The Vinitaly International Academy will once again hold the prestigious Italian Wine Ambassador course in The Big Apple from 4-6 March 2024. This year's event will include a collaboration with The Hue Society, with the inclusion of two fee-waiver candidates for Hue Society members.
VERONA, Italy, Jan. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Wine professionals from across North America will gather in New York City, hosted by Banville Wine Merchants in Manhattan, to participate in two days of tastings and seminars as they prepare for the rigorous exam on day 3 to become certified Italian Wine Ambassadors. VIA Faculty member Sarah Heller MW will be on hand to lead the tastings and a series of in-depth lectures, focusing on Italy's most important wine-producing regions. This will be the 27th edition of the VIA course and the first time collaborating with The Hue Society, offering two fee-waiver opportunities for society members. The VIA Community now spans 46 countries around the world, with a membership of over 1300 people who have taken the course and 346 who passed the exam to become certified Italian Wine Ambassadors, of whom 16 are certified Italian Wine Experts.
The new collaboration with The Hue Society continues VIA's work to open the door to people from marginalized communities who want to enter the wine sector as professionals. Managing Partner of Vinitaly, Stevie Kim, commented "VIA has been a diverse international community from the start and an important part of our ethos is to strive for more inclusivity within the wine industry. Partnering with The Hue Society gives us the opportunity to reach and support more people who want to join the world of wine despite the obstacle of the high cost of wine education and training."
Tahiirah Habibi, founder of The Hue Society and one of Wine Enthusiast's Future 40 Tastemakers, is planning to take The Hue Society to Italy. Habibi remarked, "By offering fee waivers to two members of The Hue Society community in the USA, VIA is taking the first step towards helping us grow our community in Italy and welcoming more people of color into the amazing world of Italian wine, as a place to study and explore career opportunities in the future."
What is VIA
The Vinitaly International Academy certification course is recognised as the gold standard of Italian wine education. 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 foundation of 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 ever studied the program since its inception in 2015, 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 and includes lasting friendships, an open forum for sharing wine information, and career opportunities. Members continue to participate throughout the year in events such as Academic Field Trips all across Italy, gathering in Verona to judge at 5StarWines &Wine Without Walls, attending OperaWine and wine2wine Business Forum, and continually increasing their knowledge and growing their connections across the wine sector.
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."
For more information and to apply:
Click on the link below and complete the application form. Hue Society members, please indicate your membership in the "Motivation" section.
https://www.vinitaly.com/en/training/vinitaly-international-academy/courses/via-new-york-2024/
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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 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 and Henry Davar IWE teach the flagship Italian Wine Ambassador course. To date, there are 346 Certified Italian Wine Ambassadors of which 16 are also Italian Wine Experts.
Media Contact
Vinitaly International Academy Media Team, Just Do The Work, 0458101447, [email protected], https://www.vinitaly.com/formazione/vinitaly-international-academy/
SOURCE Vinitaly International Academy
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