The UK head of Wines of Chile says he will advise bosses to boycott Vinexpo 2009 if air conditioning issues are not resolved.
Michael Cox, director of Wines of Chile UK told decanter.com he would 'suggest' a boycott of the wine trade fair unless they received 'sufficient guarantees that the air conditioning will be improved or that we are moved to a better location.'
Cox said that despite assurances made by the organisers since the infamous 2003 air conditioning failure, high temperatures were still an issue.
'There is no question that the air conditioning is either defective or faulty,' said Cox. 'If it [Vinexpo] positions itself as the world's premier wine fair and charges large sums for taking part, they are duty bound and honour bound to provide world-class facilities. The facilities at Vinexpo are not world class and they must do something about it.'
Cox added a note of caution, however, saying that any decision by Wines of Chile would have to balance this with the fact the show had been 'good for business' and 'good for Chile'.
Cox said he had expressed his concerns to Vinexpo organiser Robert Beynat, but got the impression 'they were not that bothered.'
Beynat could not be reached for comment but a spokesman for the wine show said that they had not received any other complaints about the air conditioning system.
'A considerable amount of money has been spent in the last two years upgrading the system,' he said.
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I attended Vinexpo this year and, honestly, I noticed that, not only the air conditioning, but also the other facilities, were very much improved this year. Perhaps my impression was due to the fact that the weather was not that hot this year... Sure, air conditioning can be improved for the 2009 edition, but what can be improved is the wine temperature served at visitors. Some stands, like Jeanjean, had a near to military organisation to ensure perfect wine service conditions. But too many wines were served hot... Once again this was all benefit for the champagne houses...
Concerning Vinexpo, nobody mentioned the death, during Vinexpo, of Catherine Rabanier, a long time efficient and friendly press attaché of the show.
Personally, I shall miss her very much.
Michel Smith, Perpignan, France
Realy hard to understand. I never had the feeling it was too hot. Seems Michael missed the famous Vinexpo 2003 to know what's hot…
Felix Christen, Wallisellen, Switzerland
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I attended Vinexpo this year and, honestly, I noticed that, not only the air conditioning, but also the other facilities, were very much improved this year. Perhaps my impression was due to the fact that the weather was not that hot this year... Sure, air conditioning can be improved for the 2009 edition, but what can be improved is the wine temperature served at visitors. Some stands, like Jeanjean, had a near to military organisation to ensure perfect wine service conditions. But too many wines were served hot... Once again this was all benefit for the champagne houses...
