Why it’s now the drinks industry versus government
Such is the damage being wreaked by government policy on the drinks trade, the industry must unite to fight its corner, stressed Vinexposium CEO Rodolphe Lameyse at a press briefing in London last week.
Commenting that the exhibition organiser – which is about to host its largest event in Paris in February next year – is “a catalyst for communication”, he said that a key element of the Vinexposium fair was “creating diplomatic discussion”, while providing “an open channel of communication”.
As part of this, the show will not only host people from “over 50 embassies”, but also feature a series of “talks dedicated to geo-economic issues we face globally,” with Lameyse adding that these events would see a range of influential figures address the drinks trade.
Among such people will be Chris Swonger, president & CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS); Pauline Bastidon, director of trade and economic affairs at Spirits Europe, and Miles Beale, chief executive of the UK’s Wine and Spirit Trade Association, who will all take part in a panel discussion at the fair on 10 February at 1pm.
Commenting on the need to bring such figures to the show, Lameyse said that the battle was no longer between different drinks-producing nations, nor categories, but the entire industry versus politicians and presidents.
“It’s not about Europe versus the US,” he began, referring to tariffs on European products being imposed by the Trump administration, before stating, “But us [the drinks trade] against government policy.”
‘Like talking about sex as a teenager’
Speaking about his home nation of France, he said that there was little awareness about the importance of drinks to the country’s trade balance – even though the wine and spirits industry make an enormous contribution, and therefore ought to be supported by government policy.
“It’s like [the topic of ] sex when you are a teenager: everyone talks about it, but no-one knows how it works,” he said, adding, “I’m struck when I speak with the foreign trade minister in France that they don’t have a clue” – when referring to the enormous economic contribution of drinks production and trading to the French economy.
Similarly, the WSTA’s Miles Beale, who was also at the press briefing, said that it was key that the drinks trade made its voice heard, with lobbying being a vital aspect to his UK organisation, and DISCUS in the US.
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He said, “By the time we get to Wine Paris there will be a different arrangement between the UK and USA, and Europe and the USA when it comes to tariffs, but I don’t thinks it’s about the UK versus Europe or the US, and I don’t think it’s about beer versus wine versus spirits – now it’s about the industry versus government if we want to survive.”
The international nature of the UK market
Speaking about the UK specifically, he outlined the country’s important role when it comes to drinks trading and international affairs.
“We [the UK] import 1.7 billion bottles of wine, which makes us the largest importer of wine in the world, and we are the largest exporter of spirits in the world,” he began, before noting our important role in wine re-exports too – “we [the UK] export more wine than the Bordeaux wine region does annually.”
As for international affairs, Beale reminded attendees of the briefing that British nationals occupy a series of senior posts in organisations beyond the country’s borders.
“The UK is a very international market and we think of ourselves as being international,” he began, before pointing out that the new director general at Spirits Europe is the UK’s Mark Titterington, and the head of alcohol moderation at the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) is a Brit too: Julian Braithwaite, while Beale himself is on the presidential council at the International Federation of Wines and Spirits (FIVS).
Continuing, he said, “Wine Paris is the biggest trade show of its type and it crosses all categories and all regions,” before concluding, “All these products trade in a very international market, and governments are mainly getting in the way: so if there is any ‘us versus them’, it is us versus governments.”
Vinexposium’s Wine Paris is set to feature 6,000 exhibitors representing 60 countries when it runs from 9 to 11 February 2026 at the Porte de Versailles exhibition space in Paris.
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