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“Iconic Women in Italian Wine” tasting: Who, Where & Why?

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VERONA, ITALY (PRWEB) –  This unique event encompassed so much more than the sum of the individual women: two leading international female journalists, the female managing director of Vinitaly International, and seven renowned Italian women wine producers collaborated to create an event that set aside the natural competition between the players and focused instead on personal stories, camaraderie, and the aspiration all these women hold for the future of Italian wine.

Why has this event never happened before? An interesting question answered best by Monica Larner. “When Stevie Kim presented me with this idea, I was excited on many levels; however, most compelling was the opportunity to present beautiful Italian wines with a colleague whose magazine shares market space with my own. (Robert Parker) Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator have never collaborated on anything. With smug certainty I suspect our male colleagues would never pull resources together in this fashion for such a ground-breaking collaboration with important benefits. Post-pandemic we are all burning with a desire for new beginnings and being together. Inclusivity, camaraderie, creating togetherness. All seven of these individualistic and talents producers instantly recognised the importance and immediately agreed to participate.”

Stevie Kim pointed out that this event was the definition of ‘iconic’: “Two women wine critic titans collaborating for the first time, with seven Italian women who are giants in their industry, is a true demonstration of what it means to be iconic: ‘widely recognised and acknowledged for distinctive excellence.’”

Opening the event, Alison Napjus explained the real gravitas that informed the idea for the discussion. “Women are better communicators, using more words and more expressive words, with a better ability to listen and to empathise. These women are all around trailblazers, winery leaders, winery founders, wine makers. We all have to find new ways to connect and communicate after the pandemic pivot we all faced. This event gives us the chance to explore, as women, three particular themes in Italian wine; heritage/family, territory, wine ambassadors.”

The women winery leaders came from 5 different regions and their age gap spanned 40 years. The idea of women in wine is not new, women are everywhere in the industry, but the gathering to share stories and important vintages, to exchange experiences, ideas and ask questions with leading wine writers was ground-breaking. The honesty and open attitude of all the women involved was clearly part of the magic in the room and what will attract young and savvy wine lovers to the unique soulfulness of Italian wine.

Chiara Boschis of E. Pira & Figli in Barolo, commented ““What do I have of iconic in my life? I am not an iconic woman, I work like a donkey all day, but this vineyard, Cannubi, this is an iconic place, and the diversity in the area is incredible. When I first got together with my friends, the Barolo Boys, I was the only girl, but we all wanted to shine a light on all the differences of our area and understand the potential of our terroir.” She shared the 2010 vintage BaroloCannubi, a year that was important because her brother joined her, with his daughters who are all studying enology and will bring a new generation of women to the winery. “Wine makers usually work alone. When we start to work together, recognising everyone’s unique terroir, we start to learn new things and appreciate all the traditions, we find more opportunities.”

Elisabetta Foradori from Trentino expressed her perspective, in a different way. “I actually love making cheese, it’s another kind of fermentation. I’m a farmer. Our country has a beauty and a richness of variety and we have a mission to transfer into a bottle this pure message of the different terroirs. We have a great responsibility to save and improve the genetic variety and express the terroir in the most healthy and connected way possible. Be creative and responsible farmers for the future.” Her pomegranate logo represents 100s of tiny seeds, packed together in one beautiful container, 100’s of ideas, creative thinking, and out of the box innovation.

Arianna Occhipinti, from Sicily, youngest of the group, added her experiences as an explorer with a model for young winemakers. “Frappato is the original grape from Vittoria where I grew up. I needed an important grape to grow up as a wine maker. Thanks to the character of this grape, I learned to make wine. Now I vinify parcel by parcel to get better expression of the soils, the limestone, the tufa, the red sand. Now I have treasure, for me it is important to show what Vittoria really is, the fresh wines we can make even in the deep south of Sicily.”

Marilisa Allegrini spoke of her learning curve after the death of her father and finding her way in the world away from the winery. “Valpolicella was known for inexpensive wines in the 1980’s, and Amarone was a niche wine for high end consumers, so it was a challenge for me to communicate. The first time I went to America, the importer wouldn’t let me go out to promote the wine until I wrote down absolutely everything about the wine. Many people said they didn’t want a Valpolicella on their wine list, so I knew I had to communicate everything to make this area known and understood.”

Elena Fucci from Mt. Vulture in Basilicata felt much the same as she struggled to put her region on the map. “For me it is a dream to be with these special women in wine today. My journey started in 2000, when my family considered selling the vineyard because we weren’t making wines, just selling the grapes to the consortium. I decided to change the course of my study so the house where I was born and lived with my family would not be sold. I went to university to study enology and winemaking. No one knew where Basilicata was. I had 6 hectares and a single grape: my wine, my life, my Titolo. I travel a lot to explain my region and my wine, modern but not modernist wine, I work to respect and understand the territory where we are. The vintage I am sharing is 2012 because ten years ago I had no idea what would happen to me and my wine in these ten years since 2012 and how much communicating it would take.”

