Sant'Anna School of Pisa: Eleventh Edition of the Master in Italian Wines and World Markets

The Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa — one of Italy's most selective public universities and a globally recognised graduate school — has launched the eleventh edition of its Master in Italian Wines and World Markets. Over a decade after its first cohort, the programme has become the most authoritative academic reference point for wine export management in Italy, and a quiet but consistent supplier of talent to the country's leading wineries, importers and consortia.

An eleven-year track record

Founded in partnership with the Unione Italiana Vini and several leading consortia, the Master was designed to fill a precise gap: the Italian wine industry produces extraordinary wines, but historically lacked structured education for the managerial roles that take those wines to the world. Eleven editions later, the programme has trained more than 250 export managers, brand managers and entrepreneurs now active across Italian wineries, importing companies, distributors and trade institutions.

What the programme covers

The Master is a full-time, twelve-month programme combining academic teaching at the Sant'Anna campus in Pisa with intensive industry exposure. The curriculum is built around four pillars:

• Wine and territory — viticulture, oenology, Italian appellations and quality systems
• International markets — analysis of the USA, Canada, UK, Germany, Northern Europe, China, Japan, Korea and emerging markets
• Marketing and brand management — positioning, storytelling, digital, trade marketing
• Export management and operations — distribution models, pricing, contracts, logistics, compliance

Faculty and learning model

The faculty combines Sant'Anna academics with senior managers from leading Italian wineries, international importers, consultants and trade journalists. Lectures, case studies and live company projects are interleaved with technical wine tastings — often guided by the producers themselves — and visits to wineries across all the major Italian regions. The result is a programme where the academic rigour of one of Italy's top schools meets the operational reality of the wine business.

The internship: where the Master proves its worth

The second half of the year is dedicated to a six-month paid internship within a partner winery, importing company or trade organisation. Past placements include Antinori, Marchesi di Frescobaldi, Masi, Zonin1821, Argea, Italian Wine Brands, Santa Margherita, Cantine Settesoli, plus international importers and distributors in the United States, Northern Europe and Asia. For many participants, the internship becomes a permanent role — the conversion rate to long-term employment is one of the highest of any Italian Master.

Who is the Master for

• Recent graduates in economics, agriculture, oenology, marketing or international relations seeking a structured entry into the wine industry
• Young professionals already working in wineries who want to move into export and brand management roles
• Heirs of wine-producing families preparing to take over commercial and international responsibilities
• Foreign students aiming to specialise in Italian wine and build a career between Italy and their home market

Why this Master matters for the industry

Italian wine exports are forecast to keep growing in 2026 and beyond, but the bottleneck is no longer production capacity or wine quality — it is managerial talent capable of building international markets coherently. Estates that intend to grow abroad will increasingly compete for the same small pool of well-trained export and brand managers. Programmes like the Sant'Anna Master are the most reliable supply of that talent, and the eleventh edition confirms a model that has matured into a genuine institution of the Italian wine system.

Italian wine has the world's most beautiful product story. What it now needs are managers trained to tell it — and to sell it — with the same rigour with which it is made. The Sant'Anna Master is, today, one of the few Italian programmes that delivers exactly this.