Valpolicella Education Program

The Valpolicella Education Program (VEP) is a complete educational project about the wines and the area of Valpolicella, structured in three progressive levels of study with standardized programs. Levels 1 and 2 are offered through a network of VEP certified educators in various countries of the world under the supervision of the Consortium for the tutelage of Valpolicella wines that guarantees the high level of competence. Level 3 is taught exclusively in Valpolicella by the Technical Scientific Committee of the VEP, composed of university professors and experts of the relative topics.

CERTIFICATION COURSES

Intermediate Level 1 - ONLINE SOON
1,5 Hours | Qualification - Valpolicella Explorer

Designed for wine lovers, this 90-minutes course introduces to the Valpolicella world: from the geographical areas and main characteristics of the terroir to the wine styles. The student learns to orientate in the choice of Valpolicella DOC wines, according to the desired characteristics, describe them accurately and pare them in the best way.

The theoretical lesson will include the following topics:
  • Terroir.
  • Native grape varieties.
  • Appassimento - a unique winemaking technique in the world. 
  • Key characteristics of the Valpolicella wines.
  • Some historical curiosities, a market overview, and the key aspects of traceability.

Tasting will include the main wine types: Valpolicella DOC, Valpolicella Ripasso DOC, Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG, and Recioto della Valpolicella DOCG.

A multiple-choice test will take place at the end of the course to obtain the certificate.

Advanced Level 2 - WORLD WIDE
4 Hours | Qualification – Valpolicella Scholar

This course is designed for wine enthusiasts and professionals interested in increasing their knowledge about Valpolicella region.  This 5-hour course consists of one lesson divided into two parts.

The first part will include the following topics:
  • The terroir and the different production zones: the Valpolicella wine production territory, in its complexity, is extremely suitable to produce quality wines.
  • The native grape varieties of Valpolicella: Valpolicella wines are produced from blends of different grape varieties.
  • The Appassimento: one of the techniques that makes the production of wine in Valpolicella unique is the one of the appassimento (drying grapes) in the so called "fruttai”
The second part will deal with the essential elements concerning the following aspects of wines:
  • Production styles and winemaking techniques: in Valpolicella, red wines are produced using the same blend, but with different alcohol contents, structure, and commercial positioning.
  • Commercial and legal aspects: there will be provided notions on the positioning on the world markets of Valpolicella wines, the key factors on traceability and protection of Valpolicella wines.
  • The history of Recioto and Amarone: the viticultural tradition of Valpolicella was born in Roman times and passed down through the centuries to the present day.

Tasting time. All types of wine produced in Valpolicella.

A multiple-choice test and a blind tasting will take place at the end of the course to obtain the certificate.

Proficient Level 3 - VERONA, ITALY
12 Hours | Qualification - Valpolicella Wine Specialist

It designed for high profile professionals working in the wine industry with wine education background, confirmed by such wine authorities as Master Of Wine, Master Sommelier, WSET (Diploma or Level 3), Vinitaly International Academy etc. The duration of the course is 12 hours in total, carried out in 2 days and divided into 6 modules. The course involves an in-depth study of the “Syllabus” that is provided before the course.

The theoretical part contains 5 modules:

The rules on the names of wines. Labelling, Appellations of Origin, Trademarks, Consortia, Tutelage.

This module is specific to the Valpolicella wine labelling rules and the legal aspects related to them. It is also tackled the rules on Designations of Origin, with particular reference to the discipline of the trademarks and intellectual property, to better understand the nature and the extent of the protection measures that fall within the activities of the Consortia.

The Regulations of Valpolicella wines.

Starting from the definition of “production regulations " as the purpose and fundamental tool of the quality of an agri-food product, the characteristics of the regulations of Valpolicella wines are declined: how they are structured, what they regulate and how they are applied.

Valpolicella wine market.

The Valpolicella wine markets around the world are explored here, given their strong propensity to export and their optimal segmentation to cover different price ranges, positioning and prestige; this with particular attention to the trends of recent years and the short-to medium-term prospects.

Valpolicella genetic and environmental resources.

The terroir is a fundamental element for the characterization of each wine: Valpolicella presents unique pedo-climatic elements that are described in this module in depth also using important scientific research conducted in recent decades, also in view of ongoing climate change. The main grape varieties used in Valpolicella are also treated, their agronomic characteristics and their contribution to the blend.

The wines of Valpolicella.

Winemaking peculiarities and compositional characteristics. The greatest peculiarity of Valpolicella vinicola is undoubtedly represented by the ancient and very particular oenological techniques that allow to obtain the unique wines that the whole world appreciates.
These techniques are explained here in depth, with interesting focus on the biochemical dynamics of the drying process, on the technique of ripasso, and on the long fermentations and refinements that lead to the structure and elegance of these great reds.


Tasting Valpolicella.

All of the knowledge accumulated in the five modules are here applied to the tasting, which consists of a series of about 20 samples, representing all types and areas of Valpolicella, with an increase in structure and alcohol, trying also blind tasting to the different sensory characteristics.

The course assessment will be offered at the end of the course. All students who pass the examination will receive the certificate.

Today we have 50 Valpolicella Wine
Specialists around the world!

Valpolicella Wine Specialists 2018-2023


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VEP VIDEOS

Explore our extensive video collections including our:


#ValpolicellaWineTalks with Kevin Gagnon | Valpolicella Wine Zones and Vinification



#ValpolicellaWineTalks with Kevin Gagnon | Grape Varieties and The Blend



Ten Minutes on Terroir: The Soils of Valpolicella