Heritage and legacy were addressed by Albiera Antinori with her family’s Tignaello and Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta with her legendary Sassicaia. Antinori said, “For me, looking at the history of the past 50 years since the start of Tignanello, and the diversity and uniqueness of wines that can be made in Italy — the terroir and the story are the future, terroir still to be discovered, every day you get surprised by wonderful areas with local varieties, an elegance, a minerality, they’ve got the sun inside. Even traditional vineyards have been replanted so new things will be coming up, but we must be centered on quality, personality, history and the story we can explain.” Regarding sustainability she added, “It’s a complicated word to use, it can mean different things. For me it is a puzzle made of many things, with the final objective of leaving something better for the next generation. Not only in the winery but also for our workers, our sales force, we need one certification in Italy for sustainable, for economic sustainability as well.”

Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta looked at the idea of safeguarding Italian wine history from outside investors and influences. “It’s not easy, there are real issues for family businesses, you have to have a strong sense of pride, family values and the family project. A responsibility to the next generations, we want to pass on what we got in an even better shape than when we received it. We are guardians. We have to combine financial goals with the family goals. Having a long-term view means we focus less on making short term cash, but we have to involve the family members to keep everyone interested, our estate is not only wine, we have other ventures and interests and my cousins and I have different interests on the estate. Consultancy helps deal with family generation change issues to and now we have the Primum Familiae Vini group which is a good place to share issues, know-how and support others in similar situations.

Summing up, Allegrini said, “We must put the agricultural product into the cultural context of Italy as a place of art, history, architecture, and beautiful landscape.” Larner added, “This is the real way to help Italian wine be more competitive, to communicate differently and better, to tell that story, down to the soil, down to the producer, down to the winery, down to the vineyard, down to the very last rock.” Stevie Kim remarked, “Everybody wants to be like Antinori, this is the problem I face as an agency, everyone wants that beautiful 26 generation story on their home page. Every winery has to find their own original story, not only the romance of generations and terroir, not only bio and organic and so on, but it has to be economically sustainable as well as. Each winery has to find the uniqueness of their story.” Najus concluded that, “You can teach people about wine, but to find the story is much harder.”

Looking back on this momentous event, Stevie Kim commented, “This session was never about men versus women or pigeon-holing anyone on the basis of gender, regionality, or points of view. Rather, Iconic Women in Wine at Vinitaly 2022 took a good long look at how to improve communication, highlight success and exalt the unique power of women to unite in challenging circumstances for a common good. Larner and Napjus absolutely found the story that needs to be told in order to secure the future of Italian wine in the global market.”.
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About Alison Napjus: Alison Napjus divides her time between New York, where Wine Spectator is based, and a second home in Tampa, Fla. She regularly travels abroad, both personally and professionally. After graduating from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, Napjus moved to New York to take a position as a manager at Tribeca Grill restaurant. She joined Wine Spectator in 2000 and was promoted to Senior Editor in 2012 and Tasting Director in 2016. She is lead taster for the wines of Spain, France’s Champagne and Alsace regions, South Africa and wines from regions throughout Italy. As Tasting Director, she oversees the scope and content of Wine Spectator’s annual reviews of more than 15,000 wines, working closely with the tasters and tasting coordinators in the New York and Napa offices.

About Monica Larner: Monica Larner is a Los Angeles native, her family moved to Rome when she was 11. After high school in both Italy and California, Monica earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in journalismfrom Boston University and New York University respectively. She worked for the Italian daily La Repubblica, followed by the Rome bureau of BusinessWeek and two years as a staff writer with Italy Daily of the International Herald Tribune where she penned her first wine column. Monica is an active member of the Ordine dei Giornalisti and a certified sommelier with the Italian Sommelier Association. In 2003, Monica was approached by Wine Enthusiast to be the magazine’s first Italy-based correspondent, where her proudest achievement is the 185-page special collector’s Wine Enthusiast “Wines of Italy” edition that showcases her decade-long body of work. She was awarded the “Best International Journalist” Silver Grape Leaf three by the Comitato Grandi Cru d’Italia. Gambero Rosso recognized her as a “Leader of Italian Excellence,” and the Italian Trade Commission acknowledged her distinguished service to Italian wine. In 2013, she joined The Wine Advocate as the Reviewer for Italy.

About Vinitaly: the grand Vinitaly 2022 was held from April 10th to the 13th. Vinitaly 2022 counted 88,000 visitors of which 25,000 were top international buyers from 139 different countries. The premier event to Vinitaly, OperaWine “Finest Italian Wines: 100 Great Producers,” which was held on the 9th of April, one day prior to Vinitaly, united international wine professionals in the heart of Verona, offering them the unique opportunity to discover and taste the wines of the 130 Best Italian Producers, as selected by Wine Spectator. Since 1998 Vinitaly travels to several countries thanks to its strategic arm abroad, Vinitaly International. In February 2014 Vinitaly International launched an educational project, the Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) with the aim of divulging and broadcasting the excellence and diversity of Italian wine around the globe. VIA this year launched the 21st edition of its Certification Course. To date, there are 271 Certified Italian Wine Ambassadors of which 15 are also Italian Wine Experts.

