What’s new at Wine Paris this year?
From 12-14 February, Paris Expo Porte de Versailles will host the fifth edition of Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris. Louis Thomas reports on what to expect from the show.
“AFTER FIVE years of continual growth,” Vinexposium CEO Rodolphe Lameyse explains, the largest event by the Vinexposium group is “moving into a new phase and establishing itself as the marketplace where the major wine- and spirits-related economic, social and societal issues are tackled”.
Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris’ growth has indeed been impressive.
In 2019 Vinexpo held its last show in Bordeaux before moving to the French capital the following year.
In 2020 there was a show, with the Covid-19 pandemic on the horizon, although 2021’s edition could not go ahead due to pandemic restrictions. The event returned in 2022, and the 2023 Paris show was, according to Lameyse, a “success both for its visitor attendance, which showed strong growth, and for the quality of the trade conversations”.
Some 3,387 exhibitors and 36,334 visitors were in attendance, with an 85% increase in the number of international visitors to the show compared to 2022.
The fifth edition, due to take place from 12-14 February, promises to be bigger and bolder still. The 2024 show will see 3,900 exhibitors showcase their products and 40,000 visitors from 155 countries.
Global outlook: this year’s event is set to be more international than ever
There will also be a 72% year-on-year increase in the number of international exhibitors present, with producers from more than 50 countries heading to the French capital for the three-day show.
Three halls of the venue (Halls 2.2, 5.1 and 5.2/5.3) will be entirely dedicated to producers and brands from overseas.
“The main thrust of the strategy is to make the show international, not because Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris doesn’t want to stay true to its early backers, the French wine industry, but because nowadays you cannot have a successful international show when it comes to visitors if you don’t have international exhibitors,” says Lameyse.
“Every buyer wants to have the opportunity to visit a selection of potential suppliers from different countries, and if you only offer exhibitors from one country, it’s a very nice, niche exhibition, but Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris is more ambitious.”
This year will mark a major milestone for Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris’ international credentials as Italy, the second-largest exhibiting country in the show, will have an entire hall (Hall 2.2) to itself.
Almost every region of the country, from Piedmont on the border with France to Sicily in the heart of the Mediterranean, will be represented.
“The fact that Italian exhibitors are flocking to us means that they recognise the need to connect with international buyers,” Lameyse suggests.
Spain, the third-largest exhibitor country for 2024, will also have a strong presence, sharing a hall with Southern Italy and showcasing wines made with everything from Albariño to Pedro Ximénez.
This year will also mark the first time that wines from the Spanish region of Murcia, in the south of the country, will be present.
Exhibitors from the “New World” will include debut appearances from both New Zealand and Wine Australia, while South Africa will be doubling its floor space.
“Winemakers cannot be on the road all the time,” says Lameyse. “It’s not as easy to come over from Australia or New Zealand – but these countries need to be at the show to attract British buyers. For a lot of countries, attending trade shows is a way to gain visibility and rebuild the business post-pandemic.”
STRONGER THAN EVER
Of course, this is not to say that the French presence at the 2024 show won’t be stronger than ever. Each of France’s winegrowing regions will be present, with a number of major companies also making their debuts, including Champagne producers Vranken-Pommery Monopole and Pernod Ricardowned Perrier-Jouët.
Groups such as Inter Rhône and the Union des Syndicats de Saint-Emilion-Pomerol-Fronsac will also be well-represented, while the Corsican wine marketing board will once again be hosting a busy restaurant at the heart of the event, with no fewer than 335 wines on the list.
There will be 70 sessions in the On! events programme, comprising talks and masterclasses which will offer valuable insights into a range of global trends and topics, covering everything from Californian Cabernet Sauvignon to Japanese shochu and volcanic wines.
“In addition to its incredible marketing success, which is even more tangible this year with a 28% increase in floor space and a new hall being opened for international producers, Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris is also a vital enabler of conversations aimed at providing solutions for current and future issues,” Lameyse says.
Pouring in: some 40,000 visitors are expected at this year’s show
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SUSTAINABILITY
One such current issue is sustainability – especially with regard to the environment. In addition to hosting a number of organic and biodynamic producers, the show organisers have taken measures to reduce the environmental impact of the event.
“It’s not an option to ignore sustainability,” says Lameyse. “It’s like saying that you want to be good at communication, but you are going to ignore the internet.”
He acknowledges that exhibitions consume a lot of material and energy, and in order to reach the demanding goals that Vinexposium has set itself, a number of measures have been taken.
“There used to be a very thick booklet that was distributed at the show, and that has gone now in favour of a map, which is also easier to carry,” he tells the drinks business.
“There’s all sorts of initiatives concerning the recycling of bottles at the end of the show, changes to the lighting and encouraging exhibitors to reuse the same stands from year to year.”
