ProWein 2017: All you need to know

ProWein is back for another year, boasting a full programme of tastings, events, seminars and networking. With the diversity of the wine world on show, db is here to help pick out the highlights.

photo by Messe Düsseldorf/ctillmann

Size and scope are two of the things that make ProWein stand out against other wine-trade shows.

The annual event in Düsseldorf, Germany, which is now in its 23rd incarnation, already boasts more than 6,400 exhibitors, representing 60 nations – but the show’s new organiser, Marius Berlemann, global head wine & spirits, director ProWein, Messe Düsseldorf, wants to build on its already substantial reputation and make it bigger, better and brighter in 2017.

“The fact that ProWein is hosting 6,400 exhibitors from all relevant wine-growing regions and more than 55,000 trade visitors, demonstrates its excellence and global importance,” Berlemann said. “It is always very exciting to feel the power of this international summit.”

This year, there will be around 1,500 exhibitors from Italy, 1,400 from France, 960 from Germany, 600 from Spain, 350 from Austria, 125 from Portugal and around 600 from outside Europe. There will also be around 300 spirits exhibitors.

“We want ProWein to fulfil and even exceed its claim of being the number-one trade fair for the international wine and spirits industry in future,” Berlemann says.

But its usp, according to the organisers, is more than just its size.

“No other trade fair offers such concentrated competence and compact wine knowledge,” the team notes. “And nowhere else can attendees experience such a high level of internationality, diversity of products and professional atmosphere.”

They argue that remaining a trade-only event has given ProWein its reputation as a unique business platform for the specialised wine and spirits sector, attracting visitors from across the wholesale and retail trade, the restaurant sector and hotel industry, as well as importers, exporters, mail order business and specialised associations and institutions.

“ProWein is the world’s leading trade fair for wine and spirits, the largest industry meeting for professionals from viticulture, trade and gastronomy,” Berlemann adds.

Click through for a precis of what’s in store at ProWein 2017…

UNDER ONE ROOF

photo by Messe Duesseldorf/ctillmann

As well as hundreds of returning exhibitors, there will be new faces at this year’s show, including Ecuadoran winery Dos Hemisferios, Pico Wines from the Azores and Polish winery Turnau.

The Asian Wine Producers Association (AWP), an alliance of Asian wine producers that was created 2013 in Hong Kong, will also be exhibiting because part of its mission is to promote Asia as a respected wine region, and allow Asian wine producers to exchange experience with other global operators.

This reflects the rise of ProWein’s sister shows in the Far East – ProWine Asia and ProWine Hong Kong – and also the fact that an increasing number of Asian visitors are coming to Düsseldorf. But the Far East isn’t the only focus for the ProWein team.

About 800 companies will be taking part in Route USA this year, an initiative that guides visitors from the US through the trade show by highlighting producers who specifically want to export to North America. The Route USA logo and signage makes navigation easier, but this year the show has partnered with the Wine Enthusiast Importer Connection (WEIC), allowing exhibitors to submit a bottle of wine for review in the Wine Enthusiast Importer Connection programme.

“We have good coverage in Europe and have made good progress in North America, both in Canada and the US, and confidence is increasing there, as well as in Asia, in part thanks to our New World programme,” Berlemann explains. “But there is also more interest in Africa, which is certainly a growing area – if you can bring in two or three opinion-leaders from those countries, they go back and spread the word.”

This international flavour is reflected in the release of the new ProWein Business Report, which will be presented in a press conference at 10am on Monday 20 March. The study, which was prepared in collaboration with Geisenheim University, looks at the future development of the international wine market, and where growth is likely to come from. Prof Dr Simone Loose, head of the Institute for Business Administration and Market Research at Geisenheim University, said the study had captured opinions from the sector, highlighting the increasing importance of international wine markets for the European wine sector. “The combination of the producers’ views and those of buyers, brings about a unique opinion barometer for the industry,” she said.

TASTING

(photo: Messe Düsseldorf/ctillmann)

For many visitors, it is the chance to taste wines from all over the world that draws them back each year, and ProWein will again host a myriad of tastings. Mundus Vini will hold themed tastings during the trade fair, along with its own sampling area in the central tasting zone, where more than 500 award-winning wines from its spring tasting will be on pour.