Vinitaly International Academy Welcomes 21 Italian Wine Ambassadors

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VERONA, ITALY (PRWEB) The 23rd edition of Vinitaly International Academy was a joyful week full of intensive learning experiences, networking, tasting, studying, and a little bit of good old panic. VIA is the gold standard of Italian wine education and this year showed off the course to its fullest potential. With the in-person return of both faculty members, Sarah Heller MW and Henry Davar IWE, the course rebounded from COVID restrictions with a subscription of over 50 international students and a tasting list over three days that encompassed close to 140 wines in preparation for a grueling exam that has a typical pass rate of 25%.

This edition of VIA saw an enthusiastic, passionate and seriously studious group of selected students with a broad base of experience in the wine sector spanning buyers, retailers, educators, writers, enthusiasts, sommeliers, and those very new to the world of Italian wine. VIA aims to create the longest table, welcoming everyone who is curious about Italian wine to join the conversation.

The course offers students a hybrid learning format, with a series of online lectures in preparation for the in-person event in Verona, where students are immediately immersed in the Italian wine world, with unique experiences such as an opportunity to taste the wine of the historic families of Valpolicella at the famous Antica Bottega del Vino at a private event, as well as master classes hosted by various wine consortiums from all over Italy. Professor Attilio Scienza, the VIA scientific advisor, also attended the course and delivered spectacular lectures with up to the minute research in vine DNA and history, specifically for the benefit of VIA students.

Students faced a challenging 4-part exam on Thursday 7 April, which resulted in the inauguration of 21 new Italian Wine Ambassadors, the most successful class to date. Congratulations to all the participants, all of whom have now become members of the VIA family, intent upon spreading the love for Italian wine across the globe.

The list of Italian Wine Ambassadors, Verona Flagship Class of 2022: Peggy Baudon, Bev Bourdin, Julian Di Donato, Noell Dorsey, Jodie Hellman, Cedric Izri, Elissar Kurban, Jules Lamon, Chunxia Liu, Michael Markarian, Hee Sung Park, Gabby Rossouw, Christpher Sachs, Thomas Sartori, Erik Schneider, Rodrigo A. Sepulveda Schulz, Emiliano Stratico, Scott Thomas, Jessica van der Schee, Ezra Wicks, Ashlee Brianne Howell.

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 292 Certified Italian Wine Ambassadors of which 15 are also Italian Wine Experts.

Young Italian Winemakers Champion Sustainability and Innovation

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NEW YORK (PRWEB) – Five days before the ministers of agriculture representing the world’s largest economies met in Florence, Italy, for a G20 summit, a group of young Italian wine professionals held a symposium of their own. AGIVI, the Association of Young Italian Wine Entrepreneurs, hosted the convention on Sept. 12, 2021, at the same city’s Palazzo Vecchio, to discuss some of the most pressing questions about the future of Italian wine. How would wine fit into the global drive toward sustainability, also a G20 focus? And, more broadly, how could the up-and-coming generation in the industry reach young wine lovers in an increasingly competitive global marketplace?

“Young people think, plan and work in a green mindset”, said Violante Gardini Cinelli Colombini, president of AGIVI, which is a branch of the national UIV (Unione Italiana Vini) and export sales manager of Casato Prime Donne winery in Montalcino. “From the vineyard to the cellar, ranging from the choice of packaging to that of transport to the services offered in the company, the initiatives of the new generations are increasingly developed from a sustainable perspective, with specific actions aimed at achieving objectives that are as respectful of the environment as possible.”

According to a survey made on the AGIVI members, 94% believe sustainability provides a decisive competitive edge, with nearly 70% choosing suppliers based in part on the sustainability of their proposals. Another survey presented at the convention found that 70% of millennial wine tourists would be more likely to visit wineries with ethical labor practices, and 70% favored companies that helped disadvantaged communities. Canned wines, carbon emissions and pesticide alternatives have also been hot topics in AGIVI’s ongoing dialogue about sustainability.

While AGIVI has been exploring environmental and social initiatives, its members have also been navigating new technologies in viticulture and sales, along with new platforms, customers and tastes—while preserving the heritage that has long made Italian wine unique. In 2021, AGIVI members gathered to exchange knowledge in regions like Umbria and Trentino; they contributed to social media webinars, and panels and tastings at Vinitaly and in New York. Along the way, they discussed creative enotourism, labeling and transparency tools like QR codes, and distribution platforms like e-commerce.

“Our job is very challenging, we never stop learning and the wine industry is in continuous development,” explained Emanuele Rocca, export sales manager of Rocca Vini, which includes estates in Piedmont and Puglia. Rocca cited the cultivation of new and “forgotten” varieties, waste reduction in production and packaging, the embrace of e-commerce and social media, an enhanced cellar door experience, and expansion into lesser-known regions like Salento (the “heel” of Italy’s boot) as new ways the company is carrying on the family tradition of innovation. “Our grandpa didn’t teach us to ride a bike but taught us interesting wine secrets,” said Rocca. Among younger drinkers, Rocca notices a movement toward lower-alcohol wines and, most encouraging, an increased interest in wine education.

