I help wineries and other companies in the food and wine sector to increase visibility by developing and applying strategies, including digital activities.

I also deal with the following:

✔️ Consulting & communication in food and wine

✔️ Digital marketing & branding strategy, e-commerce activities

✔️ Wine education 

My Education & Certifications

✔️ Professional Sommelier of two Italian Sommelier Associations AIS/WSA & FISAR

✔️ WSET Diploma Level 4 candidate, WSET School London

✔️ Master in Digital Marketing – PIN Prato – Educational and Scientific Services for the University of Florence

✔️ Valpolicella Wine Specialist, VEP

✔️ Langhe Wines Ambassador, Barolo & Barbaresco Academy

✔️ Official Cava Educator of the Cava Academy

✔️ Wine Judge (AIS/WSA)

✔️ Rice Sommelier, AVR

Originally from Riga, Latvia, and based in Italy for more than 30 years, for about twenty, I worked as a food and wine consultant, and for four years, I directed the Tola Rasa, a fine dining restaurant in Padua, awarded as “Restaurant of the year 2018” in the Veneto region by the Bibenda Guide. Furthermore, I worked for about ten years as a Brand Ambassador at Tenuta Degli Dei Cavalli and Roberto Cavalli Vodka.

All born of personal curiosity towards the world of wine, I have lived in the heart of the Chianti Classico area since 1995. I started studying wine with the three-year course for professional sommeliers with the AIS (WSA) – Italian Sommelier Association in Florence. I am passionate about food and wine, sake, spirits and cigars.

I added another three-year sommelier diploma with the FISAR – Sommelier Hotels and Restaurants Italian Federation. In 2021 I obtained the Langhe Wines Ambassador certificate issued by Barolo & Barbaresco Academy and achieved the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines. I completed the Advanced course of Jerez-Xérès-Sherry y Manzanilla Sanlúcar de Barrameda DO, Master Degustatore AIS (Wine Judge) course, achieved Rioja Diploma Certificate and became an Official Cava Educator of the Cava Academy and Valpolicella Wine Specialist.

Finally, I concluded a Master in Digital Marketing at the PIN of Prato – Educational and Scientific Services for the University of Florence. I am completing now the Sake Sommelier course with SSA and WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines at WSET School London (last unit left – D6 Independent Research Assignment).

Having achieved a Master’s Degree in Digital Marketing, I also deal with PR, consulting and digital communication in food and wine: e-commerce activities, digital marketing & branding strategy, content marketing, copywriting, SEO, Google Ads, social media marketing & Adv.

In 2019 I started as a Founder and Project Manager at Tooscans, an e-commerce platform (www.tooscans.it/en) with a warehouse dedicated mainly to Tuscan products. The company operates as a distributor offline of not only Tuscan products.

Since 2015 I have been selected for eight consecutive years for the Italia a Tavola prestigious magazine contest “Italian Food and Wine – Personality of the Year Award” among 36 well-known wine industry professionals, where in past years I collected excellent results up to the fantastic second place in 2018.

Licenses & Certifications

About me – Archives

Some links:

Italia a Tavola : Serata di riconoscimenti a Firenze  "Personaggi dell'anno 2016 sul palco"
Tooscans:  "Premio Italia a Tavola"
Il Golosario: "Tola Rasa: una corona per Padova"
Il Venerdì di Repubblica: "Padova: risotto e cappuccino, ogni cosa è un gioiellino"
di Gianni e Paola Mura. 
Interview with Alexey Kapusta - VitisPro - WineTV: Онлайн и оффлайн винный бизнес в Италии

My activities and projects