It’s Bigger, It’s Better and It’s Back

The London International Wine and Spirits Fair is nearly upon us. As ever, its primary focus is bringing businesses together. Clinton Cawood reports

It doesn’t matter who you are. If you’re interested in sourcing big-brand wine for a multiple retailer, or you’re an independent retailer importing niche wines, or an on-trade buyer, or even if you’re interested in tasting a variety of spirits from around the world, The 26th London International Wine and Spirits Fair will cater for you.

The highly-anticipated three days of tasting, networking, buying and selling in London’s ExCeL exhibition and conference centre take place on May 16 to 18. Exhibitors and visitors will converge for what will be, according to exhibition director James Murray, the biggest LIWSF ever. “It’s quite a dramatic increase in comparison to the last couple of years,” he says. What sets the fair apart from others is its primary focus on business. “It’s about putting buyers and sellers in communication,” explains Murray. The greater size, therefore, means “more people that the buyers can do business with, and that means that we’re fulfilling our objective”. In total, 1,300 exhibitors are expected at the show, spanning at least 35 different countries.

Last year the fair celebrated its 25th anniversary with a record number of visitors. Including repeat visitors, the show welcomed over 19,000 in three days. The majority of those who attended had roles in the industry involving buying, marketing or management, while others were in logistics or finance, or were members of the press. The fair attracted a massive 25% of its audience from outside of the UK. 

European showcase
This year’s bigger and better fair has experienced a number of changes, among them a new chairman for the advisory board. Taking the role is David Cox, European managing director of Brown-Forman Wines, who described the fair as “the premier European showcase for the wine and spirits industry”. Central wine buyer for Waitrose Supermarkets Dee Blackstock MW, and Michael Sainsbury, global wine director at Maxxium Worldwide, have also been appointed to the board, joining a number of other leading figures from the industry. The board, drawn from all over the world, advises on the development of the fair, from a domestic and international perspective.

As far as the show is concerned, some aspects will remain the same as last year, some areas have been revamped for 2006, and others are brand new.

A new area, for example, is a generic pavilion for Champagne. Six producers from the Vallée de la Marne, near the town of Château-Thierry have joined together to exhibit collectively at this year’s fair. Their intention is to develop Champagne exports throughout Europe.

What previous visitors will know as the Spirits Zone has been renamed the Spirits Quarter, and has doubled in size. Last year’s visitor figures showed that about 35% of the buyers at the show are, in addition to wine, also responsible for sourcing spirits, so the area has been adapted with this in mind. “It’s never going to be the size of the wine side of things,” Murray says. “But it is an extremely important part of the show.”

With areas that have been successful in past shows, Murray explains that an “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” approach has been taken. The on-trade tasting area is one of these – an area that specifically caters for the on-trade, where exhibitors set up unmanned tables, and buyers can taste wines and then visit the exhibitors in the hall. “What it means is that when the on-trade people go in there, they’re not jumped on by a sales person. It’s an area relevant to them because the show is very daunting if you’re an on-trade buyer – it’s huge,” says Murray. The major change to this area has been the addition of an information booth which will help create a link between visitors and exhibitors – to direct buyers to the exhibitors whose wines they have tasted. Murray explains that, as well as adding value to the visitors, it allows the exhibitors who take tables to quantify the return on the investment of providing wine for the area.

Another feature for the on-trade is that every day some of the many seminars at this year’s show will directly cater for them. One supplier that, according to Murray, is highly valued by the on-trade is Les Caves de Pyrene, which will be putting together a tasting seminar. The company will also be exhibiting at the show for the first time, with “Wine of terroir from Gascony and the Pyrenees”. Visit stand I18 to meet growers from the southwest of France, where a variety of unique micro-climates results in a number of diverse wine styles and grape varieties.

This is just one area of France that in total will take up more space at the show than before. Over 160 companies will be hosted in the French Wine Zone. Côtes du Rhône will be enjoying its new position as the number-one wine producing region of AOCs in the off-trade. Over 70 Rhône wines will be available to taste, with six producers on hand to give information and advice.

Vin de Pays top 100
A popular feature of the last two shows, the wines selected in the Vins de Pays top 100 competition will be available in an open tasting area. These wines are chosen in a blind tasting, and are expected to be even better than in previous years.

The Loire Valley will be marketing its Cabernet Francs as excellent accompaniments to food, and will be driving this point home with a stand designed as a stylish dining room. A huge stand will be devoted to The South of France – Languedoc Roussillon, which was launched at Vinisud earlier in the year, and representing the largest group of wine producers in the world. Other French areas represented at the show include Corsica and Bergerac.

