Ryan Robinson, Director of Education, Brescome Barton and Worldwide Wines, passed the Italian Wine Ambassador (IWA) exam in April, making him an official Italian Wine Ambassador for the country of Italy. The exam covers areas such as grape varieties and viticulture, winemaking processes and techniques, industry trends and economics, styles and specificities of Italy’s DOCs and DOCGs, and Italian wine laws and regulations. There are less than 400 IWA-certified ambassadors in the world, making it a distinction for the Connecticut resident. This adds to Robinson’s professional credentials, which include Educator and Ambassador to the Wines of Rioja by the Consejo de Rioja DOCa and Advanced Sommelier-CMS, WSET Diploma and WSET Educator titles. While in Italy for his exam, he served as a judge for 5StarWines, the annual wine selection organized by Veronafiere in collaboration with Assoenologi. The event is a three-day blind tasting with an international jury of wine professionals. In this eighth edition, 884 wines were selected for inclusion in the 5StarWines guide from more than 2,300 registered labels.