In 2023, Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris was the first Vinexposium event to measure and take action to reduce its carbon emissions, based on CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) performance indicators that are designed to help it reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
Further measures to cut emissions will be taken for the 2024 edition of the show.
“Sustainability is not about one big initiative; it’s about changing your behaviour in lots of small ways,” Lameyse argues.
In the vein of sustainability, the 2024 show will also see the inaugural edition of Vinexposium’s business awards, V d’Or. Taking place at the Pavillon Gabriel on 11 February, the evening before Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris begins, the awards span five categories, and are judged by an expert panel. These categories include: best brand experience, best new business solution, best collective initiative, best eco-friendly launch, and best heritage initiative.
Lameyse says: “The V d’Or are the tangible expression of our commitment to a sustainable and responsible wine industry which symbolises excellence and the preservation of our vineyard sites for future generations. The project helps to promote and inspire the initiatives undertaken by all these committed professionals.”
However, the French wine industry is facing a looming crisis. According to the latest data from the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), in 2023 France regained its crown as the biggest wine producer in the world, with an estimated production of 45.8 million hectolitres, in line with 2022 and 3% above its five-year average, bucking a trend of global decline.
While undoubtedly good news for French producers after some difficult harvests in recent years, there remains the issue of who will drink this abundance of wine. Overall, global wine consumption is in decline due to a number of factors – in France, as in other major wine-producing countries, the division between those who drink wine and those who do not tends to fall along generational lines.
“People are moderating for health reasons, whether it’s in Holland or France, the US or Japan,” Lameyse explains. “One-third of Generation Z in France are not drinking alcohol because of health reasons and a dislike for the taste of wine – and this is much more than 20-30 years ago.”
This shift has contributed to the boom in the popularity of no-and low-alcohol drinks, with 44% of the consumers of this category aged between 18 and 25, according to Sowine/Dynata 2023 data. It’s also a category that has become too valuable for the drinks industry to ignore, with the global market for no and low exceeding US$11 billion in 2022 (IWSR data). Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris 2024 certainly won’t be ignoring it, with an increase of more than 50% in the number of no- and low-alcohol wine brands exhibiting in the show.
SILVER LINING
Although the wine industry faces significant challenges, Lameyse is confident that there is a silver lining when it comes to the wines available to consumers. “Look at the wealth of wine on offer, the quality of wine on offer. There are dedicated organic wine sections in supermarkets. We’ve never had it so good,” he tells db.
In a reflection of changing consumer tastes, the show will also be expanding the presence of other drinks categories, bringing them under the same roof as the wine offering.
Compared to 2023’s show, 25% more floor space has been allocated for the Be Spirits area, which covers spirits, no and low and, for the first time, beer and cider. The 40m-long Infinite Bar will host mixologists from 20 bars, partnering with top brands to create 60 unique cocktail offerings over the three days.
Furthermore, three bartenders from London, Barcelona and Madrid will be invited to attend as guest stars.
Asked why it was important for the show to include these beverages, Lameyse says: “The idea of having Be Spirits under the same roof as Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris is to bring a different crowd. It attracts a certain category of buyers who are interested in beer, cider and spirits, as well as wine. The idea is to embrace rather than reject, to offer as much as possible to our visitors, and to be as inclusive as possible.”
CEO Rodolphe Lameyse discusses…
High wine production and falling wine consumption in France:
“These are two of the biggest challenges for the wine industry worldwide, but in 60 years French wine consumption has fallen by 70% to 47 litres per head (OIV data, 2022). However, it started from an impossible high.
What are the solutions? To promote responsible and moderate consumption as part of a healthy lifestyle, to encourage export sales and probably to restructure the offering to meet the expectations of the modern consumer. This means premiumisation and sustainable production.
We ensure that the rich and varied content programme at Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris tackles these subjects and helps producers to improve and adapt their offer.”
Keeping Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris green when staging such a huge show:
“We are aiming to develop a carbon-neutral event by 2050, and as such Vinexposium is striving to significantly reduce carbon emissions. While many trade show organisers have cut down on paper usage and encourage staff to choose train travel over flying in Europe, Vinexposium is taking additional concrete actions, such as the recovery and reuse of 80% of the wine spat out or left in opened bottles at the end of our show, converting it to biofuel, industrial alcohol or compost with our partner Grap’Sud. Without this, around 130,000 bottles are consumed at the show, and 15,000 litres of wine would be discarded.
We are also aiming to collect at least 60% of all empty bottles for reuse with three partners: Eco in Pack, Millennium and Ben Recyclage. This will result in an 85% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to recycling.”
For further information, visit: wineparis-vinexpo.com
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