News

ProWein heads for Japan

15 September 2022 By Louis Thomas

Messe Düsseldorf, the organisation behind ProWein, will be taking over the wine section of Wine & Gourmet Japan from next year.

Though we can expect the first edition of ProWine Tokyo in 2024, ProWein’s involvement in Wine & Gourmet Japan will begin in 2023 with the exhibition taking place from 12 to 14 April.

Michael Degen, executive director at Messe Düsseldorf and chairman of the board of Messe Düsseldorf Japan, said: “With ProWine Tokyo we help our customers become successfully established on this very dynamic market in Japan.”

Indeed, Wine & Gourmet Japan was chosen as a satellite event for ProWein due to the country’s potential, as Degen explained: “Its growth potential is enormous especially thanks to the free trade agreement with the European Union that entered into force in February 2021. But we also see some important sales markets are currently declining and Japan is an attractive alternative for many producers.”

ProWine Tokyo, like Wine & Gourmet Japan will be held alongside FABEX, and its five food fairs (the Desert Sweets & Bakery Festival, Food & Drink OEM Matching EXPO, Premium Food Show, ISM Japan and the Japan Noodles Industry Fair).

Katsuki Hirayama, vice president of the Japan Food Journal, said: “The Japanese wine and spirits market is very high profile making above-average demands on quality. This is why we are very pleased that our customers will in future be able to benefit from the ProWein competence”.

While Japanese expenditure in wine is estimated at almost twice the global average (€66 per capita, as opposed to €37), Japan’s National Tax Agency is concerned by a decline in alcohol sales, a trend that prompted a competition to find new ways to make drinks appeal to the younger generation.