Erasmus+ staff mobility for teaching and training

Life is a life-long learning journey! So do think two skilled and wine affiliated wineteachers in Community College in Kuopio. Both have worked as a part-time teacher over many years. They have promoted wine knowledge to people interested about food and wines. For a teacher it is also necessity to update his know-how and development of wine industry, and that is a reason for their decision to update Sicily!


Mount Etna always awake, selection of Sicilian wines, historical alley/environment, local food & wines.

Through Mobility program abroad -project Heikki Remes and Juhani Kainulainen carried out a wine trip to Sicily and island’s wine areas during thirteen days in October last year. They drove 1212 kilometers around the island, visited 19 wineries and did taste some 136 different wines and enjoyed several local, tasty dishes. Through study trip wine teachers improved and deepened knowledge about Sicilian wines as a whole, and got new angle for the educational work, as well as broader respect and latest wine information to spread to students.
     Below there are some highlights that gave new information and experience during the wine trip, and that strengthened the need for the mobility project.

-about winemakers/winemaking:

The essence of wine lays on wineyards, e.g. winegrapes! As important are winemakers, women and men, converting grapes into wines. Wine traveller can be priviledged when having the opportunity to meet winemaker on wineyards or in the winecellar, where they guide, show and tell their ”secrets” of winemaking to him. Not to speak about a glass of wine when winemaker serves you a winesample direct from winebarrel or tank!


More that privilege is a lunch session where winemaker takes you to a sea restaurant where they set a selection of sea specialities in front of you! During this unforgettable lunch winemaker serves different kinds of wines to match food and wines together. Great respect and deep bow to Giuseppe Alfano Burruano, winemaker primus inter pares from Zabu, for this incredible journey of experience.

-about food and wines:

Being on a wine and food trip it is obvious that wines and their tidpits plays important roles. During these Sicilian winetastings local, original small dishes were served to table in order to promote them and then taste the combination on food and wine. Servingplates: eggplants, fish, meat balls, bruschetta, arrancini, pizza, seafood risotto and cannoli.

-about grapes and wines:

In Italy there are over 500 different kinds of grapes in circulation within the country (The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry). In Sicily there are some 65 indigenous grape varieties for winemaking. Best known are Grillo, Catarratto and Carricante as white grapes and Nero d’Avola, Nerello Mascalese and Frappato as red varieties!

-about history and sights:

Sicily is an island that has history over many millenniums. Wines and food are cultural factors, so it is natural to detect and visit other cultural sights and land marks when travelling nearby wineareas.

-about people and living:



People have their own work, interests and affections. Many times when travelling after wines one notes to seek places where groceries are present, such as restaurants, markets, markethalls, cafes, etc.!


Heikki Remes and Juhani Kainulainen warmly recommend and encourage Erasmus+ mobility program to other persons. It opens your eyes to other practicies and strengthens your self-confidence. Winetravellers are very grateful to Erasmus program and above all to all winepeople involved with the journey, specially to all Sicilian people they met, latest and comprehensive information about wineindustry in Sicily!

Text and photos: Heikki Remes
Arrivederci, ci vendiamo, with winegreetings!
Heikki Remes, WSET, writer, food-wine consultant, wine lecturer, www.viinimies.com
Juhani Kainulainen, WSET, wine lecturer, www.sawowines.fi