“I’m optimistic,” said Rocca, “because I see the young generations focus on the quality of the product.”
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The program: European quality wines: taste the difference is a project financed by the European Union and managed by Unione Italiana Vini and PRODECA for the promotion of PDO and PGI European wines abroad in China and US. In order to achieve this objective, the TTD.EU program will organize wine seminars, workshops and b2b meetings both in these countries and in Spain and Italy, inviting wine professionals to join study trips to Europe. The program, realized in the span of three years (2021-2023) aims at creating awareness about European quality wines, in particular Italian and Spanish, which share a long tradition and a high standard of quality.

The beneficiaries: Unione Italiana Vini is the oldest and most commissioned Association of the Italian wine market. It represents cooperative, private and agricultural wine-companies, bottlers, consortia, associations and wine-making machines or wine cellars / laboratory manufacturers, located throughout the Italian territory. Promotora de Exportaciones Catalanas (PRODECA) is a public company established in 1986 and part of the “Ministry of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda of the Government of Catalonia”. It supports the agri-food sector and its companies with the knowledge, tools and experience to increase their products in Catalunya and worldwide.

Vinitaly International Academy USA announces three new Italian Wine Ambassadors in the USA

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VERONA, ITALY (PRWEB) – On September 15th VIA certified three (3) new Italian Wine Ambassadors. Those newly appointed to join this passionate community are Limor Fikel, Michael Wyant and Enoch Ling. To date, there are now 90 certified Italian Wine Ambassadors and 3 Italian Wine Experts based in USA.

Limor Finkel, a Northern California Sales Manager based in Mill Valley commented, “I’m honored to be a part of the VIA community alongside a group of people so deeply committed to Italian wine, history, and culture. The VIA course was incredibly rigorous and I can’t wait to keep learning from my fellow Italian Wine Ambassadors—hopefully in person soon and on the ground in Italy, too!”

Based in Arlington, Michael Wyant is a Sommelier and Wine Educator with almost 10 years of experience in the wine industry. He also shares his comment, “I’m very excited to be a part of the VinItaly International Academy. The program itself was a deep dive into the world of Italian wine, history and culture with some impressive teachers. The fun part was getting to try hundreds of benchmark Italian wines made from native grape varieties, meeting the winemakers themselves and hearing their stories, and of course meeting fellow students and ambassadors from all over Europe, Asia and the Americas who share a passion for Italian wine.”

Enoch Ling is an Investment Analyst based in Hong Kong and a member of the Knights of Alba, which exposed him to the world of wine on the side of his main profession. He added, “The VIA program provides me with opportunities and resources to explore some hidden gems of Italian wines that can be rarely found in my market. I’m proud to be part of this professional and passionate community as IWA!”

Despite the increasing pandemic condition in the country, Vinitaly International Academy made it possible to hold its 20th edition on September 13th. The Certified Italian Wine Ambassador course was held in three different venues across the United States to join Faculty member Henry Davar IWE as he led the tasting sessions that would act as recap of the theory and preparation for the upcoming exam.

Whilst Davar led these sessions live in Boston, he was connected with other participants in Houston and Seattle via Zoom, and of course with the VIA team in Verona. More than 40 wines were sourced by the tasting centres to give students a broad tasting experience, a solid basis for their exam and of course to showcase as many Italian varieties, denominations and producers as possible in two days.

Due to the spread of students, venues in Boston (hosted by Gianluca Quieroli IWA), Houston (Giorgio Caflish IWA) and Seattle (Hayley Black IWE) were selected, and the coordination of materials, wines and session timings began. One of the biggest challenges was building wine lists with as many of the same wines being shown in each venue. As Davar commented, “It’s always worth reminding people that there is a large supporting cast back in Verona that make the Vinitaly International Academy go! Our team is composed of Italian wine lovers, many of whom are VIA certified Italian Wine Ambassadors as well. They truly understand Italian wine and they know how to source truly representative samples for our course. The wines we tasted this past week were especially notable and I think the students and staff at the three tasting centers all remarked about this.”

Fortunately, working with Ambassadors and Experts who are not only familiar with Italian wines, but also the VIA Program, allowed for more than 40 wines to be shown, and suitable wines selected for the blind tasting portion of the examination.

As this 20th Edition has demonstrated, building a strong community not only supports those within it, but also pays dividends in challenging times when it pulls together to aid the cause of Italian wine education. It is an asset not only to those joining the programme, but everyone involved, and VIA will continue to build editions that grow and support this community globally.

5starWines – the Book: The exclusive wine Guide now available

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VERONA, ITALY (PRWEB) – 5StarWines – the Book is the result of this year’s edition – the 5th – of the blind wine tasting 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls, which took place on June 16-18. The printed version of the Guide, not for sale, will be distributed among leading industry experts and international buyers from all over the world. However, anyone can have access to the online version, which is now available for consultation on the event website. The Guide includes technical characteristics, tasting notes, and information about the selected wines.

