What can you expect at ProWein this year?

ProWein takes place in Düsseldorf this month, and, in addition to wine, will shine a light on craft spirits, beers and ciders this year. To help you make the most of the show, we’ve rounded up the event highlights to look out for.

Anyone working in the drinks trade will know that ProWein is an unmissable opportunity to connect with key players in the world of wine, spirits, and, for the first time this year, beer. The annual pilgrimage to Düsseldorf has become a firm fixture in the global drinks trade’s calendar over the past two decades, and this year’s show is no exception.

Pitching up in the colossal halls of Messe Düsseldorf for its 25th edition, this year’s show will host some 6,700 exhibitors from 60 countries and around 60,000 visitors – which last year included rock star Sting and his film-producer wife, Trudie Styler – who descend on the city each year for three days of targeted networking, tastings and conferences. The sheer size and scale of what is a truly global event sets it apart from many wine trade shows, offering a unique opportunity to connect with producers in all key markets in one fell swoop, with Old World giants and emerging wine regions sharing the floor with beer, saké and spirits specialists.

“I’ve been working with ProWein for six years, and I truly believe that wine, beer and spirits is one of the most interesting industries to work in,” says Marius Berlemann, global head of wine and spirits for the exhibition.

“It’s a very fragmented industry, which is why events like this are so important for building a network. We say it’s the world’s leading show but that doesn’t mean we sit back. We’re more active than ever. We have excellent coverage in Europe, but the US also remains one of our key markets, as well as Australia and New Zealand. We’ve made huge progress in that respect.

“It’s not just about the number, but also the quality of our visitors. Düsseldorf is known for its big industrial shows, but in terms of visitors ProWein is much larger than any others in the city”.

BACK FOR MORE

Returning for 2018 will be ProWein’s ‘special focal points’, including its Champagne Lounge and organic wine area in Hall 13. Here, visitors will find all relevant organic associations from Germany, Italy and France, as well as numerous individual exhibitors from around the world. There will also be its Organic World show – a separate section dedicated to winemakers with a focus on organic viticulture and wine production. The organic area will also boast a matching catering concept – the Organic Lounge – as well as a dedicated lecture area.

Hall 9, meanwhile, will boast an extended and diverse line-up of ranges, with all exhibitors from abroad now set to be presented here. Overseas groups include those outside of Europe, with Australia, Argentina, Chile, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the US recording particularly large increases in exhibitor numbers for 2018.

A special Packaging & Design show will take place in Hall 13, highlighting the current trends and developments in packaging, while the main tasting area in Hall 17 will host more than 500 wines as part of the Mundus Vini spring wine tasting – a competition judged by an expert panel of oenologists, critics, sommeliers, specialist retailers, and restaurateurs – alongside a series of themed tastings, seminars, market briefings and presentations.

“We are looking at another record-breaking show in terms of countries being represented, and are also looking at a record-breaking visitor count,” adds Berlemann. “This year there will be 6,700 winemakers – 100 more than last year. We have the same gross amount of space, and have managed to get more exhibitors into that, which is great”.

SAME BUT DIFFERENT

ProWein’s Same but Different showcase will also make a comeback in 2018, but under a new guise. Last year the section was held in Hall 16, and featured 10 companies with “innovative products”, according to Berlemann. This year, the ‘show within a show’ will occupy a hall of its own for the first time, taking over Hall 7.0, and will make a particular effort to highlight trends outside of wine, giving craft beer, spirits and cider their own platform; two categories that have never before been on show at ProWein.

“Most of our exhibitors in this section come from spirits,” says Berlemann. “We originally started with a target of getting 50 exhibitors for this section, but reached 70 – made up of 49 spirits brands, 15 beers and six ciders. This is something that’s completely new and very trendy. This is not the traditional ProWein festival. It came about because we always do a questionnaire with our visitors. We asked all of them what they would like to see next year, and more than 40% were interested in craft beer, and more than 30% in craft spirits. You need to listen to the market and stick to what you know but at the same time be flexible.”

HAND-MADE PRODUCTS

As a result, ProWein has adapted its Same but Different concept, creating a space for “hand-made products” with a “trendy marketing concept”. But Berlemann stressed that exhibitors in this area can’t be “established brands”, but emerging ‘craft’ producers. This section will not only take over its own hall, but will also be branded differently from the rest of the exhibition, with its “own appearance, its own logo, its own entrance and its own catalogue”. In effect, it is an independent show that benefits from the visitor audience of ProWein, but is set apart from ProWein’s established line-up.

Berlemann also revealed that the new hall would have a “cool and trendy atmosphere”, and contain a bar. The focus of the section will be on the brands themselves, and, as a result, the appearance of the hall would be relatively simple.

“As much as 80% of the stands will be constructed by us, and we are keeping heights to 1.6 metres, so it’s easy to have an overview of the space,” Berlemann says. “We don’t want people to be overwhelmed. We want the focus to be on the product, not the stand construction – which means that the starting point is the same for everyone.”

The Fizzz Craft Lounge, sponsored by trade publisher Meininger Verlag, will also be back in 2018, taking up residence in the Same but Different hall, which will also become home to the show’s gastronomy and bar scene, which moves from its previous location in Hall 12.

