Vinitaly International Academy or VIA is an educational initiative created by Vinitaly International aimed at simplifying the vast diversity of Italian grape varietals by explaining, divulging and broadcasting the characteristics of Italian wine around the world.

In February 2014 Vinitaly International launched its educational project, the Vinitaly International Academy (VIA) with the aim of divulging and broadcasting the excellence and diversity of Italian wine around the globe. The launch was made by Stevie Kim (Managing Director of Vinitaly International) and Dr Ian D’Agata (the original Scientific Director of VIA).
 VIA held the first edition of its Certification Course just before Vinitaly 2015 with 55 candidates from 17 different countries. In 2018 VIA launched the seventh edition of its Certification Course and as of July 2018 counted 151 Italian Wine Ambassadors and 11 Italian Wine Experts.

On Friday July 13th, 2018, VIA Founder Stevie Kim and VIA Chief Scientist Attilio Scienza (who took over Dr D’Agata’s role) met the representatives of the four major institutions in the Italian wine sector, that will form the new VIA’s Institutional Advisory Board. At wine2digital in Verona, Kim and Scienza discussed VIA’s enlarged and reformatted project with FederDOC President Riccardo Ricci Curbastro and Director Cristiana Tirabovi, Federvini Director Ottavio Cagiano, UIV Communications Director Giulio Somma, and FIVI President Matilde Poggi. The associations endorsed VIA’s new directions and commitment to build the international gold standard for Italian wine education as well as the so-called VIA Ecosystem, the educational and administrative infrastructure that will engage not only wineries and professionals from all over the world, but also the Italian wine world at large, with local bodies like consortiums. VIA’s Institutional Advisory Board members will act as the institutional guarantors of the project and will help enhance the connections between the sector in Italy and international trade professionals that come to Italy to learn more about its wines.

VIA Certification Courses have been taught by Faculty members such as Sarah Heller MW and Henry Davar.