The new Ambassadors are Nico Boulay of Hong Kong, Peter Bourke of Australia, Hei Tung Zita Chan of Hong Kong, Aubrey Lau of Hong Kong, Sean Ou of Singapore and Yongzhi Angie Tan of Hong Kong. Dongrui Bella Ma of Hong Kong passed the exam for the second time.

The VIA Hong Kong Students who passed the exam with VIA Faculty Sarah Heller, Italian Consul General in Hong Kong and Macau Carmelo Ficarra, and Trade Commissioner at ITA – Italian Trade Agency (Hong Kong office) Paola Bellusci.

The Vinitaly International Academy certification course is recognised as the gold standard of Italian wine education.‥ The VIA community comprises over 1300 candidates, of whom 346 have now achieved the title Italian Wine Ambassador and 16 of those are qualified as Italian Wine Experts.‥The VIA Community, composed of all students who have ever studied the program since its inception in 2017, form 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. ‥

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 challenge students to join a profound and up-to-the-minute conversation about Italian wines and what makes them so unique in the world. We aim to engage and immerse our students, give them new tools to communicate these wines and a solid foundation to become true Ambassadors, promoting Italian wines around the world.”‥

VIA holds satellite courses at various times during the year. The Flagship Course is held annually in Verona in the days leading up to Vinitaly, the international wine and spirits exhibition organized by Veronafiere. The next Flagship course will be held 4-8 April 2024. Applications will open on the VIA website in December 2023. Satellite courses in other locations around the world will be announced later in the year, through VIA social media and on the VIA website. To apply: https://eventi.vinitalytour.com/en/sign-up-via/ or send an email to [email protected].

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 and organized manner. VIA’s main objective is to foster a global network of highly qualified professionals of Italian Wine Ambassadors and Italian Wine Experts who will support and promote Italian wine throughout the world. VIA was founded by Stevie Kim, Managing Director of Vinitaly International. The new VIA ecosystem is guided by the 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 teach the flagship Italian Wine Ambassador course. To date, there are 346 Certified Italian Wine Ambassadors of whom 16 are also Italian Wine Experts.

Media Contact

Vinitaly International Academy Media Team, Just Do The Work, 0458101447, [email protected], https://vinitalyinternational.com/vinitaly-international-academy-3/

SOURCE Vinitaly International Academy