Accelerated Italian Wine Specialist™

Classes take place every evening, running from Monday, August 11, to Sunday, August 17, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Italy is not one wine country—it’s a thousand. From the Alps to Africa’s doorstep, its vineyards are a living map of ancient migrations, empires, and evolving taste. This accelerated certification course explores the full spectrum of Italian wine, region by region, grape by grape. Over seven intensive sessions, students will uncover Italy’s indigenous varieties, historic appellations, and modern wine movements, with particular attention to terroir, tradition, and transformation.

This program is designed for hospitality professionals, winemakers, sommeliers, and passionate wine students seeking a deep and well-structured understanding of Italy’s wines. Expect full immersion. Expect to taste widely. Expect to leave changed.

Class 1 – The Edge of Empire: Sicily, Sardinia & Calabria

From Phoenician vineyards to volcanic revival, the wines of southern Italy’s islands and the Calabrian coast tell stories of survival and rediscovery. Expect intense minerality, ancient grape lineages, and a sharp turn away from the international wine norms.

Class 2 – The Fire Beneath: Campania, Basilicata & Puglia

This class explores some of Italy’s deepest winemaking roots, alongside the fertile, sun-drenched plains of Puglia. It’s a tension between high-altitude structure and coastal abundance. This is where Italy’s past and future collide in a glass.

Class 3 – Hidden Heartlands: Le Marche, Abruzzo & Molise

Central Italy’s Adriatic side produces some of the most undervalued and expressive wines in the country. From the verdant hills of Verdicchio to the dark power of Montepulciano, this class brings unsung heroes to light.

Class 4 – Sacred & Secular: Liguria, Tuscany, Umbria & Lazio

Here we find Sangiovese in its many dialects, but also coastal whites, Roman reds, and monastic wines born from Etruscan soil. This class explores how wine has shaped—and been shaped by—religion, empire, and regional pride.

Class 5 – Precision & Purity: Friuli, Trentino-Alto Adige & Lombardy

Welcome to the north. Alpine wines, skin-contact whites, metodo classico sparklers, and racy acidity rule here. This class is a masterclass in structure, elevation, and international influence shaped by Austria, Slovenia, and Switzerland.

Class 6 – Vines of the Plain: Veneto & Emilia-Romagna

This session explores the tension between mass-market success and fine wine aspiration from Amarone chateaus to the Lambrusco lowlands. The great and powerful rub shoulders in this diverse and important wine region.

Class 7 – The Intellectual North: Piedmont & Valle d’Aosta

The course culminates in Italy’s most cerebral region: Piedmont. Nebbiolo takes center stage, flanked by high-altitude oddities from Valle d’Aosta. This class digs deep into terroir theory, traditionalism, and the philosophical tug-of-war between past and present.