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Should I pursue the Italian Wine Professional (IWP) credential if I already have other wine certifications?
Well, we asked our students, and the short answer is, “Yes.” There are many reasons you might want to explore the wines of Italy more deeply. Given the importance of Italian wine in the industry as a whole, there is certainly no downside to gaining a bit more knowledge and confidence about the subject. Besides, Italy is a beautiful country and her wines are built for food. Why not explore more!
If you already have a robust knowledge of Italian wine, the IWP credential is available as a stand-alone exam. If you need a course to help you prepare for the exam, Italian Wine Central’s Exploring Italian Wine is the way to go, and you can bundle the two together. In this short video, hear from Italian Wine Central’s managing director Geralyn Brostrom who shares her thoughts on how the IWP can complement your other wine studies and certifications.
Many of our IWP students already hold one of the wines-of-the-world certifications from an organization such as Wine and Spirit Education Trust or Society of Wine Educators. However, Exploring Italian Wine goes into more depth about Italy than most wine education programs do. This could be an important factor for you if you specialize in Italian wine for your job or if you would like to open up more opportunities in your wine career moving forward. Our students find that the course and/or the counterpart textbook Into Italian Wine is ideal for filling in the gaps left by more general courses.
“I felt when studying WSET [Level 3] that I wasn’t able to put nearly as much work into Italy as I did other regions, in large part because it was so big and expansive and, frankly, confusing. . . I definitely feel like I have a good foundation now, where the IWP was able to fill in the missing gaps.” —Jess Helfand, dipWSET, wine educator and certified IWP instructor
Even if you simply want to learn more about Italian wine for your own enjoyment, the Exploring course is an excellent way to get a complete view of Italian wines all in one place. The course also incorporates topics like the Italian language, cuisine, history, and geography, all richly illustrated with tantalizing photos. If you are up for the challenge, you can add on the IWP certification exam.
“I took this course for personal enrichment and was incredibly happy to get such detailed information on the subject. Everyone interested in Italian wines—but certainly everyone working with Italian wines—should deepen their knowledge base with this course. . . .” —Barbara Hartman, travel tour director and certified IWP
Are you interested in Exploring Italian Wine or tackling the IWP exam, or both? Click here to visit our shop, where you can learn more or enroll today.
Wondering which study path is best for you? Take a look at our complete course catalog to compare all of our Italian wine education options side by side.