ABOUT

Oltre Il Vino is a wine education, wine service and guest experience consultancy, helping wineries translate their wines, stories and service into meaningful experiences, knowledge and connection.

Founded by wine educator and consultant Claire Tonon, Oltre Il Vino works with businesses, associations and private groups to develop and deliver wine experiences - from education and staff training to events, tours, masterclasses and complete experience suites.

Whether through education, events or guest experiences, Oltre Il Vino helps turn great wine into meaningful connections.

No project is too small - or too big!

Australian-born, Claire Tonon comes from a family with deep connections to wine. Her maternal family traces its roots to the pioneering settlers and vignerons of Western Australia’s Swan Valley, while on her paternal side are the grape-growing and winemaking peasants of Italy’s Prosecco region. There was, perhaps, little chance of escaping an involvement in wine?

Yet Claire’s career began not in wine, but as a language teacher. A passion for sharing knowledge and a knack for making the complex understandable saw her move naturally from teaching teenagers to educating adults, with the subject matter evolving from foreign language to the language of wine.

With postgraduate qualifications in Education and Wine Industry (Viticulture and Oenology), Claire went on to become a respected winery-based educator and host. Her industry achievements include winning Curtin University’s 2013 Sensory Award, being appointed an associate judge at the 2014 Margaret River Wine Show, and being named WA Good Food Guide Regional Sommelier of the Year in 2021.

Claire is an skilled educator, inspiring and empowering both hospitality professionals and consumers to navigate the intricacies of viticulture, winemaking, wine tasting and food and wine pairing. Her extensive experience also encompasses wine sales, service, hospitality, and guest experiences. She enjoys developing and coordinating wine-related events and regularly puts her skills to the test hosting blind tastings or wine options with friends and colleagues.

When she’s not wine-ing, Claire can be found travelling through the world’s wine regions, framing paintings, or curating exhibitions for watercolour artist, Silvia Busetto!

Oltre Il Vino, in Italian, literally means “Beyond Wine.”

The name reflects Claire Tonon’s expertise in everything that happens beyond wine production - how wine is communicated, shared, experienced, understood and remembered.

It also speaks to the two languages and cultures that have shaped Claire’s background. “Oltre Il Vino” and “Beyond Wine” express the same idea in two distinct languages, offering two different yet equally fascinating ways of looking at wine - Italian and Australian perspectives brought together through a shared appreciation of wine, hospitality, education and connection.

The initials are a subtle nod to the Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin (OIV), the international scientific and technical reference organisation for the vine and wine sector. The OIV’s extensive body of knowledge and work across the global wine community is an important source of learning and inspiration.

Claire Tonon holds the following qualifications and accreditations:

• Bachelor of Arts (Italian, Music), University of Western Australia

• Post-Graduate Diploma of Education (LOTE- Italian and TESOL), University of Western Australia

• Post-Graduate Diploma of Wine Industry (Viticulture and Oenology)