Vinexpo hails international appeal

Vinexpo 2013 drew to a close yesterday, with organisers pointing to the biennial Bordeaux fair’s expanding international appeal.

Although final figures are yet to be released, around 40% of this year’s 48,800 visitors came from outside France, with a total of 148 countries represented.

While the UK, Russia and Norway all supplied more visitors than in 2011, Vinexpo highlighted in particular the increased number of attendees from North America, including a 10% uplift from Canada.

Alain Brunet, chief executive of the Quebec Alcohol Corporation, which spends €750 million each year on wines and spirits, said: ”It is a great exhibition, even better then in 2011. It’s alive and buzzing, morale is high; the recovery has begun.”

As predicted in the run up to the fair, there was also an increase in the number of visitors from Asia, with around 3,200 from China and buyers from India, Taiwan, South Korea and Thailand. Meanwhile Japan recorded an 18% uplift in visitor numbers compared to 2011.

Sumit Muntjal, director of Indian importer Muntjal Brothers described Vinexpo as “a fantastic springboard into doing business with the wine industry.”

Likewise, Elena Corzana of Spanish firm Garcia Carrion praised the fair’s international appeal, saying: “We sell in about 150 countries. At Vinexpo we can meet our customers from around the world. Vinexpo is an important meeting place and our diaries are full.”

This year’s Vinexpo featured a number of new exhibitors from less well-known producing regions as Mexico, Japan, Turkey and China’s Sichuan Province all took stands for the first time.

Summing up the five day event, Vinexpo CEO Robert Beynat, whose role will now change to focus on the fair’s growing Asian extensions, said: “The number and quality of meetings and the positive atmosphere in the three exhibition halls sends an encouraging message to the whole wine and spirits industry.”