Investor Relations

Costa Cruises Signs A High-Profile Agreement With The Wine Bank In Pollenzo

Costa Cruises announces a partnership with the Wine Bank in Pollenzo

to produce a new sustainable and organic wine list.

More than 100 wine labels are available, including the best from Italy and around the world.

Genoa, May 8 2017 – Costa Cruises and The Wine Bank in Pollenzo, the Italian cooperative company founded by Carlo Petrini, the Slow Food Chairman, which for several years now has been actively supporting Italy's oenological history, signed  an agreement to produce a new wine list on board the ships of the Italian company.

Making the most of the cooperative's sound experience, Costa Cruises has selected the best wineries that reflect the best of Italy's wine heritage, in order to offer its guests a new wine list, with over 100 carefully selected labels from the most respected labels in Italy and from around the world, made in an environmentally friendly way and the perfect accompaniment to the traditional Italian cuisine served on board.

The new wine list includes wines from no less than 19 Italian regions and countries such as France, Portugal, Spain, New Zealand, Australia and the USA. The wine selection is divided into 4 different categories, identifiable with the help of a small logo next to each category: guests can choose between sustainable wines, organic wines, territory wines and wines that pair well with Italian regional dishes. 

In particular, the sustainable wines have been selected from wines made by wineries who adopt farming methods that have the lowest possible impact on the environment and that safeguard biodiversity. Among these wines, guests will find, for example, the Roero Arneis Pradalupo DOCG di "Fontanafredda" from Piedmont, the Friuli Colli Orientali Sauvignon DOC di "Le Vigne di Zamò", the Pinot Nero dell'Alto Adige di "Elena Walch" and many others. With a view to respect the ecosystem, the new wine list features biodynamic wines too (included in the "sustainable wines" category), whose farming methods only accept preparations that support the soil's fertility and that take the lunar calendar into consideration when it comes to tending operations. The results is an authentic expression of the Terroir of origin, namely the intertwine of elements as climate, environment and human factor that distinguish a wine, as perfectly represented by the Gavi DOCG "La Raia" from Piedmont and by the Teroldego Rotaliano DOCG di "Foradori" from Trentino Alto Adige.

The organic wines, on the other hand, have been selected from those that do not contain synthetic chemicals and that come from grapes grown without the use of genetically modified organisms, in accordance with European guidelines. This selection includes, among others, the Albana di Romagna Vigna Rocca DOCG di "Tre Monti", the Frascati Superiore Racemo DOCG "L'Olivella" dal Lazio, the Chianti Classico Riserva Berardenga DOCG di "Fattoria di Fèlsina" from Tuscany, the Aglianico del Vulture Il Repertorio DOC "Cantine del Notaio" from Basilicata.

Besides the new selection, there will, of course, be Italian and international wines that are genuine icons, such as the Trento DOC Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore Extra Brut, the Bolgheri Sassicaia di "Tenuta San Guido" and the Champagne Brut AOC "Dom Perignon".

The new wine list is already available on board ships in the Costa fleet and reflects the superb quality that the Italian cruise company and the Wine Bank both have in common. Established in 2001 in the cellars of Agenzia di Pollenzo (Province of Cuneo, Italy) and in collaboration with the University of Gastronomic Sciences, the Wine Bank is committed to selecting and storing each year in its nineteenth-century cellars bottles of the best vintages from wineries that adopt a winemaking philosophy that safeguards the criteria of ecosystems as much as possible. 

It's an ambitious project and thanks to this partnership Costa adds another feather to the cap of its lavish range of food and wine that focuses on "Italy's finest", with the aim of offering its guests only the very best of Italy.

# # #

Costa Cruises is an Italian company that is part of Carnival Corporation & plc, the largest cruise group in the world. For 69 years the ships of the Costa fleet have been travelling the world's seas offering hospitality and authentic Italian style holidays, distinguished by exquisite food, fine wines, unique shopping experiences, and a comprehensive selection of famous Italian brands. Currently the Costa fleet has 15 ships in service, all flying the Italian flag. Two new latest generation vessels are expected in 2019 and 2021. They will be fuelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG), the world's "cleanest fossil fuel", and a real environmental innovation. Costa represents Italian excellence, and every day surpasses the expectations of its guests with a unique and unforgettable holiday experience. It does this thanks to the approximately 19,000 employees around the world who work to provide the best of Italy on board, with 137 different routes, 261 destinations and 60 ports of embarkation.      

The Wine Bank was created in the cellars of the Agenzia di Pollenzo. Here, in 1838, the oenologist Paolo Francesco Staglieno, originally from Genoa, set in motion an innovative project that led to the creation of the first wines to be aged in Piedmont. More than 150 years later, the historic wines of the Agenzia are home to the Wine Bank, a similarly exclusive project whose aim is to be a benchmark for high quality wine culture in Italy. The Wine Bank is a cooperative company established to be an historic database of Italian wine, by selecting, storing and preserving the peninsula's best wines. The museum can be visited by large numbers of the general public and offers tasting courses, samples, events and activities to promote the image and culture of wine. More than 100,000 bottles are stored in the historic wine cellars from 300 of the best Italian winemaking companies. The job of selecting, looking after and ageing the wines in spaces that are perfectly suited for their storage makes the Wine Bank guardian of an exclusive cultural wine heritage that truly is one of a kind.

For further information:

Costa Cruises

Press Office - Tel. 010 5483523 / 010 5483068 - costapressoffice@costa.it

Gabriele Baroni – Communication Director – mob. 3497668013 - baroni@costa.it

Davide Barbano - Media Relations Manager  - 010.5483523  - 334.6525216 – barbano@costa.it