02/2009 - CASTAGNER TAKES THE PACKAGING AWARD AT VINITALY

This was how the panel of judges, headed by Gilda Bojardi - editor of "Interni" magazine - awarded the prize for the world's best image for wine and grape distillates. Bottles of wine and spirits from all over the world were entered in the competition, only to be outperformed by Roberto Castagner's products, which swept up an impressive four major awards: first of all, the coveted "ETICHETTA DELL'ANNO 2009" (label of the year) title, which went to "AQUA 21", while "Grape Vodka Prosecco" and "Torbarossa 5 Anni" took the Silver Label and Bronze Label awards respectively in the distilled beverage category.
Lastly, the Acquavite SpA distillery was awarded the Special Packaging Prize 2009 for the distilled beverage category: the prize given to the company that gets the best overall scores from the judges. Roberto Castagner shares this triumph with Loris Balliana from the Conegliano-based Quba agency, who has worked closely with the distillery from the very beginning to define its image and that of its products. "The most rewarding product has been Aqua 21, an all-natural soft spirit with just 21% alcohol, made from grapes, which I have taken a bit of a gamble on over the last year. We've worked a lot on the packaging, but achieving such an innovative and enjoyable product took three years of my life." says Roberto Castagner, who is understandably pleased with the acclaim. "What's more, I see the Special Packaging Prize 2009 as a kind of career award, a reward for all the effort I've put in over recent years to make grappa and other spirits made from grapes more modern, lighter and more attractive." The Drink 21 line - whose cornerstone is Aqua 21 - has been enhanced with the addition of two products that will be presented for the first time at Vinitaly: Choco 21 and Caffè 21, two low-alcohol liqueurs, made with Aqua 21 and premium ingredients - namely the best cocoa beans and E'caffè coffee produced by Giancarlo Aneri - two liqueurs that appeal even to the palate of non-grappa lovers.
In addition to Drink 21, Roberto Castagner will also be using the Vinitaly event to showcase a product never before seen in the distilling world: the product making its debut is Grape Vodka Prosecco, the first Italian vodka made entirely from the skins of Prosecco grapes and sure to do the Made in Italy label credit. Distilled a remarkable 10 times and diluted with water from the Veneto's mountains, Grape Vodka Prosecco is the epitome of purity, a quality mirrored even in its packaging - at once refined and elegant, as judged by the panel at the International Packaging Competition, who awarded Grape Vodka Prosecco the Silver Label in the distilled beverage category. Roberto Castagner has thus confirmed his reputation as one of the most innovative distillers on the Italian stage, and likewise his products - which are consistently on the cutting edge in meeting the expectations of the discerning and demanding consumer - have gained recognition as the most interesting innovations even in world-level competitions, in a context of all-round high quality, from the product to the packaging.