LIWSF PREVIEW: Wines around the world

The presence of the various generic bodies at the wine fair is always significant, and a great place to discover some of the smaller producers, as well as a number seeking representation.

France
The French Zone will once again be the biggest international generic area at the fair, hosting more than 160 companies. This area consists of a number of individual generic stands. Beaujolais, for example, has recently chosen the UK as its key European market, and will be launching a dedicated three-year campaign at the fair to reflect this. This will be supported by 70 wines on the stand.

Côtes du Rhône has a number of themed tastings planned, highlighting various ranges of wines from the region. Wines of Corsica is back at the fair for a second time, with a number of co-operatives and producer Domaine Orenga de Gaffory will be out to remind visitors about this lesser-known wine producing area.

Not to be outdone, the Comité Interprofessionnel des Vins du Sud Ouest will be presenting its new consolidated approach, with AOCs, Vins de Pays and Armagnacs from the area all together in one place. There will be no lack of variety here, with selected wines from the area’s 19 AOCs and 22 Vins de Pays available, as well as a “discovery” tasting area.

The Loire will again feature Project Cabernet Franc, with a chance to sample the 2006 vintage, as well as meet the growing number of producers involved with this.

Provence Wines has established a new partnership with a neighbouring region this year, offering visitors the opportunity to taste new vintages and wines from the south of France.

Already in its fourth year, the Vins de Pays Top 100 is fast becoming a wine fair institution. These wines, available in an open tasting area, have been selected by a blind tasting team, who will also hold a series of seminars at 11am and 3.30pm each day of the fair. Most importantly, head to the stand on the Tuesday of the fair at 3pm for the announcement of the results of the Top 100 competition.

Spain and Italy
Spain commands the second-largest area, up more than 20% to 1,600 square metres. The area dedicated to Italian wines has also increased, now in the region of 800m2. “There is a clear indication that the Old World is marketing to the UK,” says exhibition director James Murray.

Chile
Heading to the New World, Wines of Chile’s stand promises to feature more wineries this year. In addition, a number of the category’s significant producers such as Concha y Toro and Cono Sur will be located closer to the generic stand at S50/S60. UK director Michael Cox explains that his objective for the main stand is to “enable Chilean wineries to exhibit at a cost-effective rate at what we hope will be an exciting, buzzy area of the fair.”

In addition to 30 exhibiting wineries, including up to four seeking representation in the UK, the stand will feature a focus tasting that will be showing the gold- and trophy-medal winners from January’s Wines of Chile awards in Santiago. Another Chilean highlight will be the announcement of major UK consumer research, the first since 2003. This investigates a number of issues, such as “what progress has been made in the awareness of Chilean wine at higher prices,” according to Cox.

United States
Heading to the US, The Wine Institute of California will be showing off a brand new stand. This was apparently an unavoidable redesign – a direct response to the growing number of companies requesting space on the stand. The new stand will accommodate 23 companies, representing about 100 wineries. The Wine Institute’s famous Benchmark Wines Selection will also be featured on the stand. These 13 wines, priced between £5 and £10, were selected from over 160 wines by an expert tasting panel. Stalwarts such as Hahn Estates and Cline Cellars will be present on the stand, alongside a number of other wineries seeking representation.

Other areas of North America will also be making their presence felt at this year’s fair. The New York Wine and Grape generic body and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture are newcomers to the fair this year.

In addition, the Oregon Wine Board and Washington Wine Commission are exhibiting together this year at a stand almost ten times bigger than last year’s.

Argentina

Head of Wines of Argentina, James Forbes, promises that 2007 will be the generics’ biggest year to date at the wine fair, with an increase of 20% in stand space, as well as a total of about 50 exhibitors. Wine fair veterans such as Trapiche and Zuccardi will be joined by newcomers such as Bodega Melipal and El Porvenir on a newly designed, modern stand.

Australia
Wines of Australia will be building on what was established at the recent Australia Day Tastings, and will have a focus on new blends and viticulture. The Australian generic is also keeping up the country’s reputation for innovation with its ongoing partnership with TastingBuddy at the wine fair (see box on page 54).

New Zealand
The New Zealand Winegrowers stand (H20) will host over 35 wineries and more than 300 wines. One of the exhibitors with their own stand in the pavilion for the first time is Marlborough’s Winegrowers of Ara. Boutique winery specialist Limited Edition New Zealand will also be present, complete with a number of new premium wines. The group’s new CEO Andy Lyon confirms that this reflects a strategy to “develop the premium New Zealand wine market in the UK”.

Six Hawke’s Bay wineries will be attending the fair this year, presenting a range of 12 wines from this distinctive area. The Kiwis have also arranged a Sauvignon Blanc seminar for the Wednesday of the fair.