Innovazione

🌱 Climate change is impacting viticultural practices, with consequences like drought, hail, and diseases challenging the traditional management of vineyards. To adapt, winemakers are increasingly relying on technological and data-driven approaches to select soils, grape varieties, and rootstocks for new vineyard plantations. Satellite imagery and ground sensors provide multispectral data for detailed analysis of soil moisture content, topography, and vegetative vigor. Public data from weather stations and soil maps help project climate evolution, while global climate models like those from the IPCC predict future environmental conditions, aiding in the long-term sustainability planning for specific grape varieties. Technology aids in reducing investment risks by enabling more informed decision-making in viticulture.

🍹 Hannette Lee, a 38-year-old Korean, launched Peracotà, a kombucha cocktail with passion fruit and karkadè, two weeks ago. She opened Bari's first Korean bar with kitchen in 2022. Peracotà evolved from a pear, cinnamon, ginger, and pepper flavored soda created in 2021, securing third place in the World Class contest. Peracotà, with 7% ABV, has a shelf life of about six months and is used in cocktails for freshness and complexity. It appeals primarily to health-conscious women and is produced in small batches.

🌻 Cereal Docks, an Italian agro-food industrial group, launched HELIAPRO, a new sunflower seed protein flour, at "Come un Girasole" event in Identità Golose Milano. The product boasts a 50% protein content, allergen-free composition, and is targeted for plant-based, gluten-free, and clean label food categories. HELIAPRO is part of Cereal Docks' 2025-2027 Industrial Plan, aiming to diversify into high-value-added ingredients for the food industry, leveraging non-GMO European sunflower seeds.

🍫 Lindt & Sprüngli Italia re-introduced the Lindt Dubai Style Chocolate in Italy following high demand. Initially launched on December 7, 2024, at the Lindt Chocolate Shop in Florence Duomo, it sold out in under four hours. A new pistachio and kadayif variant was later released and quickly sold out. The chocolate bar, notable for its 45% pistachio content and elegant packaging, is now available across Lindt stores, online, and selected specialty shops at €9.99.

🍺 Italy Beer Week, in its 15th edition, promotes Italian craft beer culture nationwide with free event listings on Italybeerweek.com. Previously, it recorded about 4,500 participants and over 5,000 events and promotions. The Ballo delle Debuttanti inaugural event will take place from March 14-16 at Rome's Mercato Centrale, showcasing 12 new beers from Italian breweries. Participants can also buy a box of these beers online and join Facebook livestreams between March 18-21. Partners like Anima by Cerve, Mr. Malt®, Mercato Centrale, Cime Careddu, 1001Birre, Untappd, and Tecnofrigo Service support the 2025 edition.

☕ Barista Attitude sponsors SCA National Championships at Internorga 2025 from March 14-18. Showcases Tempesta coffee machine with user-friendly interface and ergonomics, and Faro grinder featuring A.I.-assisted auto-learning, 0.1g precision. Available for trials at Bar SCA; Faro also for 'by weight' tests. Book trials via events@barista-attitude.com.

🖥 Railbookers Group uses AI to identify travel trends and destination popularity, CEO Frank Marini likens AI impact to the '90s internet revolution. However, only 12% of tour operators worldwide currently deploy AI, despite significant discussion in recent years.

💻 Alidays CEO Davide Catania presents interactive travel planning platform's latest tech advancements to agencies in Central and Southern Italy at Circolo Rari Nantes in Naples. Utilizing AI, the platform AlyDa provides travel solutions considering clients' preferences, from music to food, culture, and nature, generating options in seconds, complete with a QR code for easy client communication. A new feature for creating trip content, soon available to all partners, is announced. Additionally, a new Guided Tours catalog for small groups of 2-14 people has been released. Despite slow U.S. bookings due to the 'Trump effect,' Asia receives positive booking responses, as confirmed by Catania. Olga Mazzoni, CEO of Thema Nuovi Mondi, shares insights on the U.S. at the Alidays event.

💳 Trenord introduces 'Digital Gate' at Milan Central station for 100% digital purchases, offering cashless payments through mobile apps like PayPal or Satispay. Travelers can now buy train and Malpensa Express tickets at this new counter, with the service expanding in the coming months to include additional digital customer services. Tickets can also be sent via WhatsApp.

📍 Centara Hotels & Resorts targets expansion and renovation with over €408 million to be invested over the next three years. The European roadshow begins in Milan, hinting at potential investments in Italy, Germany, and Denmark. Jurairat Mongkolwongsiri, VP Sales, expects Italian guests to rise from 4% to the fifth-largest market, aided by new properties in the Maldives: Centara Mirage Lagoon Maldives and Centara Grand Lagoon Maldives. With an estimated revenue of €422.4 million in 2025, Centara aims to upgrade its 92 hotels across 11 Asian and Arabian Peninsula locations to a luxury status, offering more than 20,000 rooms with an average occupancy rate of 77%. The Centara Grand Hotel Osaka and Centara Reserve in Koh Samui are highlighted, with more announcements anticipated at the TTG Travel Experience in Rimini.