Newsroom

Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) welcomes the main Italian associations in the wine industry in support of its educational project. Following the appointment of Italian academic Prof. Attilio Scienza as its Chief Scientist, VIA starts a productive dialogue with  Federvini, Unione Italiana Vini (UIV), FederDOC, and FIVI Vignaioli Indipendenti on the trajectories of Italian wine education abroad. On Friday July 13th, 2018, VIA Founder Stevie Kim and VIA Chief Scientist Attilio Scienza met the representatives of the four major institutions in […]

Vinitaly International Academy’s recent evolution called for an academic guarantor that was found in Prof. Attilio Scienza, esteemed Italian scientist in the field of vine genetics. Scienza will act as the new Chief Scientist, ensuring academic integrity to the program. Italian scholar Attilio Scienza is the recently appointed Chief Scientist of the Vinitaly International Academy (VIA). After a major restyling, VIA now offers a complete educational path on Italian wines. The new ecosystem also features new faculty: MW Sarah Heller […]

Wine Without Walls, the natural wines section of the 5StarWines selection, saw 24 Italian wines making it through the grand tasting. Chaired by Monty Waldin for the first time, the selection once again confirmed Italy’s primacy on organic wine-growing. Italy is in pole position for organic, natural and biodynamic wine-growing. The country also has the largest surface area of vines under certified organic management worldwide, ahead of both Spain in second place and France in third. In light of this […]

Vinitaly International donated signature wines from renowned Italian wineries to the 13th edition of Taste of Hope, American Cancer Society’s charity event. Guests at the fundraising event sampled Prosecco, Chianti Classico, Valpolicella and more while enjoying gourmet dishes prepared by outstanding American chefs and restaurateurs.  On May 10th, 2018, Vinitaly International celebrated a nine year collaboration with the American Cancer Society at “Taste of Hope”, one of New York’s most popular fundraising events. Held at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New […]

  Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) announces the new faculty who will lead the reformatted edition of VIA in Hong Kong in November 2018 and in Verona, Italy in April 2019. Sarah Heller, the youngest MW in the world, and Henry Davar, the best scoring Italian Wine Expert in all 9 past editions, will take the lead in VIA’s new educational journey. Ian D’Agata retires after an exceptional and dedicated service at VIA as its Scientific Director and teacher for four […]

The first edition of 5StarSake held in Verona on April 13th, 2018, selected 18 finest sake brands, the best available in Italy. 5StarSake was held before Vinitaly as part of Vinitaly International’s annual wine selection 5StarWines. The last edition of 5StarWines included a special tasting section entitled “5StarSake” and dedicated to Japan’s national drink, sake. On the last day of the wine tasting, three renowned sake experts blindly tasted and evaluated 32 different kinds of sake. Chairman of the jury […]

Canada is the sixth biggest wine importer in the world and 14% of its wine imports come from Italy. During Vinitaly 2018, the seminar “Destination Canada: Opportunities for Italian Wine. A meet-up with the Canadian trade monopolies” illustrated current trends and the interests of the Canadian market in Italian wine. Canada extends more than 7,821 km, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Despite its harsh winters, Canada has made a name for itself in the wine industry. In […]

In the run-up to Vinitaly 2018, over 2700 wines from all over the world participated at the third edition of 5StarWines, Vinitaly International’s annual wine selection. Held April 11th to April 13th in Verona, over 600 wines achieved a score over 90 out of a 100, making it onto the 5StarWines-The Book. On April 13th, the third edition of 5StarWines came to a close at wine2digital, Verona. Organised by Vinitaly, 5StarWines is a three-day tasting aiming at shedding light on […]

On Saturday April 14th, 2018, 107 Italian wine producers gathered in Verona for “OperaWine, Finest Italian Wines: 100 Great Producers” to celebrate the quality and diversity of Italian wine along with its enduring bond with the United States, the largest market for Italian wines. Organised by Veronafiere and Vinitaly International in partnership with Wine Spectator, since 2012 OperaWine has been the opening act of Vinitaly as well as a showcase of the finest Italian wineries selected by the prestigious American […]

On April 15th, Vinitaly International Academy in collaboration with Austrian Wines will host a tasting on Austrian sweet wines. Lead by CEO of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board Willi Klinger, the seminar will be a unique opportunity to explore many renowned Austrian oenological gems. Austrian sweet wines iare crafted in different styles and with different production techniques. Spätlese and Auslese wines are very fruity and aromatic. They  demonstrate finesse with velvety residual sugar and a dynamic balance of fruit and […]

On April 17th, Vinitaly International will host a unique tasting on the Tastevinage Majors, among the winners of the renowned Burgundy wine competition. “Discover 17 gems of Burgundy: The Tastevinage Majors” will be a stimulating journey in the heart of the French region with Arnaud Orsel, Conseiller d’Honneur of the Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin.     Unlike in most other French wine regions, Burgundy’s vignerons mostly employ single grape varieties for their wines—Pinot Noir for the reds and Chardonnay […]

With the intent to shed a light on the hidden gems of Italian wine, Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) will host two Executive Wine Seminars during the 52nd edition of Vinitaly. Henry Davar, wine educator from USA and Vinitaly International Academy certified Italian Wine Expert, will introduce two unique tastings aimed at drawing attention to white and passito wines yet to be fully discovered and appreciated.     On Sunday April 15th, the first seminar, “L’Età del Bianco – A White […]