An evening walk in 2011 that changed everything!
One day in late 2011, I was walking through the centre of Florence with my friend Giovanna when we saw a flyer for a sommelier course organised by Fisar, starting soon thereafter. It was to be held at a nearby wine bar.
So, I told Giovanna, “Let’s sign up for the sommelier course.”
Giovanna answered: “But I don’t really drink.”
Me: Well, you’ll learn a lot of interesting things I am sure, also to drink wine. And, we might meet some interesting guys.” (Or, I think I said something like that.)
Giovanna: All right.
Wine would open up a new world, both in the wine community and professionally. My blogging took off, and soon thereafter, so did my livestreaming.
I was thinking about my start at Fisar while attending the Fisar annual convention in Rome last weekend. My friend Laura is a member of Fisar’s National Council, and she was responsible for organising the convention. I only tagged along to get a feeling for what is currently happening in the Fisar sommelier association.
After talking to some of the sommeliers and bugging them with questions, I realised a couple of things.
We share a passion for wine.
Still, I have evolved in another direction where writing about wine and researching the story behind a region, territory, wine producer, etc., is what drives me. Of course, I taste a lot of wine, but I am not as defined by the tasting protocol.
The sommeliers are very knowledgeable; however, they are more into the sommelier vibe, courses, the tasting sheets, wine and food pairing, and overall, the structure they have learned.
This move in different directions is normal.
Still, it got me thinking about the gap between wine professionals – whether WSET, FISAR, AIS, or any other – and wine lovers and consumers in general.
This has been widely discussed among wine professionals over the last few years amid a decline in wine consumption and sales.
According to the ISTAT report of July 2025, exports of Italian wines were down by 0,9% in value and 3,4% in volume compared to the same period in 2024. The only wine category to have increased by 0,4% in the last year is Prosecco PDO. It is in line with the global trend, where sales are down by about 1% in value and 2% in volume.
The problem of people drinking less is constantly highlighted to depend on factors, such as
- Economic strain and uncertainty in the world
- Climate change
- Gen Z and Millennials are not drinking wine and/or spirits
- Changing consumer behaviour
- Health awareness, the growing power of temperance movements
- Wine professionals often are a bit snobby and want to educate consumers before they can drink
- …and more
Change is slow in the wine world, so there is still a lot of problem-solving to do.
Watch a video from the Fisar seminar at the Camera dei Deputati library right in the centre of Rome. HERE!
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