In this edition, more than 600 wineries from all over the world participated, and almost half of them got selected to be part of the 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls 2022 Guide. Approximately 60 wines were tasted each day by an international jury composed of Masters of Wine, Masters of Sommelier, WSET graduates, Vinitaly International Academy Experts and Ambassadors, oenologists, and journalists. More than 2000 wines were tasted by the jury, which was divided into two categories (one for 5StarWines, and the other for Wine Without Walls which focused on certified organic, biodynamic wines and wines produced by sustainable wineries). The wines awarded a score of at least 90/100 by the jury are now featured in the official Guide 5StarWines – the Book 2022. This year 510 wines were selected: 391 for 5StarWines’ category and 119 for Wine Without Walls.

The main scope of the guide is to facilitate wineries in better promotion and education of the acclimated wines. Veronafiere is committed to promoting all awardees through all of their resources, including the distribution of the guide 5StarWines – the Book during the main wine trade fairs, B2B meetings, tastings, and masterclasses throughout the year. Moreover, the digital version of the Guide allows a widespread distribution, reaching not only wine experts, but also wine lovers across the world. The Guide is an important marketing tool for the selected wines and wineries, and guarantees them visibility through constant promotional support on a national and international scale. The wines included in 5StarWines – the Book appear also on the Wine-Searcher website, the world’s most popular wine search engine, exposing them to a broad new client base.

The Digital format of the guide is available online on the official website of the event: https://www.5starwines.it/la-guida/?lang=en. The paper version of the guide is set to be published by the end of September 2021.

About: 5StarWines – the Book is the annual wine selection organized by Veronafiere, normally held in the lead-up to the biggest Italian wine fair in the world. 5StarWines – the Book & Wine Without Walls is a blind tasting aimed at shedding light on wineries investing in the improvement of their products. During the event, a highly qualified panel of wine professionals taste and score — using a 100-point scale — participating wines. In the 2021 edition – the fifth – over 2000 bottles took part in the competition and 510 were selected for inclusion in 5StarWines – the Book. The Guide is a useful tool both on the promotional and commercial side. It introduces international buyers and wine lovers to new wine products of great value. It guarantees wine quality, and it maintains and certifies their value at an international level.

What happens in the 22 days before 5StarWines and Wine Without Walls

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VERONA, ITALY (PRWEB) – Registrations have closed for the blind wine tasting organized by Veronafiere with the support of Assoenologi. Now what? Wine samples are being anonymized for tasting which will be carried out by more than 80 international experts. The Selection culminates with the publication of the annual guide, both paper and digital, containing all the wines that obtain the highest scores. The Guide is then shared with the Vinitaly community; the wines will go on to gain visibility on the new Vinitaly Plus platform as well. Social Media posts are created by the 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls team for every single selected bottle, carrying the public relations buzz around 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls wines throughout the year.

Last year, this was the point where we had to roll up our sleeves. From the moment that registered wine samples got to our warehouses, our staff were tasked with putting each bottle in blue bags to anonymize and ready them for tasting. While this already takes quite a lot of time, last year, after tailored planning and registration, due to the inability of the judges to reach Verona for the tasting, we also had to pack and ship each bottle to each individual judge – it was a mammoth undertaking.

This year, even though the judges have been permitted to travel to Verona, we cannot state that things have gone back to “normal”. The last edition before the pandemic was in April 2019 and things were very different. Judges would taste and score each wine seated around a table of 6, being able to have an open session. In this edition, the staff will prepare the tasting rooms following specific safety protocols: each judge will be seated at their own table but grouped in sets of 5, to allow consultation amongst the jury – things maybe a little louder than usual!

After the first round of tasting, all the wines that receive a score equal or higher than 90 are to be re-tasted by the General Chairmen, further discussing its final score. As the last wine receives its final score, results will be published online through the registration platform and producers will be notified. Wines with higher scores in each category will be awarded the “Trophy” title.

While we patiently count the days until the beginning of this year’s edition of 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls, we are using our social media platforms (@5StarWines) to introduce all the judges joining us in Verona, helping you to get to know each of them better; posting video messages by them as well. Follow us to stay up to date on this year’s edition of the tasting!
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About: 5StarWines – the Book is the annual wine selection organized by Veronafiere, held in the lead-up to the biggest Italian wine fair in the world. The event is now in its fifth edition. 5StarWines – the Book is a blind tasting aimed at shedding light on wineries investing in the improvement of their products. During the event, a highly qualified panel of wine professionals will taste and score — using a 100-point scale — participating wines. In the 2020 edition, over 2000 bottles took part in the competition and 847 were selected for inclusion in 5StarWines – the Book. The Guide is a useful tool both on the promotional and commercial side. It introduces international buyers and wine lovers to new wine products of great value. It guarantees wine quality and it maintains and certifies their value at an international level.

Vinitaly International Academy to establish physical Tasting Centres

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VERONA, ITALY (PRWEB) – News is coming for the Vinitaly International Academy (VIA), the gold standard of Italian wine education for foreign professionals. Created in 2014, the organization trains Italian Wine Ambassadors and Italian Wine Experts by delivering courses all over the world. This year, VIA had to adapt its activities to the new international situation caused by the COVID-19 emergency. During 2020, the course was revamped twice: back in June, with the introduction of the Agile Edition, and now, with the establishment of Tasting Centres starting from the next scheduled courses.