There is also a new focus on organic wines, with a new dedicated area called Organic World, located in Hall 13. Around 30 international exhibitors will present their wines on the stand, reflecting the “proven strength” of the organic wines sector, according to Berlemann. This initiative builds on the Bio Italia area that was previously part at the show, but expanding it into Organic World opens it up to many more vineyards and wineries across the world to reflect the diversity of the organic sector. In addition, a number of organic organisations, such as Ecovin, Bioland, Demeter (who together were the forces behind last year’s Organic Lounge) Italy’s DiVIBIO and Vignerons de Nature will be exhibiting at the show, with around 250 specifically organic wines on show in total – nearly double last year’s number.

But because many of these wineries prefer to be identified by their country of origin rather than their production methods, all organic wines across the show will be flagged up in the programme catalogue.

EASIER ACCESS

One of the criticisms levelled at ProWein in the past has been the difficulty of navigating such a large show, spanning as it does nine halls of the Messe Düsseldorf. However, this year sees the installation of a new circuit, which Berlemann has said will save “unnecessary detours”, making it more visitor-friendly and a more logical progression through the world of wine.

The new layout will start in the Entrance North, with visitors lead into Hall 9 where producers from the New World and Greece will be located, before heading into Hall 10, which hosts suppliers from Spain and Portugal. France, which is among the most well-represented country, can be found in Halls 11 and 12, while a corner of Hall 12 will be devoted to ProWein’s spirits segment and the Champagne Lounge. This will host around 40 Champagne houses, showcasing 60 varieties and an additional 150 brands. German producers will be located next door in Halls 13 and 14, with Italian and other European suppliers situated in Halls 15 and 16, and Austria in Hall 17, where the central Tasting Zone can be found. Another change this year is that Halls 9 and 17 will be linked by a covered walking pavement to complete the circuit through the world of wines.

In terms of smoother logistics, the show has returned to its popular 9am – 6pm slot, after a brief trial of a later 10 – 7pm timing last year. Show organiser Marius Berlemann says this will make it easier for visitors and exhibitors to attend evening events and ProWein goes City – the evening programme that runs across Düsseldorf, involving numerous restaurants, scene clubs, bars and wine retailers, for the duration of the trade fair. It has also hired a floating hotel, a 62-room cruise ship that will be docked just opposite the exhibition centre, and worked on creating better comms with local transport companies to ensure smoother travel for visitors.

FOCUS ON FOOD

photo by Messe Duesseldorf/ctillmann

But making it easier for visitors doesn’t just mean navigation and logistics – Berlmann is determined to offer a better overall experience, and this includes a long-stated goal to expand the choice of gastronomy on offer for visitors, and also to cut queuing times.

“My intention is to improve the already very high standards of our services even further,” he said. “One issue is the catering for all visitors – here we expanded the gastronomy segment with a new area called Street Food Park at the exhibition centre in Hall 18.”

Hall 18 is a specially erected food area situated quite literally at the heart of the show, in the central area between the halls. Food trucks will be stationed outside the covered space, offering diverse street food, from Düsseldorf’s own dish of pork knuckles to Japanese sushi, from burritos to locally grown potatoes. The hall itself, a temporary structure, can seat up to 500 people, and will offer free WiFi.

“We want to keep it simple, so people can eat and then go back inside to the show,” Berlemann explains.

This focus on food – an offer that previously lacked inspiration – is not confined to visitors, as the organisers have arranged for a group of 15 vendors to circulate in the halls, selling sandwiches and pretzels to exhibitors who haven’t had a chance to leave their stands.

Similarly, there is a San Pellegrino sponsored ‘Aquaworld’ in Hall 16, supplying free water from San Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, as well as a Nespresso coffee bar.

SPIRITS & COCKTAILS

photo by Messe Duesseldorf/ctillmann

Bars are another focus for this year’s show, and ProWein 2017 is making itself more attractive to restaurants and bars by providing them with important information on wine, Champagne, spirits and the newest cocktail trends.

Located in the spirits section in hall 12, the Fizzz Lounge is returning for another year, exploring different trends in the on-trade sector and shifting the focus towards coffee, wine and craft beer.

Top bartending talent will be on hand with demonstrations and up-to-the-minute insights, including award-winning head-bartender Tom Weinberger from Barschule Munich, Stephan Hinz, owner of Little Link in Cologne, Lukas Motejzik and bar consultant Moritz Niederstrasser – who are described by the organisers as “part of the German cocktail avant-garde”.

Hinz, a former German Champion and Mixologist of the Year, will present a range of coffee-inspired cocktails, incorporating new types of preparation such as cold drip, cold brew or nitrogen-enriched nitro-coffee, while Motejzik, from Munich’s Zephyr bar, will focus on wine-based cocktails in a session on Monday. He will partner these with aged spirits such as rum and brandy, and liqueurs.

