On 16 November, the latest edition of the Michelin Guide was presented in the Auditorium Paganini in Parma. During the ceremony, the President of the Brunello di Montalcino Consortium, Patrizio Cencioni, awarded the Consortium’s special “Passion for Wine” prize to Augustin Devetak’s Lokanda Devetak in San Michele del Carso, previously winner of the Lecco d’Oro award at Benvenuto Brunello 1998. It is the first edition of the prize, established in partnership by the Brunello Consortium and Michelin for the purpose of rewarding those in the fine dining restaurant business who help spread an understanding of wine and the best way to enjoy and drink it, as well promoting the great variety and complexity of Italian wines.
“This partnership, which has united us for years, takes a further step forward with this initiative” explains Patrizio Cencioni. “Passion for wine is an essential element, because having it means being able to transmit the stories, experiences and dreams that are in a bottle, and knowing that there are people who can convey this, who have the ability to promote the territory and the people who make a wine great is crucial. They are our foremost ambassadors, and they help us to be what we are today. One of the world’s leading appellations”.
Cencioni was then photographed in the company of Italy’s latest three-star chef, Mauro Uliassi, whose Uliassi restaurant in Senigallia has gained its much-coveted third Michelin star, and celebrated the highly-prized recognition with a glass of Brunello di Montalcino at the Consortium’s stand. The stand was also visited by another welcome guest, the famous Bibendum (also known as the Michelin Man), who is 120 years old this year, and was elected “Icon of the Millennium” by Advertising Week, the US-based global conference series for marketing, branding, advertising and technology professionals, at an event in New York’s Times Square in October.