The competition, organized by AEPI, was created to promote the figure of the Professional Winemaker, a growing job which also attracts young people, as demonstrated by the age of the finalists, mostly Under 30.
A revelation, which confirms how the Professional Winemaker is a contemporary, stimulating and complex figure, capable of responding to ever-changing needs and questions of every type of customer.
<< The professional winemaker is a profession that knows no crisis. In fact, a third of AEPI members are under 40 and almost all new members are young. – Says the new AEPI president Filippo Gastaldi, born in 1983, at the helm of the Enoteca Un Mondo di Vino in Orzinuovi (BS), already the Best Sommelier in Lombardy with a degree in Oenology and one in International Economics. – It is therefore not surprising that, among the competitors of the 3rd edition of the Competition, more than half are Under 30. The objective now is to make the Association grow, and the Competition fits into this context, to raise awareness of the Association and promote the membership of new members, both those who work in take-away wine shops and those who work in pour-over wine shops .>> The Competition also has the task of encouraging the Professional Wine Maker to always improve himself, putting himself out there, studying and growing their skills but also by developing their critical thinking. The tests during the selections are, in fact, increasingly more complex. For this reason the Jury chaired by Stefano Caffarri and composed of Giuseppe Vaccarini, President of Aspi (Italian Professional Sommelier Association), Lido Vannucchi (wine & food consultant), Alessandra Piubello (professional journalist), Anna Maschio (producer) put to the test contestants with complex questions, combining listening skills, empathy, adaptability and imagination. Questions in Italian but also in English, some of which also involve knowing the customer's psychology, such as when the need arises to correct him without offending him.
Now the six competitors will have time to prepare for the final, in the heart of Rome, on 11 November.
In the meantime, they will participate in the training course, scheduled from 17 to 21 March, organized by the Enoteca del Barolo to introduce the best-known Piedmontese DOP products, starting from Barolo, to deepen their knowledge of the MGA, and by the Nas-cetta, one of the few white grape varieties in this land of red wines, but also the PGI Piedmont hazelnut, the Murazzano PDO and the Prosciutto Crudo di Cuneo PDO. It will be an important experience because the Professional Winemaker is increasingly also involved in pairing it with food. Finally, in October, for the third consecutive year, the internship in Épernay, organized by the Comité Champagne, will be held.
The competition takes advantage of the patronage of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (Masaf) and is organized in collaboration with Vinarius Associazione Enoteca Italiane with the support of the Consortium for the Protection of DOC Cirò and Melissa Wines, the Chianti Classico Wine Consortium, the Consortium Collio, Friuli Colli Orientali and Ramandolo Consortium, Institute for the Protection of Trentino Grappa and Consortium for the Protection of Trentino Wines.
Competition
The competition is open to all professional winemakers, wine shop owners, employees or consultants, collaborators or freelancers. There are two competition categories: the first dedicated to wine sellers who work in bottle shops exclusively with takeaway sales and the other dedicated to those who work in public establishments with sales and serving such as wine bars, wine shops and taverns where it is possible to taste and purchase wines and spirits. Finally, there will be two special prizes: the Best Wine Shop Under 30 (under the aegis of the Chianti Classico Wine Consortium) and the Best Wine Shop in Italy Abroad (under the aegis of the Consortium for the Protection of Friuli Colli Orientali and Ramandolo Wines).
Registration will be open from 9 November 2023 to 31 January 2024. Three tests will follow, the first and second online in February 2024, while the final will be held in person in November 2024 in Rome.
The competition will test competitors on complex topics, which will require analytical and reasoning skills as well as technical knowledge. A jury made up of five experts will evaluate the preparation in three consecutive selections: in addition to the jury president Stefano Caffarri there will be a professional sommelier, a journalist, a communicator and a trainer.
Who is the Professional Winemaker
The wine shopkeeper is increasingly a complex figure. He is first and foremost the person to turn to when choosing a wine but his work is not necessarily aimed at selling the bottle.
He holds introductory wine courses for enthusiasts, organizes private tastings, even at home, guides customers who want to be supported with a service that they would otherwise not be able to find and manages private cellars.
The catering industry also sees a reference in this figure. The economic crisis and the lack of specialized personnel have led many establishments to give up the figure of the sommelier and turn to the wine shop for the management of the wine list and/or the training of the dining room staff responsible for serving the wine.
The Professional Winemaker therefore becomes the consultant capable of responding to needs with flexibility and competence.
The consultant for wine collectors
The wine dealer is also able to advise on the purchase of collectible wines or estimate the value of an important bottle when the owner wants to sell it. A sector, that of collectible wines, monitored by the LivEx index, which evaluates the most sought-after collectible wines in the world, the subject of a real market that holds up even in times of crisis.
Finally, the wine shopkeeper is a communicator: he can collaborate with online and offline magazines, be an influencer on social media, be part of the juries of wine competitions.
With Law 14 January 2013, n.4, the Italian State regulates and provides for professions that do not refer to orders or colleges. It also provides for a list published on the MIMiT website, in which AEPI is present, where the Associations that issue certificates of quality and professional qualification of the services provided by members are listed, and supervises on behalf of the State compliance with the Statute, the Code ethics and mandatory continuous updating.
