Invited Speakers

André Gasperin is the Technical Director and Chief Enologist in Don Affonso Winery and DG Group in Caxias do Sul, Brazil. He is graduated in Viticulture and Enology from the Federal Institute of Rio Grande do Sul at Bento Gonçalves, and holds master’s degree in Biotechnology from the University of Caxias do Sul and MBA in Business Management from Getúlio Vargas Foundation at Caxias do Sul. André Gasperin is regularly invited for wine evaluation worldwide, including wine competitions in Spain, Chile, Italy and Hungary. In 2020, he was the President of the Jury in the international contest Brazil Wine Challenge, in the city of Bento Gonçalves. From 2005 to 2020, he was a member of the technical staff of the National Wine Evaluation. Since 2015 he is a member of the Director Board and is currently the President of the Brazilian Association of Enology (ABE).

Fernanda Spinelli is a Food Engineer and holds a PhD in Biotechnology. She has been involved in the wine sector for over 18 years with technical and analytical aspects, regulatory affairs and the professional evaluation of wines. She works for the Secretary of Agriculture in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) with the application and development of methods of analysis by chromatography, as well as with the ISO 17025 accreditation for laboratories. She also works as consultant for the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, focusing on wine and grape derivatives composition, new technologies and the regulatory matters within the wine sector. She is the current Vice-President of the SPECIF (Specifications of Oenological Products) group of the OIV (International Organisation of Vine and Wine) and represents the Brazilian delegation as expert since 2018. Nowadays, she is also candidate for the WSET (Wine and Spirits Education Trust) diploma.