This semester I have been teaching the new degree course in 'Quality and Procurement of Raw Materials for Agri-Food' in Salsomaggiore in the province of Parma.
This new course aims at training food graduates with a strong vocational orientation, experts in the evaluation, selection and procurement of raw materials for industry, catering, and large-scale retail trade, who are able to guide the choices of actors in the food chain towards products suitable for use/processing.
Last week I had the pleasure to invite a guest speaker from a local winery (Oinoe): Irene Ruffini, 30 years old and originally from Parma. After her studies at the linguistic high school, Irene started her academic journey in the world of food and wine, graduating in Gastronomic Sciences and then earning a master's degree in Enogastronomy of the Territory at the University of Parma. For about 5 years she has been working in the world of wine and in the last two years at Oinoe Winery.
During her talk to the students, she presented the winery and the marketing strategies. Oinoe was founded in 2013 thanks to the will and initiative of the CEO Alex Cerioli, and is located in the municipality of Traversetolo. The winery has 25 hectares of property and 10 hectares of certified organic in another municipality in the Parma area; the winery is part of the DOC Colli di Parma. Among the vines grown are both typical varieties of the area but also international varieties; various products include still wines, the more traditional sparkling wines typical of the area. Thanks to the care and attention placed throughout the entire production cycle, starting from the vineyard to the finished bottle, Oinoe presents itself as one of the most avant-garde wineries in the area, availing itself of a range of products that go well with the gastronomic products originating in the Food Valley, and always with an eye toward sustainability and environmental protection.
