At the Gastronomic Forum in Barcelona, the competition to discover who serves the best beer in Catalonia was also held. Organized by Estrella Damm, contestants had to demonstrate their skill in using a beer tap. There was an initial selection of 16 establishments out of 500 participants who had submitted a video showcasing their abilities. Finally, the winner, after an exciting knockout round, was the Manel & Naiara bar from Sant Feliu de Llobregat, which took home 2,000 euros. The Xavi’s Frankfurt establishment in Terrassa and the Un Punt Nou bar in Sant Joan de Vilatorrada achieved second and third place, respectively, in this fourth edition of the Estrella Damm Beer Pouring Contest.
The Vallflorida pastry shop in Sant Esteve de Palautordera makes the best panettone in Spain in a year of record participation
In the chocolate category, the distinction is taken by the pastry shop La Roja from Almoradí, in the Baix Segura
03/11/2026 - 20:07 h
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BarcelonaOnce again, one of the highlights of the Gastronomic Forum Barcelona is the panettone competition, which determines which is the best in the country in 2026 in both the traditional and chocolate categories. This year the winners were Vallflorida, from Sant Esteve de Palautordera, in the classic category – therefore, the panettone that contains candied fruit –, and the La Roja pastry shop from Almoradí, in the Baix Segura, in the chocolate category. Vallflorida has already won on previous occasions; one year it even took the prize in both categories.
Winning the competition was a way for many people to get to know the Vallflorida pastry shop, explains Gerard Costa, who shares the workshop with his brother Lluís and who is the one who collected the prize. Since they already know what such recognition entails, they are aware that it transcends the panettone. Two years ago, they found many repeat customers and many people who came to taste other products from the pastry shop. Besides, for two years they have incorporated the Easter colomba, which is made with the same dough. Costa calculates that this year they will make between 15,000 and 16,000 panettones. According to the pastry chef, one of the keys to success is that they always try to "modify the preparation to improve it". "Always look for complements, because if not, you win once and don't win again". Given the result, the change has worked out well for them.
The competition, organized by the Barcelona Pastry Guild, has broken a participation record this year. 101 panettones were presented, 50 of which were fruit-based and 51, chocolate. In the previous edition, about 80 were presented. This fact arrives as the competition for the best artisan fruit panettone reached its eleventh edition. The chocolate one, which was incorporated later, reached its sixth.
To decide the winners, the jury spent the whole morning scoring the taste, smell, crumb structure, shape, and appearance of the panettones. The panettone, a traditional sweet from northern Italy, has not stopped gaining followers in our country, and more and more bakers and pastry chefs have been encouraged to make them. The guild defines it as an "essential product." In fact, it is considered one of the most technically difficult sweets to master. The participants had to deliver two pieces weighing between one kilo and one kilo and one hundred grams first thing in the morning. Four, in case they were participating in both categories. If we do the math, there were a total of 202 panettones that had to pass through the hands of the jury. In the case of the traditional category, the accepted fruits were lemon or citron, orange, and raisins. In the case of the chocolate one, it could be dark or milk chocolate, with the condition that it had 40% cocoa.
Winners of other editions
Last year the winners were Oriol Carrió, from the Oriol Carrió patisserie in Barcelona, in the fruit category, and Rafel and Adrià Aguilera, from Cal Jan in Torredembarra, in the chocolate category. All three have been part of the jury the following year, as is usually tradition. Alongside them were other professionals from the sector such as the pastry chefs Claudio Gatti, Ton Cortés, Iban Yarza, Alba Llacera and Miquel Zaguirre (for the classic) and Lluc Crusellas, Ramon Morató, Aniello Di Caprio, Anna Cortés and Jordi Luque (for the chocolate one). Ton Cortés, from the Barcelona patisserie Suca'l, is, moreover, world champion of panettone, a distinction achieved in 2024 in Italy which is within reach of very few. Especially, if you are not from Italy.
If we review the entire list of winners from previous editions of the best artisan panettone in the country, they have been: Mervier Canal and Madeleine by Ferrieres (in 2024), Vallflorida Xocolaters (who won both categories in 2023); L’Atelier Barcelona and Panes Creativos (2022); Dolç par Yan Duytsche and Cal Jan (2021); Xocosave (2020); Cloudstreet (2019); Ochiai (2018); Oriol Balaguer (2017) and Dolç Par Yann Duytshche (2016).
The best-poured beer in Sant Feliu de Llobregat