The Italian Wine Ambassador Certification Course is made up of two modules, the first theoretical and the second practical. The first module has students explore each and every Italian region: the wines produced here, its viticulture, the wine making methods, the culture and the regional dishes related to each territory. This section, that has been delivered online since the last edition of VIA Verona, is now on-demand and accessible through an educational platform.

The second module is dedicated to the hands-on part of the course, the Guided Tastings. During this section and under the guidance of VIA Faculty Sarah Heller MW and Henry Davar IWE, students get the chance to taste a variety of wines coming from some of the best Italian wineries. During the Tastings, future ambassadors learn how to promote Italian wine by personally experiencing it, getting to look, sniff and taste the wines they had previously studied during the theoretical lectures. The second makeover of VIA will allow these sessions to place safely and socially distanced thanks to the addition of Tasting Centres.

Starting from the 2021 USA courses, VIA is planning on establishing physical centers in each of the countries where courses are usually held to facilitate the Guided Tastings. In these so called “Tasting Centres”, future Ambassadors will have the chance to meet and taste wines in total safety. The VIA Community will play a fundamental role in the setting up of these physical centers. The running and the managing of both Tasting Centres and Guided Tastings around the world will be up to a number of VIA Italian Wine Ambassadors operating locally. With this manouvre, VIA will shorten both the geographical distance between the delivery of the course and the students, as well as the one between the old and new members of the VIA Community. Final exams will also be held in the new Tasting Centres.

Since its inception, VIA has been supported by ITA – The Italian Trade Agency, which shares the organization’s objectives and contributes to the realization of its courses. Together with the Faculty, the Community, Supporters, Advisory Board and the Scientific Director, ITA makes up the VIA Ecosystem: a body that operates the Academy from start to finish. Scientific Director Attilio Scienza commented on the introduction of the Tasting Centres:

“We know that the theory behind these grapes and wines is fundamental, but it does not mean anything if you do not have the opportunity to taste them, to experience them. These Tasting Centres and the Ambassadors who will host them are an asset to the new formatted programme”.
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The introduction of Tasting Centres will help VIA in pursuing its mission: providing the world of Italian wine with qualified ambassadors capable of mastering and promoting the culture, history and variety of Italian wine around the world. To get more information on the certification, contact the VIA staff at via@vinitalytour.com.

Next VIA Courses include:

VIA USA
Module 1: December 2020-January 2021
Module 2: 1-3 February 2021 in San Francisco, Houston and Las Vegas; 29-31 March 2021 in New York, Boston, Memphis, Princeton and Florida

VIA HONG KONG
Module 1: December 2020-January 2021
Module 2: 8-10 March 2021

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. The following trade associations in the Italian wine industry have also joined as VIA Supporters: Italia del Vino; Italian Signature Wines Academy; Le Famiglie del Vino, Wi-Fi Wine from Irpinia, Consorzio di Tutela Vini del Trentino; Consorzio di Tutela Sicilia DOC; Franciacorta; Consorzio di Tutela Vini d’Abruzzo. To date the VIA community comprises 215 certified Italian Wine Ambassadors and 15 Italian Wine Experts. Since its foundation in 2014, over 615 candidates from all over the world have taken VIA’s courses.

5StarWines and Wine Without Walls: the blind wine tasting that survived a global pandemic

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VERONA, ITALY (PRWEB) – The recent pandemic put the world on pause. This was the case for the wine market as well. 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls, the annual Wine Tasting held in Verona by Veronafiere, did not stand still but reshaped its format into an “agile” edition to follow through with the tasting and turn it into a virtual experience.

While the world was taking a break, so was the economy and everything that goes along with it. Veronafiere was supposed to host not only Vinitaly, the biggest fair in the world dedicated to wine and spirits, but also 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls, a blind wine tasting conducted by a number of wine experts with a range of profiles, such as Masters of Wine (MW), journalists and Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) Ambassadors. Among these were Pedro Ballesteros Torres MW, Robert Joseph, Bernard Burtschy, Joe Fattorini, Regine Lee MW, Sarah Abbott MW, Elizabeth Gabay MW, Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW, Lin Liu MW, Andy Howard MW, Jonas Tofterup MW, Thomas Curtis MW. Leading the coordination were Monty Waldin, Daniele Cernilli, and Gabriele Gorelli. The ultimate goal was to create a Top-Wines Guide to use as a marketing tool for producers, capable of creating business connections around the world.

As a major aim of the Wine Selection is to support and spur on producers, by giving them the opportunity to create international connections, rescheduling was not an option for Veronafiere. Doing so would have conflicted with the event’s very own mission and vision. The decision was to reshape the format of the blind wine tasting, to make sure that producers would still have results to show for their labor, especially important in difficult times. This is where the term “agile” plays a key role. The ability to move quickly and easily was completely embodied by the team of 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls: if many of the international judges selected for the wine tasting were now unable to get to Verona due to new safety regulations, the team would organize the blind tasting to be conducted from the judges’ own homes, connected to Verona by video conference and WebApp.

