EXCLUSIVE: ProWein to launch show in São Paulo

Leading wine show ProWein is to launch a new version of its show in the Brazilian city of São Paulo this October, focusing on wines from Latin America.

ProwWein is taking its show to the Brazilian city of São Paulo this year

Having already collaborated on a successful wine show called Pro Vino in São Paulo last year, ProWein director Bastian Mingers felt the time was right for ProWein to launch its own show in the city this year.

ProWein São Paulo will take place at the Transamerica Expo Center in São Paulo from the 20-22 October 2020. “Brazil is an important and growing wine market with a lot of potential, but at the same time it can be very difficult to do business there.

ProWein director, Bastian Mingers, is fired up about Brazil

“We talked to our exhibitors and there is a lot of interest in the market, but many of them are having difficulties finding the right importers to work with. A lot of producers said they would be interested in being part of the show if we organised it,” Mingers told db in an exclusive interview.

“The show is a chance for us to have a foot in the Brazilian market. Like all start-ups, it’s an investment, but we wanted to say to our wine exhibitors that we’re here if you want to do business in Brazil,” he added.

With 210 million people in Brazil and only a small percentage currently classed as wine drinkers, there is huge potential to grow the wine market in the country.

“Those that do drink wine are super sophisticated and on a par with European drinkers. Due to the proximity of the countries, ProWein São Paulo will focus on wines from Chile, Argentina, Peru and Mexico, which are already selling well in Brazil due to favourable trade agreements.

“The import tax on wine in Brazil is incredibly high at the moment, but there are plans in the near future for the taxes to be significantly reduced, which will help the European wine industry a lot to do business there,” Mingers told db.

“There will also be wineries from Portugal exhibiting at the show, due to the shared language, along with representation from France, Spain and Germany, including WSET masterclasses on German wines in Portuguese.

“Our main goal with the show is to bring a new market to our existing exhibitors. We want to help increase sales of Latin American wine in Brazil, but also improve the diversity of wines available in the country.

“We don’t want to waste the exhibitors’ time so we’re going to be very strict about the visitors that attend the show – they will have to prove that they work in the wine trade to gain entry,” he added.