Loire brand Première will be showcasing its 2005 range, launched earlier this year. The brand, consisting of seven Loire wines, is targeted at younger consumers in the UK, and has been very successful in the off-trade over the last year. 

Staying in Europe, at stand K40 you will find the Riesling Room, showcasing “the very best German wines”, according to Nicky Forrest, the UK director of Wines of Germany. The featured wines were selected by eight German wine experts, choosing from nearly 300 samples. On the Tuesday and Wednesday of the show the Riesling Room will also host the International Riesling Review, a seminar and tutored tasting of Riesling from Germany, Alsace, Australia, New Zealand and Washington State.

For a range of premium wines from Spain and Portugal, Vinoceros’s stand will be worth visiting. This follows its acquisition of Laymont & Shaw last year. The stand will be adjacent to Vinoceros’s Australian wine partners, McGuigan Simeon Wines. Vinoceros’s portfolio also includes a range of wines from South Africa, Chile and Argentina that will be featured at the stand.

Paradise by the Thames
On the subject of the New World, the Chile Pavilion (S50/S60), divided into two islands, will “bring the Winemakers’ Paradise to Docklands”. A number of wineries will be exhibiting, and there will be a tasting of the trophy and gold-medal winning wines from the Wines of Chile Awards. Remember this stand at the end of the first day of the show, where you’ll
be able to eat empanadas and drink Chilean beer.

Nearby, at stand S30, Chilean winery Viña La Rosa will be launching a new range entitled La Palma Reserve with sophisticated packaging and a focus on the off-trade. Viña La Rosa’s full range of wines will be available to taste at its stand, with a team available to talk you through the wines, including the chief winemaker, José Ignacio Cancino. The 2006 vintage of the La Palma range will also be available to taste, in newly designed labels for the UK market.

Another producer to update its livery is Blossom Hill, which will be showing off its new packaging at the fair. It is more colourful and relaxed, intended to give the range a more premium feel.

Many of the wine companies and importers are planning an impressive range available to taste, making some of these stands into a kind of round-the-world trip. Bottle Green, for example, in addition to having a range from such diverse countries as France, Australia, Chile, Argentina and Hungary, will be showcasing Twin Vines, launched in February. This innovative range consists of a number of wines, each with a “twin” from a distant country, allowing consumers to discover the potential of different grape varieties. With simple tasting notes, this range is able to be educational and interesting, while spanning a significant part of the globe.   

At least 50% bigger than before, Great Western Wine’s stand will be unveiling agencies from Australia, South Africa, Italy and Argentina, and will also be providing wines from Bodega Viña Falernia from the Elqui Valley in Chile and Champagne de Sousa from the Côte des Blancs for visitors to taste. A number of the winemakers will also be at the stand, flown in from around the world to discuss their wines.

Another area that will be bigger and better than before is the newly-designed H&H Bancroft stand (F70). Representatives from seven wineries will be at the stand, from France, Spain, South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina and Chile.

Visit stand F60 to see PLB’s new additions to its portfolio, such as Moselland from Germany, Sicilano from Sicily, Piccini from Chianti and Somontano from Spain. In addition, there will also be the full range from Chileno and Sutter Home, while Chilean winery, Viña Ventisquero, will be showing its Yali brand which claims to be the sixth largest Chilean brand in the UK. Lane & Tatham (the fine wine division of PLB) will be showing wines from its recently-signed premium Burgundy producer Antonin Rodet.

Another stand with wines from all over the world is Hatch Mansfield, comfortably covering the Southern Hemisphere with Villa Maria, Vidal Wines and Esk Valley from New Zealand, Grant Burge from Australia, and Errazuriz and Caliterra from Chile. California is represented at Hatch Mansfield by St. Francis, with its French listing consisting of Champagne Taittinger and Maison Louis Jadot.

If you’ve been to the fair before, you may not recognise HBJ’s stand this year: head to I20 to see the new look, along with a number of new wines from Chile, Australia and South Africa, and some new agencies. To celebrate “the new HBJ”, a number of special events will be run at the stand throughout the three days of the fair.

Buckingham Vintners’ stand will also be a busy place, with the relaunch of San Pedro’s 35Þ South and the extension of the Buckingham Estate range, as well as the launch of two new brands from Italy and Australia. Freixenet is another supplier that will be taking advantage of the fair to launch a number of additions to its portfolio. The Cordon Negro Vintage cava 2004, the second vintage of this super-premium cava, will be one of the highlights at this stand. Another highlight is the launch of Freixenet’s newly-acquired Solar Viejo, a well-known brand in Spain. These are just a few of many new wines and vintages at Freixenet’s stand this year.

