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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 10 DECEMBER 2017 Events 46 Historic visit by Alsace wine growers THE Confrérie Saint-Etienne d'Alsace, one of the oldest wine guilds in France founded in the 14th century, has just concluded its first official visit to Malta. A number of wine growers from Alsace came to celebrate this his- toric visit, including members of Famille Hugel, Gustave Lorentz, Charles Wantz and Jean-Luc Freudenreich as well as the cur- rent and previous Grandmasters of the Confrérie. During their visit, the members of the Confrérie visited impor- tant historical sites in Malta and Gozo and organised two wine events to promote wines from Alsace: an informal wine-tasting evening at Trabuxu in Valletta and a formal banquet at Palazzo de Piro in Mdina. During the formal event, some members of the Maltese wine and culinary sectors, as well as Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne and French Ambassador Béatrice Le Fraper du Hellen, were inducted into the Confrérie. The Confrérie Saint-Etienne d'Alsace has a long and distin- guished history in the service of Alsatian wine. Like most craft guilds after the French Revolution, it went into hibernation in 1848 before being revived after World War II; this year celebrating its 70th anniversary in its new form. To- day, the Confrérie headquarters is the Château de Kientzheim, purchased in 1973. The Alsace regional wine museum is housed in the outbuildings, while com- mented theme tastings, wine ed- ucation courses and other wine- and-food seminars are held in the Château's official Chapters. The Confrérie's treasure is of course the specially-built wine library or Oenothèque, a unique collection of more than 65,000 bottles of Alsatian wines dat- ing back to 1834, and even one very special bottle of wine from 1472, donated by the Hospices de Strasbourg. Since its statutes were first es- tablished back in 1561, the role of the Confrérie has always been to oversee and guarantee the qual- ity of Alsace wines by awarding its official seal to wines that are selected by blind tasting as ex- ceptional, and to promote Alsa- tian wine and food culture in a non-commercial and impartial way. Today the Confrérie has around 5,000 members world- wide and is active in many coun- tries, with delegations in 9 coun- tries. Farsons Beverage Imports Company (FBIC) Limited, a member of the Farsons Group, imports, markets and distributes the range of Hugel wines from Alsace. The newly-intronised members of the Confrerie, with Grandmaster Pascal Schultz in centre and General Manager Eric Fargeas on left Fantastic prizes to be won in Easisave competition ALL new Easisave clients who open and activate their online sav- ings account by the end of the year will automatically participate in a competition with a chance to win one of fifteen fantastic prizes. The range of gifts includes; five Nes- café Dolce Gusto coffee machines, five JBL waterproof Bluetooth speakers and five Fitbit fitness wrist bands. Commenting on the Easisave December competition, Chris Tra- pani, Head of Cash Management said, "Having recently increased Easisave interest rates for savings accounts to 0.5% p.a. and 1.0% p.a. for the 3 month fixed term depos- it, we are now providing custom- ers with the opportunity to win some quality prizes, maximising on their investment with us. This is not the first time that we are rewarding customers and we will definitely maintain this trend to ensure that we continue delivering value to our growing client base." Participants will be required to answer a product related question correctly during account opening, and winners shall be contacted via email. The draw shall be held on 5 January 2018. For further informa- tion including the terms and con- ditions, please visit www.easisave. com or the Easisave facebook page. HSBC Malta Foundation supports President's UK hospitals visit HSBC Malta Foundation reinforced its commitment to the community by mak- ing a significant donation to the Malta Community Chest Fund (MCCF) to assist children receiving medical treat- ment in hospitals in the United King- dom. The President of Malta Marie-Lou- ise Coleiro Preca, who is the chairperson of MCCF, visited these Maltese children and their families in November. Seen in the picture are President Coleiro Preca flanked by (left) HSBC Malta CEO An- drew Beane and HSBC Europe CEO An- tonio Simoes. Senglea's iconic Macina Bastion comes back to life as exclusive Cugó Gran Macina Grand Harbour THE new opening of Cugó Gran Macina Grand Harbour in the his- torical city of Senglea is yet another milestone in 2017 for the IBB Hotel Collection as the hospitality com- pany continues to expand further in Europe. Steeped in an evocative history going back to the 16th cen- tury, Cugó Gran Maċina combines a unique harbour location, spectacu- lar views and the very best in mod- ern luxury. Following an intensive 18-month restoration and renovation process, Senglea's iconic Macina Bastion has now come back to life as an exclusive Cugó Gran luxury accommodation. Last weekend it welcomed its first guests, while its panoramic terrace served as the venue for its first wed- ding. Apart from being part of the IBB Hotel Collection, which oper- ates hotels under lease, manage- ment and franchise contracts with three different own brands: Cugó Gran, IBB Hotel and IBB Blue Hotel, Cugó Gran Macina is the first mem- ber of Design Hotels from Malta. Built in 1554 during the reign of Grand Master Claude de la Sen- gle, the Sheer Bastion has been one of the Grand Harbour's most renowned landmarks, deriving its name 'Macina' (originally 'mac- china') from the large sheer crane structure, used to hoist heavy masts and other cargo, which was eventu- ally dismantled during the British period in 1864. Today, the Cugó Gran Macina is aiming high by as- piring to be a landmark of a different class, a luxury boutique accommo- dation that will be a showpiece on the historic Cottonera seafront. Offering 21 suites with high vault- ed ceilings and ample natural light, ranging from 40 square metres to an impressive 130 square metres, all decorated in a minimalist style to create a luxury environment, Cugó Gran Macina has been truly trans- formed into an inspiring accommo- dation with a difference. Blended with bespoke interior design and luxury features, all rooms have un- obstructed views of the Grand Har- bour and the surrounding marina against a backdrop of historical for- tress walls. Overlooking the Three Cities with views extending as far as Valletta, the rooftop terrace has been taste- fully converted to accommodate events for up to 1,000 guests, offer- ing an ideal venue for weddings, spe- cial events and corporate functions. A guest swimming pool is tucked discreetly on the annex building rooftop overlooking picturesque Vittoriosa and Cospicua. The Cugó Gran Macina offers a restaurant and a bar, operated by the well-known and award-winning Maltese restau- rateur Chris Hammett and his team, also catering at the rooftop terrace. One board room for small meetings and conferences completes the wide range of services. The suites have been designed with the discerning travellers in mind, having all amenities avail- able in-room to make their stay all the more comfortable and inclusive in a uniquely historic yet luxurious setting. Every guest will be depart- ing from Cugó Gran Macina with a great experience of hospitality lived in a truly historical setting. The inspiring, bespoke and bold IBB Hotel Collection is a subsidiary of Von der Heyden Group, a devel- oper and investor based in Malta. Currently operating 11 hotels in Germany, Poland and Spain, the group has ambitious growth plans for the upcoming years. The group is currently constructing an own as- set in the historic city centre of Gda- nsk (Poland) under the IBB brand, namely IBB Hotel Dlugi Targ.