may, 14th 2026
Three years later, in London
Reading time : 5 min
Two weeks ago, I found myself in London, holding something that is much more than a Diploma.
That moment, simple as it may seem from the outside, carried the weight of a decision I made when I chose to start my own path and, at the same time, to go back to studying with intention.
Three years ago, I promised myself that I would invest in my knowledge, that I would keep questioning what I thought I knew, and that I would never allow myself to feel “arrived.”
Last week, that promise quietly came full circle.
London felt like a moment suspended in time. Not just for the ceremony itself, but for everything it represented. It gave me the space to look back at the past three years, at the decision to start over, to build something of my own, and at the choice, very intentional, to go back to studying in a deeper, more structured way. It was not always easy to balance work, travel, clients, and study, but it felt the right thing to do.
Because at some point, you realize that passion alone is not enough. You need to keep feeding it with knowledge, with questions, with new perspectives.
Studying wine at this level changed me in ways that are difficult to explain until you go through it. It is not just about passing exams or memorizing regions and vintages. It reshapes the way you taste, the way you observe a vineyard, the way you listen to a producer. It makes you more aware of the responsibility behind every recommendation, behind every bottle you decide to put in someone’s hands. And at the same time, it humbles you, because the more you learn, the more you understand how much there is still to discover.
The graduation ceremony itself was something I will not easily forget. Around 700 students received their diploma that day, coming from every corner of the world. Among them, only four of us were Italians coming from Italy, while a few others living abroad, which made the moment feel even more special, almost intimate in its own way.
There was something very British in the way everything unfolded. Precise, respectful, beautifully organized. One by one, each person had their moment. A walk across the stage, a few seconds that somehow held years of effort, and then the long-awaited diploma, handed with grace and presence by Laura Catena, Honorary President of Wine & Spirit Education Trust. A woman I deeply admire, not only for what she represents in the wine world, but for the clarity and strength she brings to it.
Looking around, it was impossible not to feel the scale of it. People had traveled incredible distances to be there. I remember noticing one student who came all the way from New Zealand… so impressive! Different backgrounds, different stories, yet all connected by the same commitment to understanding wine at a deeper level.
And then, of course, there was the part that no one really talks about enough… the celebrations. The dinners, the spontaneous gatherings, the endless conversations that somehow continued long after the exams were over. Sharing that moment with people who truly understand what the journey means makes everything even more intense. With my travel companions and classmates, Francesca Becucci and Javier Adot, our so-called “Latin division,” we celebrated the only way we know how: with energy, laughter, and a deep sense of having reached something important together.
When I came back to Tuscany, I didn’t feel the need to celebrate with something iconic or symbolic in the traditional sense. I felt the need to open something that truly reflected where I am today. Something that carried not only the result of a journey, but also its starting point.
So I opened a bottle of my new born wine Alfresco Rotta Segreta.
This Sangiovese based wine was born from the same mindset that pushed me to begin that path three years ago. It started with a question, with a desire to explore something slightly off the main road, to give space to a different expression of Sangiovese, shaped by altitude, freshness, and a more intuitive way of thinking about wine. Rotta Segreta was never meant to follow a formula or to fit into a predefined category. It was meant to reflect a personal journey, with all its uncertainties, its discoveries, and its evolution.
Sitting there, with a glass in my hand, I realized that this is what truly connects everything. We don’t study just to know more. We study to refine our perspective, to make more conscious choices, and to better understand what we want to share with others. In my case, it means selecting wines with even greater intention, and sometimes, also having the courage to craft one.
This first release is available only in a limited number of bottles.
Not as a strategy, but as a natural consequence of how this project was born and developed. It is a small production, built step by step, exactly like the journey behind it.
If you feel curious to discover it, I will be happy to share it with you.
Contact me at claudia@callegari.wine
Looking back now, I realize that this diploma was never meant to be an arrival point. It became part of the same journey that eventually led me to create Rotta Segreta: a path built on curiosity, intuition, and the desire to keep exploring wine with open eyes.
From Tuscany, with gratitude and a raised glass,
Claudia 🍷
