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Maestro Italian Wine Course Offered in Miami: The First School Certified by Vinitaly International Academy

Miami, FL…October 3, 2019…The Italian Wine School based in Miami, Florida is pleased to announce that it will offer the first course certified by Vinitaly International Academy (VIA): Maestro Italian Wine Course certification study program.  Designed for wine industry professionals and aficionados, the eight session course will distinguish itself from other wine certifications in that it not only provides a comprehensive look at the major wine producing regions in Italy, but will delve into learning about indigenous grapes and wine regions not commonly discussed.

Italy has 500+ wine regions and to date, 590 officially recognized native wine grape varieties which sums up to more varieties than France, Spain and Greece combined.

The Maestro Italian Wine Course will provide groundbreaking materials which wine industry professionals can use when crafting their wine lists. That is a key tool in communicating to clients and will offer a new and different narrative.

 “The Maestro Italian Wine Course will expose a wealth of unknown information which they can in turn, present to their clients,” states Stefano Campanini, Italian Wine Ambassador and founder of the Italian Wine School. “Through the digital landscape, VIA is providing updates on industry developments by the minute. This will be key to crafting a broad wine list and communicating a new and different narrative. As a Vinitaly Italian Wine Ambassador, I must constantly be out in the field rather than just inside a textbook. It’s my objective to help people navigate through this labyrinth of Italian wine with the most current information and curated selections.”

Course Information

The Italian Wine Maestro course is the intermediate level from the Vinitaly International Academy (VIA). A number of outstanding students from the VIA Maestro course may be eligible for direct entry to the VIA Ambassador Certification Course.

The complete course consists of 24 hours of lessons and tastings and is divided in 8 sessions of 3 hours each and concludes with a written exam and tasting component.

  • Introduction: families and groups and focus on Italian sparkling
  • Piedmont’s native grapes
  • Native grapes of and Valle d’Aosta
  • Native grapes of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino-Alto Adige
  • Native grapes of Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany and Umbria
  • Native grapes of Le Marche, Abruzzo and Puglia
  • Native grapes of Lazio, Campania and Calabria
  • Native grapes of Sicily and Sardegna

The sessions included guided tastings of 85 wines representing the best producers and every region, while also exploring culture, history and regional food.

The first session will take place in January, 2020 and costs $895.00. Students who successfully pass the Italian Wine Maestro level course and wish to further their study may apply to enroll in the rigorous VIA study program held annually in Verona and abroad, wherein students pursue either the Ambassador or Expert credentials.

About Vinitaly International Academy (VIA)

Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) aims to be the gold standard of Italian wine education. VIA 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’s ecosystem comprising the main institutional bodies and associations in the Italian wine industry strives to be the conduit between the leading players in the Italian wine scene and international professionals.

There are currently three levels of certification available through the VIA program:

  • Italian Wine Maestro
  • Italian Wine Ambassador
  • Italian Wine Expert (VIA’S Highest Qualification Level)

About Stefano Campanini, IWA

Founder of Italian Wine School, Stefano Campanini is one of the 216 Italian Wine Ambassadors representing 33 different countries and one of only twelve people to receive the Italian Wine Ambassador pin of the thirty-nine people who wrote the exam in New York this past June.

Campanini ’s discerning palate was cultivated in his birthplace, Parma, Emilia Romagna named by Forbes: “Italy’s Greatest Gastronomic Treasure” and has travelled extensively in different wine regions.  He has a strong expertise in French and German wines. Campanini’s dream of sharing pleasure at the table began in 2011 when he opened Wine by the Bay. Since then, it has quickly become recognized as one of South Florida’s leading Champagne and boutique wine stores and was most recently awarded Wine-Searcher Gold in Overall and French lists in Miami.  “Wine is an education and not just a drink,” he’ll say while handcrafting a ‘tale of wine cities’ to both novices and aficionados alike.

Italian Wine School

6942 NE 4th Avenue, Miami, FL, 33138

305.857.8767, info@italianwineschool.org

www.italianwineschool.org @ItalianWineSchool

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Miami Wine Expert Receives Prestigious Vinitaly International Academy, Pin and Certification.