The line-up is completed when Moritz Niederstrasser, whose bars include The Record Store and Ostbar in Bamberg explores spirits combined with craft beer, on the Tuesday. Like wine and coffee, craft beer has tended to enjoy a solo role, but Niederstrasser will demonstrate how it is being blending with high-quality spirits, harmonising with whisky or Tequila, and acting as a substitutes for classic bitters.

SAME BUT DIFFERENT

photo by Messe Duesseldorf/ctillmann

But imaginative ideas aren’t just confined to the drinks themselves. The ‘Same but Different’ section is back for 2017, celebrating extraordinary marketing concepts around wine production and marketing. The area, which is located in Hall 16, is set to inspire visitors by showcasing the work of 10 innovative companies. These range from Scandinavian fruit wine company, Cold Hand Winery, which uses cryo-technology to concentrate the fruit in its fortified lines, to a contemporary German corn schnapps company, Storch Manufaktur.

The line-up also includes: German wine-growing estate Josten & Klein, who will present a beer fermented with red wine yeast in Pinot Noir barrels; a company producing cold-brewed Caribbean grape infusions from vine leaves; Crusoe Treasure, which ages wines on the seabed; wine-based craft spirit brand Weissbrand; and Picowines from the Azores whose wines are raised in such a harsh environment they need to be protected from the weather by a labyrinth of basalt walls.

And if you are looking beyond marketing at the packaging itself, the Packaging & Design area in Hall 13 will look at the intricacies and importance of wine packaging, and ways to make catalogues stand out in the marketplace – a key thing for wineries and producers to consider.

EVENTS & TALKS

photo by Messe Duesseldorf/ctillmann

The three-day trade fair wouldn’t be complete without a comprehensive range of events and talks, many of which are held in both English and German (simultaneously translated).

This year, the popular ProWein Forum will be split between two locations, with events taking place in Halls 13 and 10, each with a packed programme of events and talks every hour.

Wines of Chile, Wines of Canada, New Zealand Winegrowers, and Swiss Wines promotion are just a few of the organisations holding sessions, along with an update on current developments in the AOC Champagne from The Comité Champagne – a first at ProWein. There will be a look at Top Growth of Cru Classes de Graves from Chateau Pape Clement, and a tasting of great Burgundies from Albert Bichot. Other highlights includes a premium saké tasting with Miyasaka Brewing – one of several saké events at ProWein that demonstrates its status as a rising trend. For example, the WSET is also running an Introduction to Sake (stand EN/05), Master of Sake Yoshiko Ueno-Müller and Jörg Müller will be hosting a tasting at Enter.Sake, and there will be a guided tasting with four modern sakés with Île Four.

Running alongside the ProWein Forums are a series of supplementary seminars, masterclasses and discussion, held at exhibitors stands – numbering around 500 in total. These include an overview of Washington State Wines (Hall 9/E05), a briefing from Spanish producer González Byass looking at the positioning and direction of Spanish wines in key international markets and the trends shaping it, (ICEX tasting pavilion in Hall 10 / A171), and series of tasting and masterclasses from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (EN/05) covering everything from Italian sparkling wine to rum and saké.

Winemakers’ Winemaker Award 2017
ProWein 2017 will see the return of the prestigious Winemakers’ Winemaker Award, hosted by the Institute of Wine and the drinks business. Now in its sixth year, the award is given to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of winemaking. It is judged by a panel made up of exclusively of Masters of Wine who are also winemakers, with previous winners also being entitled to vote. Previous winners include Àlvaro Palacios, Egon Müller, the late Anne-Claude Leflaive of Domaine Leflaive, Paul Draper of Ridge, Penfold’s Peter Gago, and Peter Sisseck of Dominio de Pingus. The winner will be revealed at an invitation-only event at ProWein on 20 March. For more information email sheila.crisp@thedrinksbusiness.com.

• ProWein will take place on 19-21 March 2017, in Düsseldorf, Germany, with opening times from 9am to 6 pm.
• The show is organised by Messe Düsseldorf, and is held at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Center, in Halls 9 to 17
• One of the largest trade shows in the world, ProWein 2017 will have more than 6250 exhibitors, with around 55,0000 visitors expected to attend the show during the three days.
• Admissions tickets entitle users to travel to and from the exhibition ground free of charge on the day of their visit.
• For more information and to see the full programme, visit www.prowein.com
• Running alongside the event is ProWein Goes City, a city-wide programme in the evenings involving bars and restaurants.

For a full list of all events, please see www.prowein.com/events.