The combined Italian National and Mediterranean regional chocolate competition brings together cultures and chocolate companies sharing the influence and ingredients of the Mediterranean sea. Winners will pass through to the World Final in November 2018.
This regional competition awards prizes for chocolatier products including filled chocolates/bonbons, pralines, flavoured bars and chocolate spreads. Plain/origin and flavoured bean-to-bar products from all European, African and Middle East chocolate makers will be judged at the European Bean-to-bar Chocolate Maker competition, held in Amsterdam in June 2018.
The International Chocolate Awards is an independent competition recognising excellence in fine chocolate making and in the products made with fine chocolate.
Judges
The judges were drawn from local experts, food journalists and pastry chefs and members of our permanent international Grand Jury and guest judges.
- Winners
- Finalists
- Judges
- Grand Jury
- Supporters
Prizes
The categories judged included flavoured chocolate bars, filled chocolates and spreads, and are based on yearly feedback from our entrants and in consultation with the fine chocolate industry. All judging is anonymised, including at the Grand Jury final session, where Golds, Silver and Bronze prizes are awarded by private voting according to the Grand Jury rules.
Awards are awarded only to entries that meet the required standard for each prize.
(Prizes are shown in alphabetical order for each medal)
Plain/origin bars
Rough ground/textured plain/origin dark chocolate bars
Gold: Gardini (Italy) - "Rustico"
Flavoured bars
Dark chocolate bars with an infusion or flavouring
Silver: T'a Milano (Italy) - Tavoletta al limone
Dark chocolate bars with inclusions or pieces
Gold: Bodrato Cioccolato (Italy) - Dark chocolate with coffee and star anice
Silver: Bodrato Cioccolato (Italy) - Dark chocolate with pink pepper and cocoa beans
Silver: Gardini (Italy) - "Speziali" , fondente con caffè e cardamomo
Silver: Gardini (Italy) - "Speziali": fondente con tè verde Sakura
Dark chocolate bars with a filling
Gold: Piccola Pasticceria (Italy) - Chinotto di Savona
Bronze: Gardini (Italy) - "Insolito" , Gianduia Salata
Bronze: Piccola Pasticceria (Italy) - Caramello e Sale di Mothya
Milk chocolate bars with inclusions or pieces
Silver: Gardini (Italy) - Cacao e Sale: latte con sale e olio EVO
Silver: Gardini (Italy) - Cacao e Sale: latte sale e liquerizia
White chocolate bars with an infusion or flavouring
Bronze: T'a Milano (Italy) - Tavoletta cioccolato bianco al Caramello e Sale delle Hawaii
Bronze: T'a Milano (Italy) - Tavoletta zafferano e cioccolato bianco
White chocolate bars with inclusions or pieces
Gold: Bruno Chocolate (Israel) - Tiras bar
Bronze: Bodrato Cioccolato (Italy) - White chocolate bar with cranberry and cinnamon
Bronze: Bodrato Cioccolato (Italy) - White Chocolate Bar With Strawberry, Vanilla and Lemon
Ganaches, palets, ganache pralines and truffles
Unflavoured dark chocolate ganaches or truffles
Gold: Pietro Macellaro Pasticceria Agricola Cilentana (Italy) - Piura Buffalo Cream
Silver: Pietro Macellaro Pasticceria Agricola Cilentana (Italy) - Vietnam Buffalo Cream
Bronze: Ika Chocolate (Israel) - Dark ganache
Flavoured dark chocolate ganaches or truffles
Gold: Torta Pistocchi Firenze (Italy) - Torta Martinica Dream
Silver: Ika Chocolate (Israel) - Basil ganache
Silver: Ika Chocolate (Israel) - Earl grey tea ganache
Silver: Piccola Pasticceria (Italy) - Bonet
Silver: Slitti (Italy) - Pralina Irish Coffee (**)
Bronze: Fanucchi Daniel (Italy) - Vietnouth
Bronze: Ika Chocolate (Israel) - Coffee and Cardamon Ganache
Bronze: Ika Chocolate (Israel) - Grapefruit Ganache
Bronze: Ika Chocolate (Israel) - Rum and Marzipan
Bronze: Ronen Aflalo (Israel) - A Middle East and Caribbean Date
Bronze: Slitti (Italy) - Pralina Lampone (**)
Bronze: Torta Pistocchi Firenze (Italy) - Alchermes Fiorentino
Flavoured milk chocolate ganaches or truffles
Gold: Pietro Macellaro Pasticceria Agricola Cilentana (Italy) - Salty Madagascar
Flavoured white chocolate ganaches or truffles
Gold: Torta Pistocchi Firenze (Italy) - Elisa's Cake
