What you need to know about Vinexpo Shanghai

Vinexpo Shanghai is just three months away, marking the trade show’s first event in the city.

The show will bring together the leading international brands in the wine and spirits industry, keen to meet the most influential buyers in mainland China.

This new annual Vinexpo exhibition reflects the group’s strategy for global expansion, particularly in China, and provides an opportunity for international producers to grow their customer portfolio and strengthen their presence in the region, drawing on a qualitative database of 30,000 Chinese professional buyers and influencers.

Wine imports continue to rise in China and are set to reach 89.7 million 9-litre cases in 2021, an increase of 23.7% in three years, according to Vinexpo. The trade show group has said that China’s expansion will lead to it “leapfrogging above the US and France as the world’s third-largest importer of still wines by 2021.”

Producers will attend the event from a wide range of winemaking regions worldwide, including Chilean companies such as Concha Y Toro, Emiliana and Sur Valles Wine Group, as well as Spanish wine giants González Byass and Osborne, known for their sherries as well as their range of Spanish wines.

Showcasing specific regions through masterclasses and workshops, producers from Rioja Alta will host wine tastings during the three-day event, and Castell del Remei will also exhibit to show off its Catalonian wines.

France, as the top wine supplier in China in both volume and value terms, will also be in a dominant position at Vinexpo Shanghai with producers and labels such as Joanne, CVBG Grands Crus, Borie-Manoux, Sovex Grands Châteaux, Nathaniel Johnston and Twins all in attendance, as well as a “large number of Bordeaux producers and merchants,” according to the organisers. When it comes to Champagne, both Maisons Charles and Piper Heidsieck will both be represented at the Vinexpo event in China, while a team from Maison Chapoutier in Côtes de Rhône will also be present at the show.

China’s drinks industry itself will also be well respresented. Baijiu producers like Fenjiu Group and Chengdu Xiangbeijinqiu will compete for buyers’ attention alongside major international spirits companies, while wine producers like China Greatwall Wine (Cofco), Yantai Changyu Pioneer Wine and Tonghua Wine Co will also be on-hand to present their latest vintages.

Vinexpo hope the exhibition will provide new development solutions for the wine and spirits trade, drawing on its 20-year experience in Asia-Pacific, and via its recent Chinese e-commerce partnership with Asia’s biggest e-retailer, Alibaba.

The first Vinexpo Shanghai will take place on 23-25 October 2019 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center (SWEECC).

For more information visit vinexposhanghai.com