When in Rome: check into the International Wine Academy

Wines & Vines, July, 2003 by Susan Low

The Piazza di Spagna, near Rome's famous Spanish Steps, is renowned for being home to silver-tongued, would-be Latin Lovers. This is where the boys from the 'burbs come to practice their most dubious pick-up lines on the many unsuspecting female tourists who gather there. But now, rather than merely dropping (or dodging) those pick-up lines, locals and tourists alike can put their tongues and palates to work at the newly opened International Wine Academy.

Located in a palazzo in a small side street a short stroll from the Spanish Steps, the new academy is like a cross between a wine school and a London gentlemen's club. It comes as little surprise, then, that well-known figures in the British wine trade, such as Steven Spurner (who founded the Academie du Vin in Paris in 1973), Michael Broadbent (long-time director of Christie's Wine Department in London) and legendary wine book author Hugh Johnson are part-owners in the venture.

The project was spearheaded by Roberto Wirth, the owner of the well-known Hassler Hotel in Rome. Other investors include wine writer Burton Anderson, wine producer Gelasio Gaetani Lovatelli d'Aragona and winemaker Peter Vinding Diets.

The academy offers various types of wine courses, aimed at both visitors and locals (courses are taught in English and Italian). Beginner's courses are taught in two sessions, while intermediate and advanced courses (covering Italian wines only) are taught in five sessions. There is also a course covering French wines (four sessions) and another course covering grape varieties of the world (four sessions). One-off masterclasses on various subjects given by the likes of glass-meister Georg Riedel and Italian wine expert Burton Anderson are offered too.

Most of the wine courses are taught by Andrea Sturniolo, an Italian who spent several years in the UK wine trade.

Upstairs from the teaching rooms are a library/reading room, a plush restaurant and a roof terrace. The International Wine Academy's director Valentina Morriconi describes the library and dining room as "like an English club." Members of the academy (membership costs 20 euros per year, but students get automatic membership) can dine in the restaurant and use the members-only area for drinks in the evening. For those flush with cash and wanting a smart address when in Rome, there are also four bedrooms, costing 500-600 euros per night. (Ouch.)

For more information e-mail: info@wineacademyroma.com or phone 011 39 06 699 0878.

(Susan Low reports on the world wine scene from her base in London. An award-winning wine and spirits writer, she is the European correspondent for Wines & Vines. Low can be contacted at edit@winesandvines.com.)