The first Italian restaurant outside of Italy awarded 3 stars from the Michelin guide is in Hong Kong. The exclusive restaurant, 8 ½ Bombana, opened only in 2010 but was soon appreciated because it is an expression of Umberto Bombana’s talent. Born in Bergamo, he came to Hong Kong in 1993 after many important experiences in Italy and America. Umberto Bombana and his staff celebrated the coveted award on December 15 with a toast of Ferrari, as seen in the picture.
This is a significant moment for Ferrari in Hong Kong, which follows by only a few weeks the Ferrari toast at the beginning of the big Gala dinner of Vinitaly Hong Kong, hosted at the huge Hong Kong Wine & Spirits Fair. The Gala dinner, to which four hundred people were invited including many journalists coming from all over the world and leading figures of Hong Kong, was the most awaited happening of the entire three-day event.
  

Ferrari Brut Trentodoc was named “the best Italian classic method” by the annual traditional survey that is done by Weinwirtschaft, one of the most read and authoritative German wine magazines. The survey was comprised of a questionnaire in which importers, agents, distributors and wine companies were called and asked to give their opinions. The responses involved more than 700 labels and from these the jury at Weinwirtschaft chose 100, “Die 100 Top Weine de Jahres,” the 100 top wines of the year.  Ferrari Brut was one of these and placed in first position within the “Traditionelle Flaschengaerung-Italien” or Italian classic method category. The jury for the magazine used these parameters for making their decision: quality derived from tasting, price versus quality, the market value, brand image and marketing plan. A leadership, therefore, that is expressive of excellence both for the sparkling wine, Ferrari Brut, and for the Ferrari winery, which the Germans have considered for long time a symbol of the Italian art of living.  

OperaWine is the new innovative partnership between Vinitaly and Wine Spectator aimed at promoting the quality and diversity of Italian wines on the international scene. The first event will be a Grand Tasting in Verona on March 24th, 2012, “Finest Italian Wines: 100 Great Producers”, which will be staged in the ancient Palazzo della Ragione and mark the first time that Wine Spectator selected 100 wines of one sole country in Europe. Ferrari included, for sure! The initiative has been presented in Milan on November 28th during a very well attended press conference, in the presence of Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator Senior Editor, Ettore Riello, Veronafiere President, and Giovanni Mantovani, Veronafiere CEO.

Along the line of great theaters toasting with Ferrari bubbles we can now add one of the most famous, an authentic temple of great music and spectacular theater, the Bolshoi of Moscow, or to repeat the full name, the Bolshoi Theater of Russia. They made the toast on an especially portentous date for superstitious people, Friday 11 November, or 11/11/11.  On that date the Bolshoi hosted a grand evening during which Rubelli, a mythic name in the textile industry (specifically for theatrical furnishings), celebrated one of the most splendid works of his lifetime: the remaking of the drop curtains and all the curtains of the legendary Muscovite theater. An order was placed for the work in 2007 and was celebrated on the 28 October with the official re-opening of the Bolshoi.  On Friday 11 November a great event was held and many important personalities were invited, not only Russian, but also from politics, culture, and show business.  During the celebration one of the protagonists was Ferrari bubbles, symbol of Italian excellence.
 

Could Ferrari be absent at the celebration of the hundred year anniversary of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Germany?  No, it’s agreed, especially on the day of the celebration, today, 17 November at Frankfurt on the Main, where they will be speaking about the spectacular “made in Italy” brand at a conference that is appropriately titled, “Italy: a country of enchantment and innovation.” Ferrari sparkling wine will be offered at the buffet, which will take place at the end of the conference.  During the gala dinner held the same evening and hosting some of the most exclusive personalities in the world of economy, finance, and culture both Italian and German, there will be a parade of the finest Italian cuisine specifically crafted for this event by the International School of Italian Cooking.  From the wine selection served there will be the Rosso di Montefalco coming from the Castelbuono winery in Umbria.
 

 One of the many signs of the broad appreciation that Ferrari is gaining in Germany is represented by the fact that more than five hundred persons, carefully selected, flocked to the Ferrari Party organized by Ariane Abayan in one of the trendiest restaurants in Hamburg, "La Baracca" the evening of Tuesday, 15 November. Or to be more precise, the party began Tuesday evening, but only ended in the early hours Wednesday morning. A grand celebration where Ferrari, served in Jeroboam (3 liters) and Mathsalem (6 liters) bottles, literally wowed those present.
 

In the Ferrari winery's extraordinary gallery for many years there has been one Kennedy: Ted. However, in recent years, there is someone else with that weighty and famous surname, Kerry Kennedy (Robert's daughter and Ted's niece), actively defending human rights together with the Foundation named after her father. And it is for this reason that she is supported in her many different activities by the Ferrari winery. (The photo shows Kerry Kennedy during her visit to the Ferrari winery). Kerry Kennedy toasted together with the Mayor of Florence, Matteo Renzi and former Democrat senator, Gary Hart, at the gala dinner in Florence, in the historic setting of the Salone dei Cinquecento at the Palazzo Vecchio, which followed the inauguration of the RKF Training Institute opened by the Robert Kennedy Foundation in Florence. The centre is international in nature and will host seminars and conferences for scholars, teachers, students and managers in the non-profit sector worldwide. The Ferrari bubbles Maximum Brut and Maximum Rosé were the protagonists at the gala.  So too were the Segnana grappas Solera di Solera and Gentile.

 

Abbado's baton and Ferrari bubbles. These two symbols of Italian excellence have been chosen for the celebration of Mario Draghi's ECB presidency. The stage for the best of Italy - Mario Draghi, Claudio Abbado and Ferrari - will be the Opera Theatre in Frankfurt, where the concert directed by Maestro Abbado will be held on the evening of 19th October. After the performance, more than 300 guests, all well renowned names from the world of politics, economics, finance and culture - Italian and European – will celebrate with only three wine labels, all created by the Lunelli family: Ferrari Brut as sparkling wine, Villa Margon for those who love white wines and the Montefalco Rosso from the Tenuta Castelbuono for those who prefer reds. Surgiva water will also be present.
 

The Ferrari bubbles are certainly not "Made in Sicily", nevertheless they were chosen by Giorgio Locatelli to toast the presentation of his latest book "Made in Sicily" on Tuesday 4th October, in the Locanda of the same name, which has for years been the point of reference in London for lovers of Italian cuisine. Ferrari bubbles are at home in Locanda Locatelli, as shown by the wine list which dedicates one whole page to the Trentino labels, which are increasingly more often the protagonists of the most important events.