Into Italian Wine, Fifth Edition: The Italian Wine Professional Certification Course 2020

Everyone who enjoys wine knows at least a little bit about Italian wine, but at some point in the conversation—whether it’s as soon as it goes beyond Chianti or later when Gaglioppo or Colli Bolognesi Pignoletto comes up—just about everyone begins to feel out of their depth discussing the subject. It’s true that there is a lot to know about Italian wine—after all, Italy is the world’s largest producer of wine—but it’s not true that Italian wine is mysterious or incomprehensible, merely unfamiliar. This book helps make sense of it all and lifts the veil of mystery so that you will be able to feel comfortable approaching the wine list at Italian restaurants or the Italian section of your local fine wine shop on your next visit.

Into Italian Wine, which serves as a study guide for the Italian Wine Professional (IWP) certification course from Italian Wine Central, presents a self-study survey of the Italian wine industry and the country’s key wine regions and grape varieties. As a standalone course, it assumes no particular prior knowledge of Italian wine, leading the reader from an overview of the country through the various styles of wine toward the goal of being able to comfortably buy, sell, and discuss the broad spectrum of Italy’s wine styles.

Beyond the course content itself, Into Italian Wine contains additional resources such as language basics, suggestions for wines to be tasted as part of the program, a list of all the Italian wine denominations, and a synopsis of the rules that define the most frequently seen types of Italian wine. Throughout the course are dozens of compelling full-color pictures and custom-made maps. There are also extensive practical exercises that are invaluable for retaining the information presented.

The book and the course are targeted to the wine trade, but there is plenty of information here that will be useful and enlightening to consumers and others as well. If you’re new to Italian wine, use this book to create a solid framework of knowledge that will support a lifetime of learning and experience. If you’ve already got some familiarity with Italian wine, use the book to fill in gaps outside your prior experience and to verify that what you’ve already learned is still true in the ever-changing world of Italian wine.

The organization behind Into Italian Wine is Italian Wine Central, recognized as the leading English-language source of accurate, up-to-date information about Italian wine worldwide and a key spokesmedium for Italian wine in the United States. Online since 2013, the website features a wealth of information on every Italian wine denomination, including clear, concise summaries of the primary rules and regulations; details about more than 200 of the grape varieties used in Italian wines; statistics about the global and Italian wine trade; and topical articles and educational features. Italian Wine Central is organized in a powerful, searchable database that is optimized for mobile devices. With readers in more than 120 countries, Italian Wine Central serves as a central network for wine professionals wanting to learn and teach about Italian wines.

The Italian Wine Professional certification program was developed by Italian Wine Central to help those in the global wine trade—and by extension, those who buy and enjoy wine—to widen and deepen their knowledge of Italian wines in order to more confidently and professionally buy, sell, and consume these enchanting wines. The IWP program includes both online and in-class courses, this book, and a certification exam, with certified graduates and enrolled students around the world.