Vinitaly International Academy Returns to Complex and Fast-Growing Canadian Wine Market
(PRWEB) February 23, 2016 -- After its first debut in Toronto last year, Vinitaly International is now soon to return to one of the most important and, at the same time, most complex markets in the world on the occasion of Canada’s premier wine show in Vancouver, the Vancouver International Wine Festival (20-28 February 2016).
With its 25,000+ attendees in 2015, this year the international festival shines the spotlight on Italy as the theme country with a number of events and activities aimed at providing an informative, educational and entertaining wine experience for public and trade.
As one of the Festival’s many protagonists, the Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) will be presenting a series of three Executive Wine Seminars led by Dr. Ian D’Agata, Scientific Director of VIA, who will be supported for the fist time by VIA’s first Italian Wine Expert, Michaela Morris, and Italian Wine Ambassador, Gurvinder Bhatia.
“Our Canadian contingency of the VIA community is fast-growing and it just made sense for us to come back to foster a deeper understanding of Italian native grapes through our VIA seminars here in Vancouver, with our two Canadian VIA representatives. Last year, in Italy, both Michaela and Gurvinder underwent a rigorous certification program and we are proud to have both debuted with Ian at their side. We have a rather modest objective to become the gold standard for Italian Wine education in the world by certifying Italian Wine Ambassadors and in their turn teach the local professionals and winelovers to become Italian Wine advocates. In fact, we are looking forward to rolling-out a highly specialized grape variety focused program that will uniquely differentiate our Italian Wine courses from all others in 2017”, remarks Stevie Kim, Founder of Vinitaly International Academy.
The three seminars will offer a public, 300+ members of trade, an overview of Italy’s immense diversity of native grapes, terroirs, and wine styles with the aim of further increasing sales of Italian wine in a Country where wine consumption has risen by 14% in the past 4 years (three times the world’s average). (Source: http://tinyurl.com/jr3lsc7)
The seminars will cover “Italy’s Indigenous Whites” and “Italy’s Autochthonous Reds” on the 24th of February and “Italy’s Great Wines: Evolution North to South” during the Festival’s opening plenary session the following day.
“Boasting the likes of Barolo and Brunello di Montalcino, Italy has always been thought of as a country excelling at red wine production” Doctor D’Agata explains when introducing his first seminar. “However, the last thirty years have seen an amazing improvement in Italy’s white wines as well” which he goes on to describe as characterized by harmonious, lively acidities, crisp fruit and floral aromas and flavours. “Italian whites are also amazingly age-worthy. Still today, few people realize that a well made Verdicchio Riserva, Etna Bianco (those made with 100% Carricante, at least) and Soave can easily last and improve for upwards of ten years.” In this guided tasting, Ian D’Agata will showcase many of Italy’s greatest white wines, including what are undoubtedly the country’s top two or three best: Passito di Pantelleria, Pecorino, and Greco di Tufo.
Passing on to red wines in the second seminar of the day, Doctor D’Agata will be presenting many little known but outstanding wines made with native red grapes from Italy: amongst them the country’s most famous Grignolino wine and memorable Ciliegiolo and Pugniotello. This tasting will thus represent a unique opportunity for trade to taste and learn about great Italian wines that are unfortunately off most wine radars, as well as provide tangible help to those producers who toil with less sexy and famous cultivars but that grow and farm them with passion and joy.
Last but not the least, on the 25th of February the VIA will offer local trade an overview of Italy’s best known wines and estates: Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, Trentodoc, Taurasi and much more. Very famous names in the Italian world of wine such as Argiolas, Barone Ricasoli, Biondi-Santi, Mastroberadino, Medici Ermete and Umani Ronchi will have one of their wines featured in what promises to be a standout tasting showcasing the exceptional quality, uniqueness and age worthiness of Italy’s best wines.
About:
Veronafiere is the leading organizer of trade shows in Italy including Vinitaly (http://www.vinitaly.com), the largest wine and spirits fair in the world. During its 49th edition Vinitaly counted some 4.000 exhibitors on a 100.000 square meter area and 150.000 visitors including more than 2.600 journalists from 46 different countries. The next edition of the fair will take place on 10 - 13 April 2016.
The premier event to Vinitaly, OperaWine (http://www.vinitalyinternational.com) “Finest Italian Wines: 100 Great Producers,” will unite international wine professionals on April 9th in the heart of Verona, offering them the unique opportunity to discover and taste the wines of the 100 Best Italian Producers, as selected by Wine Spectator. Since 1998 Vinitaly International travels to several countries such as Russia, China, USA and Hong Kong 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 has now also created its very first Certification Course with the aim of creating new Ambassadors of Italian Wine in the World.
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Francesca de Stefani, Vinitaly International, http://www.vinitalytour.com, +39 +39 045 8101447, [email protected]
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