When March arrives, chocolate enthusiasts know it’s time to pay attention: the Tavoletta d’Oro competition is ready to reveal the best Italian chocolates of the year. This is the most authoritative recognition in the panorama of Italian artisan chocolate, capable of guiding consumers, professionals and enthusiasts in choosing the excellence produced in our country.
The prize is awarded by the Compagnia del Cioccolato, an association of experts founded in 1995 in Perugia, which has organized this event since 2002 which has become a real Oscar in the sector. Not a simple competition, but a rigorous evaluation process involving taste professionals and chocolate sommeliers from all over Italy.
The 2026 edition – the twenty-fourth – achieved extraordinary numbers. The 110 Chocolat Tasters of Compagnia del Cioccolato evaluated over 1,200 types of Italian chocolates on the market, working in 19 panels distributed in the territorial offices of Rome, Bologna, Ferrara, Milan, Marche, Potenza and Verona.
Only the products that exceeded the threshold of 85 cents out of 100 were admitted to the final phase, where a restricted jury of experts selected the 48 definitively awarded excellences, divided into 14 categories.
The awards ceremony was held on Saturday 7 March in the Archaeological Industrial Museum of Terra d’Otranto in Maglie, in the province of Lecce, as part of the “Chocolates of the Mediterranean” event, and was broadcast live on the Compagnia del Cioccolato Facebook page.
The best chocolate of 2026
This year, for the first time, each category includes three levels of recognition – Gold, Silver and Bronze – thus expanding the number of products valued and offering a more detailed ranking of the quality widespread in the sector.
Let’s find out all the winners right away.
Dark
• GOLD Amedei – Toscano black 63
• SILVER Domori – Criollo 80%
• SILVER Sleighs – Gran Cacao 73%
• BRONZE Staccoli – Equatorial 80%
• BRONZE Venchi – 77% nibs
Single origin dark chocolate
• GOLD Domori – Criollo Chuao 70%
• SILVER Maglio – Caño el Tigre 80%
• BRONZE Colzani – São Tomé 78%
100% cocoa mass
• GOLD Maglio – 100% porcelain
• SILVER Amedei – Toscano black 100%
• BRONZE Majani – Sur del Lago 100%
Milk
• GOLD Cocoa Artifact – Savory milk 38%
• SILVER Amedei – Toscano brown 32%
• BRONZE La Perla – Finissimo with milk 33%
Single origin milk
• GOLD Majani – Sur del Lago Milk 33%
• SILVER Vellino – Meta Macarena milk 38%
• BRONZE Maglio – Papua 36%
High percentage milk
• GOLD Gardini – Milk 42%
• GOLD Maglio – Cuyagua Ocumare Criollo 55%
• SILVER Colzani – Peru + milk 45%
• SILVER Sleds – Lattenero 45%
Gianduia
• GOLD Chestnut – Giuinott
• GOLD Gobino – Tourinot +39
• SILVER Gobino – Giandujotto Indonesia
Stuffed
• GOLD Gardini – Dobloni with Gin primo
• SILVER Carola Stacchezzini – The Very Stuffed Licorice
• BRONZE Castello Pandino – Bar filled with hazelnut, coconut and mandarin
Cremino
• GOLD Gardini – Black cherry cremino
• SILVER Varvaro – 3 layer cremino
• BRONZE Bernardi – Hazelnut cremino
Praline
• GOLD Slitti – Passion fruit praline
• SILVER Bernardi – Enigma white chocolate, amaretto cream and almonds
• SILVER Gardini – Alkermes Praline
• BRONZE Villa – Rum Praline
Covered fruit
• GOLD Maglio – Chocolate covered black cherries
• SILVER Gobino – Covered candied bergamot peels
• BRONZE Slitti – Fico mio, calabacita figs with Sambuca
Flavored
• GOLD Sabadì – Refined with absinthe
• GOLD Gardini – 38% cocoa & Cervia salt with liquorice
• SILVER Manufatto Cacao – Pisa bar with caramel and pine nuts
• BRONZE Rukét Chocolate – Chocolate with rum
• BRONZE Colzani – Milano bitter 80%
Raw chocolates
• GOLD Sabadì – Dark with 70% mascobado sugar
• SILVER Sabadì – SIRACUSA with dried lemon and mint
• BRONZE Gardini – Rustic with 74% muscovado sugar
Spreadable
• GOLD Colzani – Hazelnuts and cocoa
• SILVER Slitti – Riccosa 51% hazelnuts
• BRONZES Venchi – Nougatine
Special prizes out of competition
In addition to the 14 competing categories, the ceremony awarded three special awards. The International Chocolatier Award went to Dick Taylor for 72% Belize Toledo, selected in collaboration with Leonardi Dolciumi of Ravenna.
The Special Prize was awarded to the Venezuelan producer Douglas Dager for his extraordinary commitment to the production and protection of criollos cocoa, among the most valuable in the world.
Finally, the “Fosca Maurizzi” Award for Communicative Effectiveness went to Aroko Chocolate, curated by Spaghetti & Mandolino in collaboration with Compagnia del Cioccolato.
The trends of 2026
The Tavoletta d’Oro is not limited to rewarding the best Italian chocolates, it is also a precious tool for monitoring sector trends and understanding where chocolate production is going in our country.
The 2026 edition records a significant growth in the use of single-origin cocoa, not only in dark chocolates but also in milk chocolates, especially those with a high percentage of cocoa, where the quality level has significantly increased.
Spreadable creams are also on the increase, with many sugar-free options and with cocoa of certified origin, a sign of greater attention to quality and transparency on the label.
The panorama of 2026 therefore tells of an increasingly conscious Italian chocolate, which looks at the origin of the cocoa as an added value and is approaching a production philosophy that is more attentive to sustainability, traceability and respect for the raw material.
Sources: Compagnia del Cioccolato Facebook / Cioccolati del Mediterraneo
