db’s guide to this year’s London Wine Fair

This year’s London Wine Fair, held at Olympia will emphasise the practical, with masterclasses, briefings and tastings aplenty. Db looks at what is on offer at the three day event that starts next week.

Copyright: Anthony Upton 2016©

DIVERSITY

Diversity, quality and the expansion of its tastings programme are the order of the day for this year’s London Wine Fair.

Returning to Olympia again in its 37th incarnation, the premium show for the UK market will see around 450 exhibitors from 40 producing countries on show, focusing on striking business. But this year is set to see an even greater emphasis on the practical, with around 45 masterclasses, briefings and 30% more tastings than last year, during the three days.

Although some of the big names will undoubtedly be missing from this year’s show, and outgoing show director Ross Carter admitted to db that it had been a tough year, he recently pointed out to db that this year’s show will have the second highest number of importers in its history (second only to last year), with around 100 importers in total.

“We’ve never really had it so good as the last few years,” Carter told db. “In terms of selection of wine businesses, it’s the biggest coming together in the UK – if ever there was a reason for the trade to come out en mass, they wouldn’t find a broader selection of products anywhere else.”

FIRST TIMERS

Furthermore, this year will see a number of exhibitors coming for the first time – including France’s largest wine producer Vinadeis, Spanish region Camara de Alava and The Rothschild Collection. Others, such as Wines of Germany and Wines of Georgia, are returning after a number of years, while some organisations are stepping up their activity this year, including Wines of Chile, with InterRhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape returning with a full stand after a successful outing at the Pop Up Tasting last year.

Waddesdon Wine national sales director, Helen Miller explains why the company is showing for the first time. “The LWF’s focus on high-end on-trade and independent retailers very much aligns with our strategy for these increasingly important sectors,” she says. The increased interest in the category and a larger-than-ever trade campaign has prompted Wines of Germany’s Nicky Forrester to bring its “funky Berlin-inspired bar” to the fair. Côtes du Rhône’s UK and Northern Europe export marketing manager, Alexandre Ballard, puts it in starker terms, arguing that despite recent economic and geo-political developments, the organisation continues to invest and support the UK, as its new ad campaign proves. “The UK remains the Rhône’s first export market by volume, and we wanted to display our confidence and commitment,” he said.

Carter argues that the return of old exhibitors and new signings reflects the continued belief in the UK market, despite the unchartered territory caused by the Brexit vote. “The UK will always be a challenge because it is a mature market, but we are seeing growth in the on-trade and independent retailers, so for those who have wines suitable for that channel, it’s a good time to be here to show their products,” Carter says, adding that the LWF’s has seen its credibility rise too.

“In terms of tone, the zeitgeist is with us. We’re heavily pro-indie and on-trade and that sits well with the increase of independents in the UK over the past few years, while London is coming back in terms of the on-trade. So it’s been timely in terms of exhibitors coming back, or showing for the first time.”

Like-for-like visitor bookings are up by about 5% on the same time last year, and 2016 saw visitors from the indies and on-trade account for around 40% of attendees, a trend signalled by the show’s return to West London. But this is as much because of the enhanced content as to the location, Carter says, which attracts specialist ‘minnows’ and mid-sized specialist importers who stayed away when the show was at ExCel in London’s docklands. “It is about making sure that the offer is right, the mix is right and that the people who are coming are getting the best from the event,” he concludes. “If you have that right, it’s a stronger mix than it has been historically.”

THE RIGHT MIX

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So what is in this year’s mix?

As well as the main tasting hall, Esoterica, which showcases the portfolios of niche and micro-importers, is back for another year, along with the similarly popular Wines Unearthed. This ‘village’ of 3 square metre pods for producers seeking a UK importer has grown since it was introduced three years ago, from 70 producers in 2015 to a cap of 95 this year.

“It is now about as big as it can be,” Carter explains. Around 60%-70% of the line-up is new every year as producers gain representation. Countries and regions taking part for the first time this year include Armenia, Bulgaria, Lebanon, and the Valais canton of Switzerland. “We’re make sure we’re doing all we can to give the wineries taking part a full service to help them find buyers, which is ultimately why they attend,” Carter explains.

“We’re going further than any other event or exhibition I know of. “We have purposely designed a space for exhibitors with export-ready products for the UK market who already export elsewhere, and we push the information out to buyers in advance – with wine lists, size of production, readiness, details about the wineries though Bottlebooks – so they can filter down and find the right type of winery.”

To improve navigation, there have been a few tweaks – for example, Esoterica has been moved next to Wines Unearthed on the Gallery, making space for smaller and mid-sized importers upstairs, where they will be easier to find than downstairs or in the West Hall. However, the biggest change comes from moving the masterclasses to a dedicated space at Olympia called the Pillar Hall, a grand Victorian vaulted space that will be used by the fair for the first time.

TASTINGS

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One key benefit of this is that it allows space for the team to introduce a third tasting area, meeting soaring demand, building on the long-running masterclasses and the pop-up tastings that were introduced last year.

