ONAV CELEBRATES 75 YEARS OF EVOLUTION IN WINE KNOWLEDGE

It's the evolution we're experiencing today of a product that has always been a symbol of Italianness, sociability, and know-how. An evolution that's part of life and that ONAV, the National Organization of Wine Tasters, has interpreted since it was founded in 1951. " Our mission has always been to educate people and spread a passion for wine ," says Vito Intini, National President of ONAV. " When it was founded, when wine was considered food, the idea of spreading the culture of this product and defining a standard for understanding its quality was pioneering. Our mission today is to educate people who understand what's in the glass, but also how much to pay for a wine and all the work that goes into it ." With these words, Vito Intini opened the ONAV conference, "75 Years of Wine Culture." Wine, consumption and education between past, present and future” , held in Asti, moderated by the journalist Paolo Massobrio, with speakers Vincenzo Gerbi, President of the Scientific Council and Full Professor at the University of Turin, and Vincenzo Russo, Full Professor at IULM University.

Over the past 75 years, ONAV has trained over 100,000 tasters, helping them not only understand wine culture but also better understand and utilize their senses. It has done so through established training programs but also by reaching out to diverse audiences through numerous projects: from initiatives aimed at the blind, visually impaired, and deaf to courses on the history of wine in schools, from online training to the advanced SUMAV and Master Sommelier programs. Its importance was recognized by the presentation of a commemorative plaque by the Piedmont Region , which took place during the conference. " Wine tasters, life tasters, " as Vincenzo Gerbi defined them. Understanding how even minimal differences in composition can produce different sensory experiences helps us discern the grape variety, the terroir, and the producer's work in the glass: knowledge that changes the way we choose and use our senses to approach any product.

The new challenge today is to pass on this knowledge to new generations and accompany a transforming sector , evolving tools and languages without losing scientific rigor, stated ONAV director Camilla De Paolis.

And to interpret the needs of new consumers and use a more effective method of communication, a valuable tool is knowing how the brain works.

Neuroscience's contribution clarifies how this skill is built. Experts don't have better receptors: they've learned to use what they perceive better , explained Vincenzo Russo . Attention, comparison of samples, and memory train perception; recognizing the influence of price, label, and context is part of the ability to make judgments. This evidence provides suggestions for more participatory and experiential teaching, including through wine tourism, capable of meeting the learning styles of new generations.