Conferenze e Fiere

🥂 Chiara Braione, Luigi Giordano, and Luca Grifi won the top three spots in the Blending Competition by Planteray Rum finale on October 28 in Milan at Tripstillery. The event was the culmination of contests held in Marina di Ravenna and Torre a Mare on July 15 and 22, judged by a notable jury including Alexandre Gabriel. The winners received exclusive bottles and a trip to Cognac to explore Maison Ferrand. Planteray Rum, formerly Plantation, will rebrand in January 2024 and is distributed in Italy by Compagnia dei Caraibi.

🍷 Comte de Montaigne, a prestigious Maison de Champagne from Aube, launched the "Célébration" collection alongside Grace La Margna St. Moritz and Grand Hotel Des Bains Kempinski in the Swiss Alps. CEO Stéphane Revol highlighted the collection's embodiment of Authenticity, Heart, and Bon Vivre. The collection features two new cuvées: Blanc de Blancs Grande Réserve Extra Brut (100% Chardonnay) and Brut Nature Grande Réserve (100% Pinot Noir). Creative directed by renowned artist Giò Martorana, the bottles are adorned with colorful stamps, symbolizing universal joy and encapsulating memories for sharing on celebratory occasions.

🎂 Chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo's Pasticceria Artigianale, led by Pastry Chef Kabir Godi, introduces inclusive Christmas offerings for 2024, catering to diverse palates with traditional and dietary-specific options. The lineup includes Panettone Albicocca e Cioccolato, a Vesuvio variant with Apricots and Ginger, and the classic Panettone with a 36-hour fermentation featuring citrus-flavored dough. Also available are a Panettone without candied fruits and raisins, a vegan Christmas Star with Pears and Chocolate, and upscale classics like Panettone al Gianduia, Panettone alla Melannurca with Melannurca Campana IGP, and Panettone al Limoncello. Traditional Torrone and the 750-gram Mandorlato are part of the festive selection sold online at shop.antoninocannavacciuolo.it/natale-2024/.

🎂 The World Cup of Panettone, a celebration of the iconic Italian confection, will be held from November 8-10, 2024, at Palazzo Castiglioni in Milan, Italy. The event, free to the public, will feature tastings, workshops, and presentations by master pastry chefs such as Iginio Massari and Ernst Knamm. Attendees can experience a chocolate Panettone presentation and participate in a children's decorating workshop. The event will also acknowledge finalists from previous Summer Edition contests and present awards on November 9 at 17:00. Giuseppe Piffaretti, creator of CMP, highlights the festival's role in promoting traditional Milanese Panettone globally.

🇮🇹 "Chefs for Children – Il Buono per il Bene" charity event scheduled for December 3 at Saint Georges Premier in Monza's park. In celebration of Fondazione Centro Mamma Rita's 60th anniversary, Monza's top chefs, including Roberto Conti, will prepare a special 16-handed gala dinner. The charity initiative presented on October 21, 2024, aims to support disadvantaged children and mothers. From October 22 to December 2, €2 from each designated dish sold at seven participating restaurants will be donated to the foundation. Reservations for the gala dinner can be made at Saint Georges Premier, Viale di Vedano 7, Monza.

🍾 Mionetto launches "Mionetto Orange Soul" contest for its Valdobbiadene Superiore Prosecco DOCG from the Prestige line, featuring a new orange look, available until December 31, 2024. Participants can win daily prizes, including a Poldina Micro lamp, and enter a final draw for one of five luxury weekends for two at Villa Morona De Gastaldis in the UNESCO World Heritage Prosecco hills of Valdobbiadene. To enter, purchase a bottle with the contest tag and follow instructions on www.mionettocontest.it.

🎃 95% of Italians consume candies, with 31% indulging 3-4 times a week. Citrus is the most loved flavor at 44%, followed by strong mint/balsamic (39%), and licorice (36%). Half of Italians (52%) prefer fruit-flavored candies. Campania's lemon is the top regional flavor at 54.5%. Halloween sees 25% of Italians consuming candies, the most popular treat at 65% over chocolates (56%) and snacks (38%). The surveys cited are "Gli Italiani e i gusti delle caramelle" by AstraRicerche (2024) and BVA Doxa (2022).

✈️ Wizz Air announces 44 new routes for the winter season, including new services to Salerno and a return to Chisinau, Moldova. The airline will operate over 600 routes, offering more than 28 million seats, with Italy featuring 205 routes across 35 countries. Wizz Air has expanded its subscription options with All You Can Fly, WIZZ MultiPass, and Wizz Discount Club Premium, also integrating Apple Pay, Google Pay, and accepting Revolut card payments onboard. Sasha Vislaus, the corporate communication manager, highlights this as their largest winter season.

✈ Direct flights between Italy and Libya are set to resume in January 2025 by Ita Airways, as announced by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during the Italia-Libia Business Forum in Tripoli. The reactivation follows an agreement signed last year between Enac's President Pierluigi Di Palma and Libya's Mohamed Shlebikf, leading to a Memorandum of Understanding between Enac and the Libyan Civil Aviation Authority.

🏖 71% of Italians plan to travel for Christmas holidays, with 38% staying away for up to 3 days, 25% for 3-5 days, 21% for a week, and 14% for 8-15 days. Family vacations are preferred by 46%, while 29% travel as couples, 18% with friends, and 7% alone. Top domestic destinations are Milan, Naples, and Rome, followed by Catania, and Torino. Paris leads in European destinations, followed by Vienna and London. For extra-European travels, New York, Sharm El Sheikh, and Istanbul top the list.