Cigars and Italian wine, a combination that pleases: Chianti flies once again to Cuba for “Habanos”

Italian wine in Cuba has seen, in recent years, significant growth so much so that the Belpaese had put the arrow ahead of France and, in 2019, figured as the third partner for the “pearl of the Caribbean”, behind only Spain and Chile, with a value of imports of more than $1.1 million, or 11.2% of total imports to the Caribbean island. And with the healthiest indicators, the result of disruptive growth that has shown the full appeal and potential of Italian wine in Cuba, a nation with negligible production and wine consumption driven by tourism, and this despite duties that for European wine, including Italian wine, are at 15%. Among the most emblazoned Italian appellations is certainly Chianti, which renews a collaboration that has already been underway for years, namely the meeting between a glass of the world’s best-known Tuscan red and a Cuban cigar, two true icons that “embrace” each other for a partnership that continues to bear fruit. After all, Italy is the world’s leading wine producer and Cuba is a leader in the premium cigar segment, two “brands” that “dialogue” finding an important consumer audience over the years. The Consorzio Vino Chianti has returned, therefore, to the Caribbean island, in the “Habanos n.24” Festival, scheduled from yesterday to March 1, staged in the capital, Havana. An alliance, therefore, consolidated and now decennial between two excellences for a festival that attracts thousands of connoisseurs from over 80 countries and that, between the aromas of the premium Cuban cigar and a sip of Chianti wine, also devotes space to literature, art, fashion, gastronomy.
“Our relationship with the island”, explains Consortium President Giovanni Busi, “has now been consolidated in the Consortium’s commitment to strengthening the presence of Chianti in South America”. With the Chianti Wine Consortium, these days in Havana, it is possible to taste many labels of Tuscan producers, with many side events culminating in the gala night, for which 1,200 people are expected (for the Consortium present the Wine Ambassador, Luca Alves) to toast with Chianti wine, for the occasion in a limited edition in magnum size, dedicated to the 55th anniversary of the “Trinidad” brand, one of the most famous cigars in the world.