#VINODENTRO:
A leader in online courses about wine tasting
Oenology is an ancient art, which in the 21st century is also accessible from home.
The project #VINODENTRO, built in partnership with the National Organization of Wine Tasters ONAV, is one of the first courses on oenology distributed entirely in digital form, which a few months after its launch has already reached hundreds of participants. This online course proves to us it is possible to do distance learning which focuses on quality, by combining the flexibility which can be adapted to one's free time and the in-depth knowledge typical of a structured course.
But how was this possible? We'll explain this starting with the history of the association, then moving on to the structure of the course and the idea behind this initiative.
The National Organization of Wine Tasters:
a reference point of the oenological discipline
ONAV is an organization with ancient roots. It was born as an emanation of the Asti Chamber of Commerce, in which was also involved the Experimental Oenological Station, the most renowned and authoritative research centre in Europe in the field of oenology, founded in 1872.
ONAV as we know it today was officially founded in 1951 as a centre of research, innovation and spreading of the culture of tasting to wine lovers.
This spirit of sharing knowledge is what has characterised the organization since its foundation to date. ONAV, in fact, organises both didactic activities for beginners and discussion moments for experts, with the aim of spreading the culture of drinking well in Italy and abroad.
A multi-phase digitalisation journey
The ideal thing to do when you want to transport the contents of an existing course, held in person, to a virtual platform, is to detach yourself from the original raw material in order to create something new, with the specification of adapting to the best means of communication that we want to use.
If we take face-to-face classroom teaching as our starting point and an effective, quality online course as our ultimate goal, there are intermediate realities along our path. Sometimes they are the prelude to a complete digital transformation (the entirely online course), while in other cases they exist as separate realities and functional for certain purposes (an example is distance learning in schools).
PHASE 1:
IN-PERSON LESSONS
The beginning of our path is in-person lessons, i.e., face-to-face lessons with the teacher who explains the content in front of the class using teaching materials and possibly digital media (projectors, interactive whiteboards).
PHASE 2:
CONFERENCE CALLS
As an example of intermediate reality, we find face-to-face lessons transported as they are onto conference call platforms (Zoom, Skype, Teams): in this form of teaching, the teacher speaks and shares his materials (PowerPoint presentations, pdf documents, images) with the students, exactly as it happens in face-to-face lessons. This was the most immediate and effective solution to meet the need created at the beginning of the new normal, but is this always the best solution?
PHASE 3:
#VINODENTRO
The completion of the digital transformation is a course designed ad hoc for an entirely online fruition, without constraints of time or place. This is where ONAV's experience comes in, having started writing the #VINODENTRO course in 2020. The user experience becomes fundamental: the course lessons are composed of videos filmed in the winery, interactive exercises and live tasting lessons, all to further enrich the experience of the user and stimulate his curiosity and attention.
PHASE 4:
THE FUTURE
What does the future hold for us? It's hard to say exactly, but we can imagine a new normal where online courses, which are a separate kind of teaching, can coexist with in-person teaching, as they are a valid choice for users with geographical needs and limitations (not being able to move, living far from where the course is held), or time constraints (work, other commitments, etc.).
#VINODENTRO: teachers become protagonists
What makes #VINODENTRO great? Like any great wine, an oenology course must have a body, an identifiable aroma, and a distinctive flavor.
THE BODY
First of all, we can start from the didactic value, the body of the course. #VINODENTRO is a 21-step structured and accurate course, which leads the user to the discovery of the cornerstones of oenology.
Its focal points are tasting and wine production techniques: it starts from the vine and the berry, the raw materials, then it proceeds to the transformation into must and, lastly, to the finished product. Everything is explained in detail in order to satisfy every kind of curiosity or doubt.
AN IDENTIFIABLE AROMA
Let's move on to the identifiable aroma; the visuals of the course. The didactic notions are mainly provided through videos shot in the winery, with an attractive appearance perfectly suited to the image of the organization. In this way, information is easier to remember, even for those who are being exposed to the subject for the first time.
Filming in the winery included ONAV teachers, who enriched this educational experience with their personality, their stage presence and their knowledge.
ONAV teachers, in fact, are recognised authorities in the field, consultants and researchers who have collaborated with the most famous wineries, and this choice was crucial for the success of the course.
Another outstanding feature of the platform is the possibility given to the users to contact their tutor, someone chosen by the Organization to manage the doubts and concerns of some of the students enrolled in the course. Upon entering the #VINODENTRO platform, each user first sees the name and photo of his tutor, a brief presentation and, most importantly, his contact details. The online course, therefore, becomes closer to the reality and the needs of the user.
A DISTINCTIVE FLAVOUR
However, let's get to the crux of everything, the distinctive flavor of the course: tasting and organoleptic evaluation of wines. This is where digital meets tangible with a Tasting Box, sent directly to users at home, which contains wine samples to be tasted during live lessons with teachers.
Tasting is a discipline that must be trained, and thanks to the Tasting Box, those who attend the course can put into play the knowledge acquired directly in the field.
... now what?
If you're curios and you speak Italian, you can take a look at the trial version of the course.
All the information about the course and the teachers are on ONAV’s official website, on the dedicated website and on ONAV’s Instagram page.