The rules and regulations of the tasting stayed the same, but the logistics had been completely reshaped. Now the participating labels—besides being anonymized as usual—had to be classified, baled, and shipped to individual judges all over Europe. Beginning June 10th, each morning the judges prepared their “tasting station.” They’d turn on their computers, open a WebApp, and start the tasting with the supervision of the team in Verona.

The “agile” edition of 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls saw 52 international judges, over 2,100 samples belonging to more than 700 companies, and resulted in 847 wines selected (find the full list on the 5starwines.it home page). Selected wines will be published in the 5StarWines – the Book Guide, will be given the recognition their efforts deserve, and will be able to attend business-to- business (B2B) events with the aim of creating new business opportunities both in Italy and abroad.

In the words of Daniele Cernilli, 5StarWines judge, Doctor Wine, and founder of Gambero Rosso: “This is the first tasting after what happened. We are all trying to get back on our feet and in doing so we show our desire, our pride and our courage in wanting to look at the future with eyes of hope.” None of this would have been possible without the active participation of the judges, who attended several preparation meetings and stored a large number of samples in their cellars. Meanwhile, participating producers waited patiently for the Selection to confirms results, and category winners were finally surprised by the team with a video call announcing the best performing wines.

5StarWines – the Book is the annual wine selection organized by Veronafiere, held in the lead-up to the biggest Italian wine fair in the world. The event is now in its fourth edition. 5StarWines & Wine Without Walls is a blind tasting aimed at shedding light on wineries investing in the improvement of their products. During the event, a highly qualified panel of wine professionals will taste and score—using a 100-point scale—participating wines. In this edition, over 2000 bottles took part in the competition and 847 were selected for inclusion in 5StarWines – the Book. The Guide is a useful tool both on the promotional and commercial side. It introduces international buyers and wine lovers to new wine products of great value. It guarantees wine quality and it maintains and certifies their value at an international level.

Vinitaly International Academy Goes Live In New Agile Format

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VERONA, ITALY (PRWEB) – Italian wine does not stop and the same goes for Italian wine education: an agile format was designed for the 2020 edition of the Vinitaly International Academy certification course in Verona, it’s annual flagship edition. Being the Academy’s birthplace, Verona has always been the preferred location for students, and Vinitaly International wanted this edition to feel as special as previous ones. With a new updated format that combines live lectures and prerecorded warm-up sessions with onsite practical tastings, 60 international students participated in the best possible version of the Italian Wine Ambassador certification course.

At the beginning of 2020, due to the global health situation, Vinitaly International was faced with a new challenge: deliver the gold standard of Italian wine education, online. The VIA team quickly accepted the new landscape and — with support from the VIA Advisory Board and Chief Scientist Attilio Scienza — came up with an agile solution for wine students, splitting the Ambassador course into two modules.

The first module wrapped up on June 12, 2020, where theoretical lectures were delivered online.
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Access to e-sessions were made available to candidates all over the world at any given time. Faculty members Sarah Heller MW and Henry Davar IWE led the interactive sessions, giving students real time support and guidance. In addition, students were able to pre-watch a series of warm-up sessions to focus their studies. On the new approach, VIA Faculty Member Henry Davar observed: “This month we made a pivot with our flagship Italian Wine Ambassador Certification Program. We premiered the agile edition of the course… what’s changed? Well, we continue our mission to offer the broadest, most in depth and most up to date Italian wine curriculum. We also made good in our commitment to expand our offerings, notable additions this month include new Masterclass sessions. When we premiered the course back in 2018 we started with 3 Masterclasses, today we’ve expanded to 7! These Masterclass sessions have been prerecorded so students have the flexibility to study on their own time and to review the materials as often as they wish. This has left us to expand our live-virtual sessions to dig deeper into the wine regions of Italy and their native grapes. Moreover, because Sarah and I alternate lectures it frees one of us up to address any questions that our students might have during the lesson without disturbing the flow of the lecture. This has made the course much more interactive as well.
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”

The second part of the course will take place in Verona, Italy on November 19th to the 24th, 2020. In the new Agile format, tasting and recognizing the key grape varieties and wines will continue to be fundamental components in the VIA assessment. Therefore, the practical module will encompass two different types of activities: the intensive tasting section that will run on November 19th and 20th, and the participation portion, from November 21st to the 24th which will include field trips and events such as OperaWine and the wine2wine wine business forum.

Students benefit from the Agile version because of the more flexible schedule, there is more time to prepare for the final exam and there are extended warm up sessions. Fiona Chin, Business Manager at De Majestic Vines Singapore and VIA student, commented on the format saying: “Vinitaly Academy Agile edition has made the impossible possible: making us feel part of the VIA Community during this difficult time. I was able to feel surrounded by fellow classmates, share my passion for Italian wine and feel close to the heart of Italy through my screen! I was completely blown away by the enthusiasm and knowledge shared by excellent Italian wine expert Henry Davar and Sarah Heller MW!” Roddy Ropner, Japan based wine journalist, remarked: “The extra detail around soils and history is very helpful. And the ‘tag team’ format – especially answering questions without interrupting the flow of the lecture is great!”

