Job Digital Lab with ING Italia: Jenny Viant Gómez tells how she turned her passion for the wine world into a job
"What I was able to do I owe mostly to three factors," says Jenny Viant Gómez, wine and food journalist and TV host. "Self-esteem, family support and training." Jenny founded the experiential communication agency MásWine and the Pink Panel® community. She is the Abruzzo delegate of the national association The Women of Wine. She told her story during the Job Digital event in Pescara.
With the help of Nicoletta Vulpetti, a lover of identity stories, we are also enriching the third edition of the training program, designed with ING Italia, with the stories of people who are protagonists of change, both personal and community.
Talking about wine, until a few years ago, was only men.
It still arouses a great deal of curiosity that I, a woman and born in Cuba, where mojitos, beer and rum are all the rage, am involved in wine. Paradoxically, this is precisely why, upon arriving in Italy, I became passionate about the world of wine.
A brief stay in the Langhe, a wine tourism destination par excellence, was crucial. I was almost teetotal at the time, but that territory had the ability to tickle my palate and my interest. Since then I began a journey that has not stopped: from the AIS sommelier diploma, 10 years ago, to the Wset (Wine and Spirits Education Trust) training, one of the most prestigious international qualifications, based on the global vision of wine and markets.
What I have been able to do, I owe mainly to three factors: self-confidence, first of all. In an industry like mine, where the presence of women is still marginal, having a lucid perception of one's own resources and limitations is indispensable, in order to be able to face the inevitable difficulties. Added to these are my origins: ours is not yet a society truly open to intercultural dialogue.
Second important aspect, solid family support.
Third, investing in training.
There is no skill acquired forever: one needs to keep the aptitude for learning trained, to be ready to seize opportunities for growth and improvement wherever they arise.
Harnessing the potential of digital, I founded MásWine, an agency-laboratory for experiential communication, with the goal of establishing synergies that go beyond wine, just as the adverb "más" indicates, which in Spanish means "beyond, more."
MásWine offers services to companies in the eno-gastronomic sector and beyond: from amateur courses to approach the world of wine, to the organization of events; from press office to web communication.
Seizing the opportunities of the digital world, I participated in the first edition of the Italy Ambassador Awards as a content creator and micro influencer. A one-minute reel dedicated to the sustainability of the made-in-Italy food supply chain earned me entry into the semifinals.
From MásWine, the Pink Panel® was also born: an all-female tasting group.
It brings together experts and wine lovers, with the goal of tasting wines that come from all over Italy. No scores are given, but pairings are highlighted that will be the subject of subsequent convivial dinners open to all. We meet once a month in always different locations.
The Pink Panel is yielding results far beyond expectations: tasting among women creates an atmosphere of harmony and conviviality.
An optimal situation for comparing ideas, forging friendships and developing pink projects.