Silver: Piccola Pasticceria (Italy) - Biancomangiare
Silver: Torta Pistocchi Firenze (Italy) - Torta di cioccolato bianco e Albicocche al Cognac
Bronze: Bruno Chocolate (Israel) - Strawberry cheesecake
Flavoured ganaches or truffles with combination coating or filling
Gold: Pietro Macellaro Pasticceria Agricola Cilentana (Italy) - Pistacchio Bronte
Silver: Ika Chocolate (Israel) - Zaatar
Silver: Paola Francesca Bertani (Italy) - Aleatica
Silver: Ronen Aflalo (Israel) - Middle East Praline
Silver: Slitti (Italy) - Pralina Cappuccino (**)
Bronze: Chiarascuro (Italy) - Giò latte
Nuts
Nut based pralines with dark chocolate
Gold: Guido Castagna (Italy) - Cremino Menta liquirizia (**)
Silver: Guido Castagna (Italy) - Cremino Cannella Calendula (**)
Silver: Guido Castagna (Italy) - Cremino Cardamomo Malva (**)
Silver: Guido Castagna (Italy) - Cremino Pistacchio (**)
Dark chocolate gianduiotto / cremino
Gold: Guido Castagna (Italy) - Giuinott (**)
Bronze: Bardini (Italy) - Cremino Bardini
Bronze: Bardini (Italy) - Gianduiotto Bardini
Flavoured dark chocolate cremino
Gold: Gardini (Italy) - Cremino Bigusto con Liquerizia
Silver: Gardini (Italy) - Cremino Bigusto con Amarene
Bronze: Andrea Bianchini Chocolate Luxory Collection (Italy) - 2018
Bronze: Bodrato Cioccolato (Italy) - cremino with salt maldon flakes
Bronze: Gardini (Italy) - Cremino Bigusto con Noci
Bronze: Gardini (Italy) - Cremino Bigusto con Uvetta di Corinto
Dark chocolate enrobed marzipan
Gold: Pietro Macellaro Pasticceria Agricola Cilentana (Italy) - Wild oregano and lemon of Sorrento
Silver: Pietro Macellaro Pasticceria Agricola Cilentana (Italy) - Piura Violetta
Silver: Sensaciones de Chocolate (Spain) - Azahar
Nut based pralines with milk chocolate
Gold: Giraudi (Italy) - Pralina Pistacchio
Milk chocolate gianduiotto or cremino
Gold: Piccola Pasticceria (Italy) - Piccolo Gianduja
Bronze: Davide appendino Bean[TO]Ciok (Italy) - Gianduiotto (**)
Bronze: Giraudi (Italy) - Gianduiotto Classico
Unflavoured milk chocolate cremino
Gold: Piccola Pasticceria (Italy) - Cremino Tre Colori
Bronze: Varvaro (Italy) - Cremino a Tre Strati (**)
Milk chocolate enrobed marzipan
Silver: Piccola Pasticceria (Italy) - Zuppa Inglese
Milk chocolate dragées, enrobed whole nuts
Silver: Slitti (Italy) - Mandorle d'Avola (**)
Nut based pralines with white chocolate
Gold: Bardini (Italy) - Tartufo Bardini
Silver: Tartuflanghe (Italy) - Pistacchio Praline
Bronze: Tartuflanghe (Italy) - White praline with hazelnuts
White chocolate dragées, enrobed whole nuts
Gold: Torta Pistocchi Firenze (Italy) - Drageès di Pistacchio Siciliano, cioccolato bianco, polvere di arancia e sale marino
Caramels
Milk chocolate enrobed caramels
Silver: Pietro Macellaro Pasticceria Agricola Cilentana (Italy) - Salty Buffalo Caramel
Others - fruit/sugar/butter/cream/misc
Dark chocolate enrobed whole fruit
Gold: Pietro Macellaro Pasticceria Agricola Cilentana (Italy) - Boero
Silver: Cioccolato Orsini (Italy) - Liquorice Grappa Dark
Silver: Falicetto Cioccolato Puro Piacenza (Italy) - Sgranfgnòn - Boero - Graffione
Silver: Pelagagge Riccardo (Italy) - Clementina candita con honeybush e mango
Silver: Slitti (Italy) - GInger (**)
Milk chocolate enrobed fruit pastes, jellies/gelée
Gold: Bruno Chocolate (Israel) - Sesame and Pear
Milk chocolate enrobed whole fruit
Gold: Torta Pistocchi Firenze (Italy) - Uvetta cioccolato al latte e mandorla
Silver: Slitti (Italy) - Alkekengi (**)
Silver: Slitti (Italy) - Black Cherry (**)
White chocolate enrobed manon/butter/cream
Silver: T'a Milano (Italy) - Dragees caramello e sale rivestito di cioccolato biondo
Spreads
Spreads with dark chocolate (no milk powder)
Gold: Guido Castagna (Italy) - +55 (**)
Silver: La Botteghina del Cioccolato (Italy) - La nocciolosa
Spreads with milk chocolate
Gold: Giraudi (Italy) - Giacometta Pistacchio
Gold: Piccola Pasticceria (Italy) - Buongiorno allo Zabaione
Silver: Maison della Nocciola (Italy) - Crema Gianduja
Silver: Piccola Pasticceria (Italy) - Buongiorno alla Nocciola
(*) Declared chocolate maker for private label bars.
(**) Winner has declared the product is made with their own bean-to-bar chocolate or couverture.