Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) announces the 29th edition
of its prestigious Italian Wine Ambassador Certification Course,
taking place for the first time ever in Chicago, USA,
from 19-21 October 2024.
VERONA, Italy, July 15,
2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- For its 29th edition,
Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) makes its historical debut in
Chicago, hosting its renowned
three-day Italian wine-course in the country's third largest
metropolis. This expansion provides Italian wine professionals
across North America with
unparalleled access to the expertise and opportunities offered by
the prestigious VIA course. Candidates will gather in Chicago to participate in two days of tastings
and a series of in-depth seminars, focusing on Italy's most important wine-producing regions,
as they prepare for the gruelling exam on day three to become
certified Italian Wine Ambassadors.
As a key center in the continuous
development of the USA market,
Chicago is an obvious choice for
the next VIA Course; as the centre of US agribusiness, it hosts
over 100 Italian companies, including large food groups.
Why Chicago?
The United States is one of the
most important Italian wine markets in the world. In the first 3
quarters of 2023, Italian wines sold through US on-trade made up
44% of total imported wines, far higher than the share for
France (13.8%). As a key centre in
the continuous development of the USA market, Chicago is an obvious choice for the next VIA
Course; as the centre of US agribusiness, it hosts over 100 Italian
companies, including large food groups. Chicago also has one of the largest
Italian-American populations in the country and is home to
countless Italian restaurants. VIA candidates will be drawn from
every sector of the wine business, including sommeliers,
journalists, educators, importers, buyers and retailers. VIA offers
its unique brand of in-depth, science based, native grape focused
education on Italian wine to enhance and enrich students'
understanding of Italian wine and culture.
What is Vinitaly International Academy
The Vinitaly International Academy certification course, organised
by Veronafiere and Vinitaly, is recognised as the gold standard of
Italian wine education. All elements of the course are carefully
curated by VIA Faculty Sarah Heller MW 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, now encompassing 48 countries worldwide, proudly
includes over 1,300 participants who have taken the course, with
393 successfully passing the exam to become certified Italian Wine
Ambassadors. Among these distinguished ambassadors, 16 hold the
esteemed title of certified Italian Wine Experts
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."
Candidates also benefit from participation throughout the year
at events such as Gita Scolastica (academic field trips across
Italy), 5StarWines – the Book,
OperaWine and wine2wine Business Forum, giving them the opportunity
to continually increase their knowledge and expand their
connections across the wine sector.
Vinitaly USA
In conjunction with the VIA certification course, the first edition
of Vinitaly USA will take place in
Chicago on October 20-21 at Navy Pier. With the 2024
edition, Vinitaly USA aims to host
over 1000 American buyers, including restaurant owners, importers
and distributors, large-scale distributors, and other professional
categories. This event offers a unique opportunity to discover the
most dynamic Italian producers, connect with industry
professionals, and attend premier panels and events. All
information at: Vinitaly USA
2024.
Applications for the Italian Wine Ambassador Certification in
Chicago are now open at the
following link:
https://www.vinitaly.com/en/academy/vinitaly-international-academy/courses/via-chicago-2024/.
For more information, please contact via@ext.veronafiere.it.
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
Partner of Vinitaly. 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 teaches the flagship Italian Wine
Ambassador course. To date, there are 393 Certified Italian Wine
Ambassadors of which 16 are also Italian Wine Experts.
Media Contact
Vinitaly International Academy, Veronafiere, 0458101447,
media.w2d@ext.veronafiere.it, https://www.vinitaly.com/academy/vinitaly-international-academy/
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SOURCE Veronafiere