New South African venture
An interesting collaboration being launched at the show is the new Valley Vineyards, a joint venture between Arlington Beverage Group, Riebeek Cellars and institutional investors. It will control three major South African production sites which will be able to fulfil the entire supply chain from grape to consumer without outsourcing. Also launched at Cape 2006, the company employs production experts in South Africa as well as support staff in the UK and the Americas. Included in the supply chain is South Africa’s largest producer of fair-trade and organic wines.

The subject of organic and biodynamic wines will receive significant attention at this year’s fair. On the Wednesday, 70 biodynamic wine producers from around the world will hold a biodynamic wine tasting. Visitors will be able to decide for themselves whether this method of production has an effect on the taste or quality of these wines. In addition, these wine producers will be on hand throughout the day to explain the processes and demonstrate their wines. A seminar held by Nicolas Joly, entitled Biodynamics: The Fullest Expression of Every AOC, will take place on Tuesday, May 16.

If this excites your interest in biodynamic wine, visit the Brown-Forman Wines stand (D60) for the launch of Bonterra’s new 100% biodynamic wine, The McNab. You will also be able to taste Fetzer’s new flagship wine, Coro, as well as see the new packaging for all Fetzer wines.

Underberg will be showcasing its premium French sparkling wine, Blanc Foussy, as well as relaunching its strawberry and vodka drink, XUXU, with its increased alcohol content and new striking packaging. With over 50% fruit, and an ABV now up to 15%, the drink joins a number of other new spirits at
the fair.

Latin American spirits
Previous years have seen the spirits area dominated by specific products. “In the past we had years where every corner you turned was vodka. We have more of a balance this year,” says Murray. Most of the new spirits producers at this year’s show are from Central and South America. Some of the new products you can expect to see in this year’s Spirits Quarter include agave-based spirits, Jaral De Berrio, and two tequilas, Impulsora Rombo and Herradura, all of which are from Mexico, as well as a Peruvian pisco from the Anglo-Peruvian Trading Company. In addition to new exhibitors, a number of exhibitors from previous years will be at this year’s Spirits Quarter.

If you’re more interested in Port, head over to stands A10-A20, where the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto (IVDP) will feature a number of Ports and Douro DOC wines. Among the producers will be the Symington Family Estates, which will have new vintages as well as a new Port. Paul Symington and other members of the family will be at the stand throughout the three days. This stand will also feature a number of new 2004 vintage Ports.

Aware of how gruelling a day of tasting, networking and socialising at the fair can really be, this year sees the return of the IVDP’s Oasis in the Desert where a selection of delicious gourmet delights will be served, expertly matched to Douro wines and Port styles. This area will be open during lunchtime ever day of the fair, designed to provide visitors relief from a hard morning of tasting. The lunch is invitation only, meaning some will have to find refuge elsewhere.

Club Elite
Another area requiring VIP access is the Club Elite lounge, arranged by the organisers of the fair. Designed to be an area for the big buyers, providing them with comfort and the business facilities they require, Murray says, “A lot of the exhibitors don’t know this goes on behind the scenes.” The elite lounge means that the key importing buyers get an area where they can hold meetings and relax. This year will be even better than before, with a new partnership formed with Cellar Door. Murray explains that this has allowed the invitation of more buyers to the lounge. The majority of the buyers in Club Elite are from Europe, with an apparently increasing trend from Eastern Europe.

When it comes to transport, those serious buyers from the Club Elite lounge will be likely, as Murray puts it, “to jump in a cab from London City Airport, which will guarantee that they get there in five minutes”. For those who will be using public transport, however, this is the first year that there will be DLR access to the venue from the airport.

If you’re visiting from outside London, Baxter Hoare Travel is the show’s official supplier of hotels and accommodation. Staying at the Crown Plaza in  Docklands will mean a leisurely three-minute stroll to the show in the mornings. An alternative is the Novotel at ExCeL, located 100m from the exhibition centre. The LIWSF website provides details of these and other hotels in the area.

The fact that this show is about business is what Murray believes sets it apart from the competition. And the greater size, as well as increased number and variety of exhibitors, should make this show even more effective for business. This year there will be more people to do a wider variety of business with. This diversity has made the fair’s organisers confident that this will be the most important event in the global wine and spirits calendar for 2006.  db  April 2006