Stefano Campanini is one of twelve people to receive the Italian Wine Ambassador pin of the thirty-nine people who wrote the exam in New York this past Sunday.

Miami, FL…July 2, 2019…On Sunday, June 30th, Miami-based wine educator and Wine by the Bay owner, Stefano Campanini received the prestigious, Italian Wine Ambassador pin and certification, at the New York City presentation of the Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) Ambassador Course.

With the support of the ICE – Italian Trade Agency, VIA staged the Italian Wine Ambassador course at the 3 West Club from June 26th to 30th, concluding with a four-part vigorous examination: multiple choice test; a video presentation describing an assigned native grape’s history and territory; a blind tasting; and a two essay, written portion. Students are encouraged to prepare for the course with text book and tasting studies, at least two months ahead of the actual course and during the course receive theory classes, as well as taste approximately 250 wines.

“It’s an honor to be among 200 people from all over the world sharing the mission to instill passion and education to new and seasoned wine lovers,” says Campanini.

Campanini is one of twelve people to receive the Italian Wine Ambassador pin of the thirty-nine people who wrote the exam in New York this past Sunday. Not including the most recent recipients, VIA has trained 204 Wine Ambassadors from 33 countries, making Campanini one of only three educators to have received this prestigious title in South Florida.

A native of Parma, Italy, Campanini began his career in the United States as an art dealer in New York. Foreseeing the demand for collectible, contemporary and Latin American art in South Florida with the emergence of Art Basel (Miami), he would become one of the first gallerists to open a space in the Miami Design District in 2004, followed by two moves: Wynwood and now in its current location, Little Haiti.

In 2011, he decided to merge his passion for wine, food and art by opening a boutique, retail wine store in Downtown Miami. He envisioned an intimate space where both wine enthusiasts and experts could meet socially while exploring both the lesser known and most commonly known wine regions of the world, plus learn food and wine pairings and tips on cellar management. Today, he continues classes and services from his gallery, Etra Fine Art and at other locations offering both private and public events.

With his most recent title (he also holds the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, WSET Level 2), Campanini hopes to be South Florida’s first voice in Italian wine knowledge.

“Many people don’t know that there are 590 indigenous Italian grape varieties! I strive to represent wines that are lesser known, but much higher in quality than what most people get to experience based on the limited selection available in big-box stores,” concludes Campanini. “With each bottle that you open, there’s a story to be told. I’d like to introduce people to this narrative and help them learn more about the territory, history, cultivation and culture that adds to the uniqueness of Italian wines.”

About Wine by the Bay

Established in 2011, Wine by the Bay is an award-winning wine retail store specializing in rare and collectible wines and Champagne. Named Best Wine Store in New Times (2015); One of the Five Best New Wine Stores in the Nation by Details Magazine (2012) and most recently recipient of the Wine-Searcher Gold Awards for best European, French and Overall Lists in Miami (2018.) Wine by the Bay prides itself on presenting educational events for both the wine connoisseur and neophyte. Other services offered are: staff training or strategic wine list design for restaurants; cellar curatorship and management; private cellar selection purchasing; private and corporate events.

  • Wine by the Bay
  • 6942 NE 4th Avenue
  • Miami, FL 33138
  • www.winebtb.com
  • (305) 455-9791
  • info@winebtb.com
  • @WinebytheBay #WinebytheBay

About Vinitaly

The grand Vinitaly 2019 was held from April 7th to the 10th. Every year, Vinitaly counts more than 4,000 exhibitors on a 100,000+ square meter area and 130,000 visitors from over 140 different countries with more than 30,000 top international buyers. The premier event to Vinitaly, OperaWine “Finest Italian Wines: 100 Great Producers,” which will be held on the 6th of April, one day prior to Vinitaly will unite international wine professionals 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 this year launched the fourteenth edition of its Certification Course and today counts 204 Italian Wine Ambassadors and 14 Italian Wine Experts. For more information, visit www.vinitalyinternational.com.