Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) successfully launched its first ever Certification Course in USA at Astor Center, in the heart of New York City. After a week of training followed by a final exam held on June 30th, VIA welcomed its 13 new Italian Wine Ambassadors (IWAs).

Representing the one and only opportunity for wine professionals to gain extensive knowledge on the vast subject of Italian grapes and wines, the Certification Course enables all professionals to speak of Italian wine in a unified and organized manner, with true in-depth knowledge. Five days of intense classroom lectures and wine tastings were conducted by Dr. Ian D’Agata, author of Native Wine Grapes of Italy (winner of the 2015 Louis Roederer International Wine Book Awards as Book of the Year). D’Agata, who has been running the course since 2015, was joined by Henry Davar, an Italian Wine Expert (IWE); a title given to those who reached the highest rank, who helped facilitate the course.