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

CostaCruises announces a partnership with the Wine Bank in Pollenzo

toproduce a new sustainable and organic wine list.

Morethan 100 wine labels are available, including the best from Italy and aroundthe world.

Genoa, May8 2017 –Costa Cruises and The Wine Bank in Pollenzo, the Italiancooperative 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'swine heritage, in order to offer its guestsa new wine list, with over 100carefully selected labels from the most respected labels in Italy and fromaround the world, made in an environmentally friendly way and the perfectaccompaniment to the traditional Italian cuisine served on board.

The new wine list includes wines from no less than 19Italian 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 logonext to each category: guests can choose between sustainable wines, organic wines,territory wines and wines that pair well with Italian regional dishes.

In particular, thesustainable wines have been selected from wines made by wineries who adoptfarming methods that have the lowest possible impact on the environment andthat safeguard biodiversity. Among these wines, guests will find, for example, the Roero Arneis Pradalupo DOCGdi "Fontanafredda" from Piedmont, the Friuli Colli Orientali Sauvignon DOC di"Le Vigne di Zamò", the Pinot Nero dell'Alto Adige di "Elena Walch" and manyothers. With a view to respect theecosystem, the new wine list features biodynamic wines too (included inthe "sustainable wines" category), whose farming methods only acceptpreparations that support the soil's fertility and that take the lunar calendarinto consideration when it comes to tending operations. The results is anauthentic expression of the Terroir oforigin, namely the intertwine of elements as climate, environment and humanfactor that distinguish a wine, as perfectly represented by the Gavi DOCG "La Raia" fromPiedmont and by the Teroldego Rotaliano DOCG di "Foradori" from Trentino AltoAdige.

The organicwines, on the other hand, have been selected from those that do not containsynthetic chemicals and that come from grapes grown without the use ofgenetically modified organisms, in accordance with European guidelines. This selection includes, among others, the Albanadi 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, therewill, of course, be Italian and international wines that are genuine icons, such as the Trento DOC GiulioFerrari Riserva del Fondatore Extra Brut, the Bolgheri Sassicaia di "Tenuta SanGuido" and the Champagne Brut AOC "Dom Perignon".

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

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

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Costa Cruises isan Italian company that is part of Carnival Corporation & plc, the largestcruise group in the world. For 69 years the ships of the Costa fleet have beentravelling the world's seas offering hospitality and authentic Italian styleholidays, distinguished by exquisite food, fine wines, unique shoppingexperiences, and a comprehensive selection of famous Italian brands. Currentlythe Costa fleet has 15 ships in service, all flying the Italian flag. Two newlatest generation vessels are expected in 2019 and 2021. They will be fuelledby liquefied natural gas (LNG), the world's "cleanest fossil fuel",and a real environmental innovation. Costa represents Italian excellence, andevery day surpasses the expectations of its guests with a unique andunforgettable holiday experience. It does this thanks to the approximately19,000 employees around the world who work to provide the best of Italy onboard, with 137 different routes, 261 destinations and 60 ports of embarkation.

The Wine Bank was created in the cellars of the Agenzia diPollenzo. Here, in 1838, the oenologist Paolo Francesco Staglieno, originallyfrom Genoa, set in motion an innovative project that led to the creation of thefirst wines to be aged in Piedmont. More than 150 years later, the historicwines of the Agenzia are home to the Wine Bank, a similarly exclusive projectwhose aim is to be a benchmark for high quality wine culture in Italy. The WineBank is a cooperative company established to be an historic database of Italianwine, by selecting, storing and preserving the peninsula's best wines. Themuseum can be visited by large numbers of the general public and offers tastingcourses, samples, events and activities to promote the image and culture ofwine. More than 100,000 bottles are stored in the historic wine cellars from300 of the best Italian winemaking companies. The job of selecting, lookingafter and ageing the wines in spaces that are perfectly suited for theirstorage makes the Wine Bank guardian of an exclusive cultural wine heritagethat truly is one of a kind.

For furtherinformation:

Costa Cruises

PressOffice - Tel. 010 5483523 / 010 5483068 - costapressoffice@costa.it

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

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

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