Vinitaly International Academy Announces Three New Courses Italian Wine Ambassador course to be held in London, Austria, Hong Kong

Upcoming VIA courses

“At VIA we expand on the bird’s eye view not only by appreciating Italy for the breadth of its geography and wealth of native grapes, but for the wealth of its history.”

VERONA, Italy (PRWEB)
May 31, 2022

Who the Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) is: the VIA certification course is recognised as the gold standard of Italian wine education. The VIA community comprises over 1000 candidates, of whom 290 have achieved the title Italian Wine Ambassador and 15 of those qualified as Italian Wine Experts. The July course sees VIA in London and Austria for the very first time, bringing Italian wine education to two new countries. In London, the course will be taught live by VIA Faculty member Sarah Heller MW at the Institute of Masters of Wine. The satellite venue in Austria will be the Weinakademie in Rust, and in Hong Kong the course will be held at the Renaissance Harbour View Hotel. Having successfully pivoted to an agile format during the first wave of COVID lockdowns in early 2020, the course now consists of a study at home theory section, followed by in-person practical tasting sessions guided by Faculty live, and live-streamed. The course culminates in a rigorous 2.5 hour exam.

What the Vinitaly International Academy does: the course is selective, difficult, content rich, and the exams are hard. The pass rate is 29%, so why do it? Alumni of the Vinitaly International Academy recall their experiences as challenging, life changing and exceptionally worthwhile. “I highly recommend the VIA program,” said Paul Bologna, Italian Wine Ambassador class of 2021. “The curriculum offers the opportunity to learn the most cutting-edge information on the origins of hundreds of native grapes as well as the top producers who are changing the future of Italian wines.” Annie Replogle IWA, from the same VIA class commented, “The challenge of the VIA course is great for those seeking the utmost knowledge of Italian wine and made me fall even more in love with Italian wine, which I didn’t think was possible.” Students who take the VIA course come from every aspect of the wine sector, including educators, journalists, importers, hospitality, retailers, and beyond. Faculty member Henry Davar IWE summed up the experience, “At VIA we expand on the bird’s eye view not only by appreciating Italy for the breadth of its geography and wealth of native grapes, but for the wealth of its history.”

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 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. Members continue to participate in events such as Academic Field Trips, judging at 5StarWines and Wine Without Walls, attending OperaWine and wine2wine Business Forum throughout the year, increasing their knowledge and growing their connections across the wine sector.

Apply now: applications open until 3 July 2022. For more information, please visit our website at https://vinitalyinternational.com/vinitaly-international-academy/.

To Apply: https://eventi.vinitalytour.com/en/sign-up-via/. Send an email at: [email protected] if you have further questions.

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

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