Italian wine profits from the Agile format too: the Verona flagship edition of the Italian Wine Ambassador Course keeps the conversation about Italian wine culture alive and happening, even during these challenging times. Vinitaly International Academy is proud to have been able to adapt; to find a solution for those students who hoped to continue in this field. This has also been beneficial for the evolution of the course itself, VIA has managed to build on an already great course, this edition as well as those to come will provide the best possible Italian wine education for wine lovers all over the world.

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. The following trade associations in the Italian wine industry have also joined as VIA Supporters: Italia del Vino; Italian Signature Wines Academy; Le Famiglie del Vino, Wi-Fi Wine from Irpinia, Consorzio di Tutela Vini del Trentino; Consorzio di Tutela Sicilia DOC; Franciacorta; Consorzio di Tutela Vini d’Abruzzo. To date the VIA community comprises 215 certified Italian Wine Ambassadors and 15 Italian Wine Experts. Since its foundation in 2014, over 615 candidates from all over the world have taken VIA’s courses.

Native Grapes Academy 2019 by numbers

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VERONA, ITALY (PRWEB) – Three nations, 490 wines tasted, and 120 “heroes”: these are the 2019 achievements of the Native Grapes Academy (NGA). NGA is a project co-financed by the European Union and coordinated by Unione Italiana Vini (UIV) and Organización Interprofesional del Vino de España (OIVE) aimed at training wine specialists on PDO, PGI and TSG wines of Italy and Spain in three target countries, Canada, Russia, and Japan.

To train the “European Quality Wine Heroes”, NGA created the Native Grape Odyssey (NGO) Maestro, course which, in 2019, was held in three cities in three different countries: Toronto (15-19 September), Moscow (28 October-1 November), and Tokyo (2-6 December). In five days and 30 hours of lessons in total, participants discovered Italian and Spanish wines studying these countries’ enological production. They immersed themselves into Italian and Spanish grape varieties, wine regions’ climate, history, and culture. Rebecca Lawrence, education development manager of the NGO course, described the methodological approach of the lessons: “The NGO Maestro is a course that has based its methodology in understanding the quality of European wines, in particular Italian and Spanish wines, by exploring the native grape varieties specifically as they relate to their territories as well as making the connections between the shared heritage (both cultural and genetic) of Mediterranean grapes. The course first describes the territory and then explains why native grapes have thrived there and places them into the broader context.”

To study the viticulture and wine-making tradition of these countries, NGA supplied students with a course text characterized by a multidisciplinary approach. Native Grape Odyssey Volume I was written by Prof.
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Attilio Scienza, Full Professor at the University of Milan and renowned expert in vine genetics, together with science writer and researcher Serena Imazio. Complimentary copies of the book were distributed to the 120 participants of the NGO’s educational activities. The volume is the first of six publications which will be compiled throughout the three-year period of the project (2019-2021).

In the NGO educational experience, wine tasting takes central stage. In addition to the tastings during the lessons, each course also featured a final Walk-Around Tasting, where importers could showcase their portfolios of Italian and Spanish wines to a bigger audience of students, professionals and wine lovers who gathered for the occasion.
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The NGA project strives to furnish students and wine lovers with free and open access training tools. Through the project’s official website and social media channels updates about the world of Italian and Spanish wines are shared on a daily basis. In addition, in November 2019, NGA launched its NGO Tasting Webapp. The Webapp allows users to record tasting notes, working as a sort of online tasting diary; moreover, with the app, users can share their tasting notes with other members of the community. Furthermore, by subscribing to the NGO Tasting Web-app, users who will compile the best tasting notes, will be selected for participation in the Vinitaly 2020 Incoming program and for the Spanish 2020 Incoming program. Selected users will have their travel and accommodation expenses covered and will join an exclusive program of b2b meetings, thus becoming active members of the NGO community.

In the next two years of the project, NGA initiatives will grow exponentially: new destinations for educational and trade activities will be added and new “European Quality Wine Heroes” will join the community after taking part in the NGO program of discovery of Italian and Spanish wines. In 2020 and 2021 one-day seminars and Walk-Around Tastings will be organized in five different cities in each of the three target countries (15 events per year).

Updates on the next NGA events are available on the official website nativegrapeodyssey.com and on the project’s social media channels.

About: Native Grape Odyssey (NGO) is a brand of the Native Grapes Academy (NGA) project. NGA is a project financed by the European Union and managed by Unione Italiana Vini and Interprofesional del Vino de España (OIVE) for the promotion of PDO and PGI European wines abroad, in particular in three countries: Japan, Canada and Russia. In order to achieve this, the NGA educational program will organize wine seminars, workshops and b2b meetings both in these countries and in Verona, Italy, inviting wine experts and influencers from these countries. These events realized across the span of three years (2019-21) aim to create awareness about European native grapes abroad, as well as the wines produced from them, in particular Italian and Spanish wines, which share a long tradition and a high standard of quality.