Ep. 2690 Nordic Wine Monopolies & Finland’s Wine Market with Pasi Ketolainen MW | Clubhouse Ambassadors' Corner

Welcome to Clubhouse Ambassadors’ Corner and Episode 2690 of the Italian Wine Podcast. In this episode, Lisa Lazzaretto interviews Pasi Ketolainen MW to explore his journey to becoming a Master of Wine and gain insights on wine in Finland. These sessions are recorded from Clubhouse and reproduced here for the Italian Wine Podcast.  Key Learning Objectives: Understand the journey to becoming a Master of Wine, including the level of dedication, challenges, and professional growth involved. Gain insight into the Finnish and Scandinavian wine markets, with a focus on how monopoly systems shape distribution and trade. Explore perspectives on Italian wine in Northern Europe, along with practical advice for those aspiring to enter the MW program. More about today’s host: Lisa Lazzaretto, PhD, is a Swiss-based entrepreneur, wine professional, and marketing strategist. She holds a doctorate in Political Science and a Diploma in Marketing, and is the founder of Wine Mood, an e-commerce platform dedicated to curated Italian wines. An Italian Wine Ambassador and WSET Diploma holder (DipWSET), Lisa bridges academic insight with hands-on industry expertise. Her recent research focuses on neuromarketing, consumer behavior, and modern wine communication. Active across international wine fairs and competitions, she combines research, storytelling, and business innovation to connect people with Italian wine. Connect: Website: http://www.winemood.ch  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/winemood_ch/  More about today’s guest:   Pasi holds a BSc in hospitality management and an MBA, for which he received an academic achievement award in recognition of outstanding academic performance. After a career as a sommelier and completing his WSET Diploma in 2003, he worked in sales and product management positions at various wine importers in Finland. Pasi has partner and board member experience and has consulted in an advisory role on strategy, customer relationship management and start-up company development. He has also represented Finland in blind tasting competitions. As well as speaking four languages, lecturing on wine, and conducting educational tastings, Pasi judges at wine competitions and in 2019 started as the commercial director at Viinitie Oy. Connect: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discoveries_pasimw  Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pasiketolainen  _______________________________  Let's keep in touch! Follow Italian Wine Podcast on our social media channels: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/italianwinepodcast/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItalianWinePodcast  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/italianwinepodcast  Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mammajumboshrimp  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mammajumboshrimp  If you feel like helping us, donate here: https://www.italianwinepodcast.com/donate-to-show/  Until next time, Cin Cin!    Follow Italian Wine Podcast for more great content – winery interviews from the Clubhouse sessions! Psssst…FYI, this show is our most popular show, find out why by tuning-in!