“On the urban bar scene, in trendy eateries and also among wine merchants craft beer, spirits and cider are playing an increasingly large role, and are tapping into ever-new customer bases,” says Berlemann. “This is an excellent reason for incorporating this theme into ProWein, as well as the fact that 39% of our ProWein trade visitors are interested in craft spirits and 45% in craft beer, as reflected in this year’s visitors’ survey.”

Newcomers to the 2018 show include China’s COFCO Wine & Wine, which is the first time the major Chinese wine producer and importer has taken part in a European drinks trade fair. Owner of the Great Wall wine brand, COFCO is a key player in the Chinese wine market, and the company will join the Changyu Pioneer Wine Company at the fair, the owner of China’s other major wine label, Changyu. The Japanese government will also take part for the first time, hosting a stand themed around saké.

There will also be a large stand featuring various Palinka fruit brandies from Hungary. Exhibitors from Greece, meanwhile, will be pleased to have been relocated next to Austria and the always-buzzing ProWein Tasting Area by Mundus Vini, in Hall 17. Themed highlights include the Champagne Lounge in Hall 13, which will boast 40 Champagne houses, located in the centre of the Champagne section, where a further 150 labels will be based.

A packed programme of events, tastings, masterclasses and seminars will also take place over the three days. At the centre of the show’s events programme will be the ProWein Forum, located in Hall 10 and 13, which will host a variety of seminars on a number of topics. These range from oenological-insider seminars and informative expert talks, through to unusual tastings of established and lesser-known regions and varieties. These will include sessions on German Sekt, saké, Swiss wines and Brazilian sparkling wine. Comité Champagne, Wine Australia and New Zealand Winegrowers are among those set to host events, while Stuart Pigott and Paula Sidore will host a session on international wine trends, which will explore the growing success of natural wines and China’s increasing importance on the international wine market. Other highlights include a session on the charms of Japanese Koshu, hosted by Masayoshi Kudo, chief winemaker at Grande Polaire, and Anthony Rose.

EVENTS AND TALKS

Running alongside the ProWein Forums will be a series of complementary seminars, masterclasses and discussions, held at exhibitor stands.

“We have around 500 events happening around ProWein,” says Berlemann.

“Twenty of those events are being held in the Same But Different hall, and a lot of people will be talking about what they think are the trends to watch out for in the on-trade this year. There will be great bartenders at the Same but Different hall, discussing innovations in cocktails like virtual reality and coffee-infused drinks.”

Elsewhere, the Wine Institute of California will be hosting a session looking at the micro-climate influences and winemaking styles of Chardonnay from four areas of Sonoma County, while the Oregon Wine Board will be on hand to take guests on a tour of Willamette Valley’s AVAs, revealing the secrets of its soils through its flagship variety, Pinot Noir.

While ProWein is already one of the biggest wine and spirits trade shows in the world, Berlemann said there is still a waiting list of companies keen to take part in the annual show, and that organisers are under continued pressure to make the show bigger still. However, he has said that he only wants to expand the fair further if there was a corresponding rise in the number of visitors. “We are always being asked for more square metres, with exhibitors wanting us to open another hall – and we could, our exhibition space is huge, and we have 80% more space than ProWein currently occupies,” he says. “We are protecting our exhibitors by growing carefully, and only when we feel that the visitor side is strong enough to accept more exhibitors”.

Marius Berlemann

INFRASTRUCTURE

Berlemann also said that he didn’t want to put too much strain on the infrastructure of Düsseldorf, and expressed concern about the increase in the cost of accommodation in the city during the show, as hotels raise prices when demand is at its greatest.

“We are in regular contact with the hotels about prices, and we have got to be careful. We don’t want to grow too fast, we want to take it step by step, but the hotels need to understand that if they push up prices, then people will be pushed out of Düsseldorf, it is not good for the hotels of Düsseldorf and it is not good for us”.

Berlemann stressed that ProWein is doing everything possible to make visiting the fair as easy and inexpensive as possible, and, among the measures being taken, the show organiser is working with the Düsseldorf tourism board to offer accommodation at nearby cities Duisburg and Essen, where room rates are cheaper. Packages have been on offer through ProWein that include free transport to and from these places, with Berlemann adding that if there is further demand for hotels outside Düsseldorf, such offers can be extended to further areas within easy commuting distance.

TOP TIPS

For those preparing for the annual onslaught that is ProWein, or who regularly find themselves lost at the wrong end of one of its cavernous halls, Berlemann has the following advice.

“I always recommend keeping some time aside to try something new – two or three hours where you can go and try wine from Bolivia, or something else you aren’t familiar with because you never know what you are going to discover. Ask yourself what you want to focus on. Do you want Champagne? Organic wines? You need to have a plan because otherwise you will be lost, and we always say use the tools that we have on our website to get a clear picture of what you want to see. You will be very tired if you are running around the entire show. I walk 20 miles a day at ProWein. It’s good exercise!”

WHO WILL BE THERE?

