Wine is an “indispensable superfluity”, which lives on symbols like art

The second edition will be held from October 24th to February 28th in Catania.

Having concluded the first Cultural Course for Master Sommeliers, ONAV is preparing for the next edition, which will be held in Catania from October 24th to February 28th. This original program combines technical and tasting training with broader, generally under-explored topics such as anthropology, neuroscience, and sociology. The goal is to train experts capable of interpreting the contemporary market and evolving consumer needs , including an understanding of the new social meaning and new ways of consuming. Many authoritative instructors will be involved. According to anthropologist Ernesto Di Renzo , who opened the course, wine " is the fruit of human culture and is the only agricultural food product that approaches a work of art because it thrives on imagination, symbols, and experience . Taste itself is not exclusively a sensory phenomenon, but a cultural construction of the person who tastes it," he explained.

" With this program, we wanted to offer new tools for understanding the present and interpreting the future of wine ," comments Vito Intini, president of ONAV. " Technical preparation remains the foundation of our training , but today professionals must be aware of the cultural and social changes that influence consumption . Knowing how to convey their deepest, most intangible meaning and engaging with diverse audiences means helping to keep wine alive and contemporary ."

From this perspective, wine isn't just something you taste, but above all a story. " Today we consume more and more symbols than products : it's that intangibility built around wine that determines much of its perceived value ," Di Renzo observed.

Changes in language, consumption patterns, and consumer experiences must be considered. Occasions are changing, audiences are changing, and the way wine should be presented is changing. According to Di Renzo , " Wine is an 'indispensable superfluity' : it must be communicated as a cultural and pleasurable asset , not just as a food product. If it fails to become a contemporary beverage, it risks progressively losing relevance ."

According to Di Renzo, this also explains the rise of lighter, more convivial wines— vins de soif, as they're known in France—capable of accompanying new forms of socializing, as well as the focus on original production experiences and new generations of winemakers, increasingly committed to rethinking the language, style, and identity of wine. Ernesto Di Renzo is just the first of a number of speakers scheduled to deliver the Cultural Course, starting October 24th in Catania. Here's the list.

The teachers of the second edition of the Cultural Course for Master Sommeliers : Ernesto di Renzo (Tor Vergata University), Alessandro Brizi, Giuseppe Vaccarini, Vito Intini, Claudio Maspes, Giuseppe Perretti (UNI PG), Ercole Aloe, Tommaso Tresoldi, Vincenzo Russo (IULM Milan), Enrico Patti.

The teachers of the first edition : Ernesto Di Renzo, professor at Tor Vergata University, Claudio Maspes, ASPI professor, Agata Zani, master brewer, Ercole Aloe, agronomist and professional taster of virgin and extra virgin olive oils, Mario Gambigliani Zoccoli, owner of the Acetaia Gambigliani Zoccoli and president of the Consortium of Ancient Acetaie Producers and the Association of Expert Balsamic Vinegar Tasters, Tommaso Tresoldi, ASPI sommelier and ONAV taster, Alessandro Brizi, journalist and food and wine professor, Vincenzo Russo, associate professor of Consumer Psychology and Neuromarketing at IULM University of Milan, Enrico Cerea, executive chef of the “Da Vittorio” restaurant.