinitaly-international-academy/candidates
Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) is an educational initiative aimed at simplifying the vast diversity of Italian grape varietals by explaining, divulging and broadcasting the characteristics of Italian wine around the world. VIA was first launched back in February 2014 by Stevie Kim (Managing Director of Vinitaly International) and Doctor Ian D’Agata (Scientific Director of VIA). Today, VIA already counts on the support of 4 Italian Wine Experts and 55 Italian Wine Ambassadors from around the world and is looking to further expand its community.
Until the December 16th deadline, Vinitaly International Academy will continue to recruit and select the 50 candidates who will have the opportunity to become the next VIA Italian Wine Ambassadors and Experts during the third edition of the VIA Certification Course to be held in Verona from the 3rd to the 7th of April 2017. The dates allow students to also attend the 6th edition of OperaWine (8th of April 2017) and the 51st edition of Vinitaly (9th–12th April 2017).
For more information and to apply to the course you can visit http://www.vinitalyinternational.com/vinitaly-international-academy