Anivin – Hall 11/A89

The body representing wines that are labelled as Vin de France, Anivin recently held its Best Value Vin de France Selection tasting in Paris and all of the award-winning wines – 53 gold and 98 silvers – will be available to taste at its stand in Hall 11.

Valérie Pajotin, director of Anivin de France, said: “Once again our international panel were very enthusiastic with the quality of the wines presented to them.

“I can’t wait to present the medal-winning wines at our stand at ProWein and at Vinexpo Hong Kong in May as well as in our upcoming marketing activities for 2018.”

Consorzio Tutela Montecucco – Hall13/B30

The Consortium for the Protection of Montecucco will return to ProWein with the promise of introducing visitors to “the unexpected Sangiovese”.

Centred around 20 DOC and DOCG wines, the consorzio will be sharing its little corner of the exhibition with the conzorzi for DOC Maremma and Morellino di Scansano to jointly promote these wines from the Tuscan coast.

On Sunday 18 March, several of the wines will also be the focus of a masterclass organised by Vinum magazine and hosted by journalist Ursula Geyer.

French Pavilion – Hall11/A159

The French Pavilion at ProWein will be one of the larger entities at the show this year covering an enormous 6,500m2 and featuring 860 exhibitors from every French region, from Alsace and the Loire down to Provence, the South-West and Corsica, all organised by their respective interprofessions.

For the first time the stand will also feature a free-pour area, with a selection of 100 wines and spirits that were chosen over the course of three tastings with the trade in Germany, Belgium and Sweden before the show.

Japan – Hall 9/A47

Japanese producers of saké and Koshu will be making their debut at the fair this year, with a particular focus on the country’s famous rice wine.

Visitors to the stand will be able to learn about all aspects of this drink, its production (both modern and traditional) and classification as well as basic food pairings with the various saké styles.

In addition, a selection of prize-winning wines made from the indigenous Koshu grape will not only be available to taste, but will be the subject of a guided tasting.

La Martiniquaise – Hall 12/A71

Promising a “one-stop shop” approach to this year’s fair, French drinks group La Martiniquaise has taken its largest-ever stand, not just for its core Scotch brands such as Label 5, Glen Moray and Sir Edward’s, but also for its Port label, Gran Cruz.

The show will also be the launchpad for its revamped Old Virginia Bourbon whiskey and for two new additions to the St Raphael Quinquina range of apéritifs: Quina Red and Quina Amber – with packaging inspired by the famous graphic art style of 1940s artist Charles Loupot, who designed the brand’s original labels.

Visitors to the stand will also be able to “enter the friendly Caribbean universe” of the Negrita rum brand, with a virtual reality experience.

New Zealand Winegrowers – Hall 9/E36

New Zealand’s pavilion at this year’s ProWein will be its largest to date, and will feature 47 producers, from eight regions, with 200 wines from 17 varieties.

In addition to a larger number of wineries attending, New Zealand Winegrowers has announced an increased educational programme focusing on the varietal and regional diversity of the country.

Among the masterclasses taking place, Anne Krebiehl MW will be talking about aromatic varieties, Pinot Noir and regional diversity; while Jamie Goode will be focusing on Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and classic reds made from Syrah and Cabernet blends.

Route USA – various locations

Returning for its third year, Route USA is a concept that spans the entire fair, and seeks to bring US visitors into contact with participating wineries and companies that either wish to expand their US business or enter the market for the very first time.

Participants can be identified by a badge on their stands that is either ringed in blue for those looking for a US importer or red for those already represented but perhaps wanting further distribution.

A full list of those participating can be found on the ProWein website.

Wine Australia – Hall 9/F06

Bigger (“and better”) than last year, Wine Australia will be hosting 75 producers from all over the country, with more than 500 of their wines.

There will be winemakers from classic areas such as Margaret River and Barossa Valley but also from lesser-known areas such as King Valley and New England. Throughout the fair there will be a series of dedicated tastings on the stand, covering Riesling and Shiraz, old vines, the rising trend for Spanish varieties, McLaren Vale Grenache and the new wave of producers in New England.

The on-stand bar is designed to be a place to discover wines and will be the setting of the after-show Happy Hour on Sunday.

Wines of Germany – Hall13/A80

ProWein is, of course, the prime opportunity to taste the best of Germany’s wine produce. Around 1,000 producers from 13 growing regions will be present in Halls 13 and 14 (though principally the former).

In addition to the mass of producers and supporting seminars and tastings on the main stand, the young producers of ‘Generation Riesling’ will be exhibiting their wines on stand D100, while another selection of just 20 wines, judged the ‘coolest’ in Germany, will also be available to taste on A80.

Meanwhile, Germany’s national association of 130 leading wine producers, the Verband Deutsche Prädikatsweingüter (VDP), will be showing their 2017 wines in Hall 14/F40.

Wines of South Africa – Hall9/B28-48 and D34

Wines of South Africa will be in attendance this year, with around 96 producers spanning major multi-brand owners, co-operatives and smaller independent winemakers.

The pavilion will feature a Discover South Africa tasting area, with more than 60 award-winning wines, including reds, whites and Methóde Cap Classiques from a wide range of styles and varieties, designed to show how the South African wine industry is continually raising the bar in terms of quality and innovation.