Wine education: who to partner with? Theory and Practice: equally important!

Wine education: who to partner with?

Lately - actually since mentioning my chosen course at Associazione Italiana Sommelier in blogs, social media and others - people often inquire with me during our tastings here and there which was my course, which offers the best results as wine education.

I am actually not the average reference. Taking into account my living in Italy between the wine hills of Barbaresco and Barolo from 2012 to 2019, I chose to train "onsite." But even apart from my situation at the time, but with the goal of mastering Piedmont in all its aspects, I would still choose to train with AIS because they are the best reference, especially if the overriding goal is to acquire Piedmont wine knowledge. To mention, the training is in Italian, not continuous but over several months per module.

If you want to travel to Turin, you don't go to Copenhagen first to go down to northern Italy, do you? So I took the shortest route.

There are only three officially recognized training institutes for sommeliers in Italy. AIS - Associazione Italiana Sommelier - is by far the largest, the most professional, the most widespread with local branches all over Italy. Founded in 1965, it focuses on training, wine culture and professional certification of sommeliers. Across Italy, 42,000 sommeliers have graduated between inception and today.

AIS has great prestige in Italy; restaurants, hotels and wine companies recognize the diploma as the highest degree of professional qualification.

In addition, ONAV is also active with the vast majority of wine lovers, not always with commercial purpose. And also FISAR, mainly represented in central and southern Italy with 12,000 members.

Even the local entities/training centers are very different with regard to the interpretation with a particular eye on the wines served during the classes. For example, I had the choice between Alba (only 18 km toz from where I live, or Turin (60 km). The Barolo wines during the lessons in Turin were of a much higher level!

And especially top on the bill? Once enrolled in a branch (e.g. Turin) you get notices and can sign up for all continuing education (or refresher courses), events, local themed tastings across all branches in Piedmont. So work is done to keep up to date and expand the acquired wine education. This cannot be compared to the short courses of barely two or three days in which you have to understand the Nebbiolo grape.

An example of a refresher course Nebbiolo - Barolo with 50 toppers Barolo in tasting:

STORIA E AMPELOGRAFIA

Relatori: Roberto Marro e Matteo Monchiero
Lesson 1:

Le etichette che hanno fatto la storia del Barolo - The labels that made the history of Barolo

Bartolo Mascarello - Barolo
Poderi Oddero - La Morra
Fratelli Barale - Barolo
Rinaldi - Barolo
Prunotto - Alba
Pio Cesare - Alba
Marchesi di Barolo - Barolo
Comm. G.B. Burlotto - Verduno
Fontanafredda - Serralunga
Borgogno - Barolo

Day 2:

GEOLOGIA 
Relatore: Edmondo Bonelli
Intervento di Pietro Ratti, già presidente del Consorzio Barolo/Barbaresco
Degustazione sensoriale commentata di undici Barolo

Cascina Fontana - Castiglione Falletto
Scarzello Giorgio & Figli - Barolo
Pira - Serralunga
F.lli Alessandria - Verduno
Ratti - La Morra
Iosetta Saffirio - Monforte
Grimaldi Bruna - Roddi
Marchese Fracassi - Cherasco
Camilla Scavino - Grinzane
Le Strette - Novello
Bricco Maiolica - Diano

Lesson 3:

Stili Enologici - Enological styles 
Relatori: Donato Lanati, Dora Marchi
Degustazione sensoriale commentata di otto vini

Aldo Conterno - "Il Romirasco"
Giacomo Conterno - "Il Monfortino"
Giuseppe Mascarello - "Il Monprivato"
Bruno Giacosa - "Le Rocche del Falletto"
Roberto Voerzio - "Le Brunate"
Domenico Clerico - "I Mosconi"
Paolo Scavino - "Il Bricco Fiasco"
Sandrone - "I Cannubi"
Massolino - "La Vigna Rionda"
G.B. Burlotto - "Il Monvigliero"

Lesson 4:

TERRITORIO E MENZIONI GEOGRAFICHE AGGIUNTIVE (MGA) - Terroir and MGA'S 
Relatore: Alessandro Masnaghetti
Intervento di Sergio Germano, presidente del Consorzio Barolo/Barbaresco
Degustazione sensoriale commentata di otto vini

Le grandi vigne:
Barolo Bussia (Giacomo Fenocchio)
Barolo Prapò (Germano)
Barolo Gabutti (G. Sordo)
Barolo Ginestra (Elio Grasso)
Barolo Cerretta (Giovanni Rosso)
Barolo Lazzarito (Guido Porro)
Barolo Briccolina (Rivetto)
Barolo Ornato (Palladino)

Lesson 5:

BAROLO: LA STORIA RECENTE - Barolo: recent history 
Relatore: Alessandro Masnaghetti
Degustazione sensoriale commentata di otto vini

Le grandi vigne:
Barolo Cannubi (Brezza)
Barolo Brunate (Marengo Mario)
Barolo Cerequio (M. Chiarlo)
Barolo Ravera (Cogno)
Barolo Bricco delle Viole (G.D. Vajra)
Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata (R. Costamagna)
Barolo Villero (Brovia)
Barolo Rocche di Castiglione (Vietti)

The know-how, the passion of the lecturers and moderators, the rich history of Barolo & Co that one puts down in very attractive presentations, I in turn pass on to my audience with equal Piedmont passion and vigor during our master classes and wine tastings.

Made In Piedmont Wines non si ferma!