“The Walk-in Tasting is a bit different as you can’t reserve it as you can the pop-up tastings. It is like what we had before the technology allowed us to put booking system in place. But we’re conscious that not everyone gets to book those places as they go very quickly, so we thought it’d be good to have a first-come, first-served basis on the day,” Carter explains.

Around eight to 10 tastings are planned for the Walk-in Tasting over the three days, with a further 13 masterclasses as well as the pop-ups. Topics covered include the Nebbiolos from Alto Piemonte, how techtonics have shaped the wines of California, the indigenous varieties of Armenia, the grapes of Savoie and Australian and green Spain.

“It’s an absurd number of seats at tastings this year, once you add it all up,” Carter notes. “But tastings have always been a big part of the LWF and are more important than ever. We’d like to think we’ve led the way for international tastings, as every show is now doing them, but there is undoubtedly strong demand, and education is a strong part of what the wine world wants for itself.”

“So there are about 2,500-3,000 seats available at tastings over the three days, which is quite something when you think about it. That’s about 35% more seats than last year. Plus, of course, there are the industry briefings.”

EVENTS

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Although Brexit fatigue may have set in for some, the show’s registration poll showed that exchange rates, duty on wine, and the EU trade deal are of considerable concerns to visitors, so a highlight of the event is bound to be Grapevine Debate on Brexit on Monday 22 May. This will see two sitting MPs, Labour remainer Andy Slaughter and Tory Brexiteer Tim Loughton, and Miles Beale of the WSTA debate the issues in a session chaired by editor and Grapevine editor Richard Siddle.

Other briefings will look at innovation in wine branding and marketing, with Off-Piste Wine and Morrison’s buyer Gemma Cockshot, the crucial role played by independent importers, as well as an industry update with the WSTA. The LWF will also play host to the premiere of a documentary on the wines of the Southern Hemisphere, followed by a Q&A with director Dan James and New Zealand winemaker Larry McKenna of Escarpment.

Another key highlight of the fair is the annual Drinks Business Awards, which recognises the achievements of the industry over the past year across the whole sector, from retailer to importers, along with awards for logistics, design and marketing. This week saw the publication of the awards shortlist, and the winners will be announced at the ceremony, which takes place between 4 and 6pm on Tuesday 23 May at the London Wine Fair. For 2017, Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte will be sponsoring a special award called The Other Side of Life, which recognises and celebrates members of the UK wine trade who have brought innovation and dynamism into the sector, while our sister title, The Spirits Business will be sponsoring the Alan Lodge Award for the Young Drinks Writer of the Year.

THEMES & RESEARCH

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Marking a change from the last two years, this year’s LWF won’t have an official theme, but, according to Carter, 2017 is set to be all about volcanic wine, which has come “from nowhere” and exploded. “People have been speaking about it so much that it will be a theme running across the event, with some content in the masterclasses and several exhibitions making a feature about it,” Carter explains.

There are also a noticeable increase in the number of Prosecco producers and organic wines, which mirror consumption patterns. But as Carter points out, while the number of Prosecco exhibition have gone up, Champagne has met them “handsomely”.

“There are more Champagne producers at the LWF than we’ve had for years – including in Wines Unearthed – and a lot of them are grower Champagnes at interesting price points, so it’s not just about the big brands,” he notes. “It an interesting trend, given where Champagne is in the market and what Prosecco has been doing.”

This year, research by the organisers has highlighted areas of key interest for visitors. The segment seeing the most interest– from around a third of those surveyed – lies in the £10.00–£14.99 price bracket, while traditional grape varieties continued to dominate, led by Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with old favourites Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec, Riesling, Merlot, Albariño, Tempranillo and Shiraz not far behind.

In terms of country of origin, France still came out on top, followed by Italy, with around 42% of customers wanting to find wines from these counties. Spain, Australia and the UK also made the top five – and organiser Brintex said English wine was set to be a big draw. This is unsurprising, given the unique position of the LWF as a showcase for domestically produced wine.

Carter said the registration poll highlighted how far the English wine category has progressed in the past few years.

“Less than a decade ago it was barely on the radar and now we have 20 wineries at this year’s fair,” he noted. “This interest reflects the category growth but also the significant leap in quality over recent years.”

KEY FACTS

Copyright: Anthony Upton 2016©

The London Wine Fair takes place on Monday 22 – Wednesday 24 May 2017, opening from 10.00 to 18.30 on the first day and 9.30 to 17.30 on subsequent days.

The show is organised by Brintex and is held at the Olympia Exhibition Centre in West London. It is free to attend, but registration is confined to the trade only.

One of the most important trade shows for the UK wine trade, around 450 exhibitors will be on show, representing 40 countries, and showcasing more than 10,000 wines.

Around 15,000 visitors are expected to attend.Travel to and from the show is easy – Kensington Olympia is accessible by Tube and the overground from Clapham Junction, with lots of local bus routes.

For more information and the full programme, see www.londonwinefair.com.

For more coverage of exhibitors, please see our second guide to the LWF tomorrow…