Page 68 - Grapevine July-August 2019

International News

tem made up of passionate Italian wine special- The introduction of the Italian Wine Educator
ists designed to promote the global appreciation Course and by extension the Italian Wine Maestro
of Italian wine. The pillars of the VIA Ecosystem Certification Course lay the groundwork for
include a scientific focus on native grapes; an the broader future of the Vinitaly International
Advisory Committee comprised of the institution- Academy which plans to introduce the Italian Wine
al bodies: Federvini, FIVI, Federdoc and Unione Fellow Course in the near future. Additional infor-
Italiana Vini; the Supporters who sponsor and mation can be requested at educator@vinitaly-
contribute to all events and tasting labs during the tour.com.
Italian Wine Ambassador Certification Courses; a
highly qualified faculty and, the wine professionals About Vinitaly
who attend the VIA Programs.
The grand Vinitaly 2020 will be held from April 19
The VIA community already enjoy unique oppor- to 22. Every year, Vinitaly counts more than 4,000
tunities for professional advancement; individuals exhibitors on a 100,000+ square meter area and
from all over the world that become part of the VIA 130,000 visitors from over 140 different countries
group receive international recognition for their with more than 30,000 top international buyers.
expertise on Italian wine such as priority access to The premier event to Vinitaly, OperaWine “Finest
events and educational seminars. In addition, they Italian Wines: 100 Great Producers,” which will
are priority candidates for the incoming programs be held on April 18, one day prior to Vinitaly, will
sponsored by the Italian Trade Commission (ICE), unite international wine professionals in the heart
designed to introduce international importers of Verona, offering them the unique opportunity to
and educators to Italian wineries and regions. The discover and taste the wines of the 100 Best Italian
Italian Wine Educator project will add a new layer Producers, as selected by Wine Spectator.
to this already rich program. Once certified, Italian
Wine Ambassadors who hold the educator status Since 1998 Vinitaly International travels to sev-
may begin running the Maestro Italian Wine Course eral countries such as Russia, China, USA and
within their own markets. This will dramatically Hong Kong thanks to its strategic arm abroad,
increase the profile of Italian wine and Italian wine Vinitaly International. In February 2014 Vinitaly
education globally, particularly in key markets such International launched an educational project,
as China, Russia, Japan, Canada and the United the Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) with the
States. aim of divulging and broadcasting the excellence
and diversity of Italian wine around the globe. VIA
The unique approach of the VIA Italian Wine this year launched the fourteenth edition of its
Educator program is that it directly certifies the Certification Course and today counts 190 Italian
educator rather than a school or provider. This Wine Ambassadors and 14 Italian Wine Experts.
aspect fundamentally sets it apart from other
certifications and allows complete flexibility as
to how and where the educator chooses to set
up their courses. Building on this flexibility, VIA
has deliberately created the course as an online
platformallowing global access for its community
of Ambassadors. The course includes an online
Webinar, led by VIA Italian Wine Expert Gill
Gordon-Smith, Winner of the WCA’s Best Wine
Educator and Wine Communicator of the Year
award in 2017. She was enthusiastic in her praise of
this new chapter in VIA’s evolution:

The VIA educator program is an amazing opportu-
nity for Ambassadors to deliver Italian wine educa-
tion in their markets to the highest standards, fully
supported by outstanding teaching resources and
mentors-which makes this program stand-out.

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