Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris, running from 14 to 16 February, will host a discussion on climate change as part of series of roundtable ‘wine talks’ at the show.

Decanter contributor and international consultant Rupert Joy will moderate the discussion on ‘making wine in a changing climate’, to be held at 2:30pm on Tuesday 15 February, in Hall Six.

Members of the panel include:

• Pau Roca Blaso – director general of the International Organisation of Vine & Wine
• Jeremy Cukierman MW – director of Kedge Wine School and author of ‘Quel vin pour demain?‘
• Stephen Cronk – founder of Mirabeau en Provence and The Regenerative Viticulture Foundation
• Josep Maria Ribas Portella, climate change manager at Familia Torres and board member of the International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA) group.

Panellists will ‘explore the impact of climate change on wine and the raft of measures implemented at various levels to adjust to the “new normal”,’ according to the event programme.

During a press conference on world wine production last year, Pau Roca Blaso spoke of a ‘destabilisation’ of climatic conditions but also about the importance of work being done within the OIV and elsewhere to help winemakers adapt. ‘We have a lot of tools,’ he said.

Taking place at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, the Wine Paris and Vinexpo Paris show is expected to welcome around 20,000 visitors from around the world.

Covering both wine and spirits, events at the expo will range from high-level wine masterclasses to seminars on market trends and discussions about the impact of Covid on the hospitality industry.

There will be around 2,800 exhibitors, organiser Vinexposium has said.

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While preparing to resume its calendar of trade fairs, Vinexposium, the company behind 10 of the world’s biggest alcoholic beverage trade events, partnered with market research agency IWSR and its consumer behaviour child company, Wine Intelligence, to issue a report charting the drinks sector’s road to recovery.

For Rodolphe Lameyse, CEO of Vinexposium, ‘the last couple of years have been a game changer for the drinks industry’, with structural transformations in logistics, packaging, product design and consumer behaviour. ‘We can see these trends on the trade show’s floor’.

Lulie Halstead, CEO of Wine Intelligence, presented the report with a positive outlook following a period of uncertainty during which the industry consolidated its stance. The key takeaway is that beverage alcohol has proved to be one of the most crisis-proof consumer goods categories. Its resilience was built upon the suppliers’ adaptability and capacity to pivot in the face of structural challenges, ever-changing restrictions, and severe supply-chain disruptions.

Most strategies followed trends that were already gaining traction pre-Covid and were merely accelerated by the economic and social impact of the pandemic, namely:

• New or enhanced at-home experiences, with wine consumption moving beyond and between meals
• Focus on sustainability, with shift towards localism
• No- and low-alcohol beverages gathering momentum within a broader trend towards moderation
• Off-premise (take away) and ecommerce significantly increase their performance while the on-trade continues to be affected by restrictions and changes to consumer behaviours
• Premiumisation, with consumers buying at higher price across categories
• RTDs (ready to drink beverages) gaining both market share, especially hard-seltzers, and premiumising the category’s offering

A global view of alcohol consumption shows significant decline in 2020, with a 6.2% decrease in volume from 2019. But the long-term outlook is positive, with projected full recovery by 2023, boosted by the strong volume growth of RTDs in selected core markets.

RTDs is indeed the only category that reported positive evolution in 2020, benefitting from the immediate impact of Covid-19, with consumers seeking convenience packaging and no/low alcohol products widely available in ready-to-drink formats. This in turn meant that all other categories suffered both from a change in consumer behaviour and from restrictions to consumption on-premise. Beer (-7.1%), wine (-6.5%), spirits (-6.1%) and cider (-10.9%) all reported a decrease in volume in 2020, and although there are signs of short- and long-term recovery, RTDs are again the only category expected to see two-digit long-term growth (10.2%).

Moderation

Moderation is a key behavioural trend, with at least one-third of wine drinkers actively moderating their consumption across the nine key markets Wine Intelligence looked at. The Netherlands and Switzerland are the most moderation-driven markets, with over 50% of regular wine drinkers expressing this as a concern.

This affects even key market categories and soft brands, such as Champagne: in the US, 30% of regular wine drinkers say they ‘would definitely prefer to buy a bottle of Champagne that has lower alcohol levels’ (lower than 10% ABV).

The trend is expected to gather in pace in the next few years, benefitting from less restricted ecommerce channels and more flexible route to market strategies. Consumers are, however, demanding more from the products in the no/low category, questioning traceability and expressing concern about the taste, poor availability and lack of knowledge about their ingredients and production.

Moderation has also had a broader impact across categories, by promoting staggered intake, often alternating alcoholic with no/low alcohol beverages, a behaviour supported by an inevitable change in lifestyle, with consumers staying at home and planning their beverage intake around a new routine.

Premiumisation and Sustainability

Such change in consumption patterns, also made possible by a greater availability of disposable income, supported a premiumisation (purchase of products above average market price) across markets and categories. Reduced mobility had a particular impact in the high-premium and luxury sectors: these shifted from being mostly travel-based to locally-focused, with localism falling under the broader sustainability trend.

Sustainability continues to be an important behavioural guiding factor, conditioning both product perception and buying decisions – 33% claim they will always buy sustainable wines when given the choice.

According to Halstead, however, ‘sustainability is yet to gather momentum overall’. Why? Because ‘wine, as a product, is considered sustainable in itself,’ which means consumers might not actively look at, or understand, differentiating sustainability stamps.

A look at attitudes towards sustainability in wine does reveal an interesting, albeit worrying, conclusion: severe misconceptions might be impairing the understanding of differences in classifications and production methods. This in turn might be preventing a growth in market share. Organic wine’s expansion was only moderately affected by the pandemic with just over 6% growth. Still, organic wine corresponds to only 3.5% of total wine consumption, with Germany and France dominating in absolute numbers and the Nordic countries among the biggest in market share, much due to the fact that local monopolies actively favour organic over conventional products.

There’s clearly much work to be done. As an example, most consumers (55%) believe glass wine bottles are a sustainable form of packaging, even though there is an ongoing movement, promoted by wine retail & media key stakeholders, to raise awareness about the environmental impact and carbon footprint of glass bottles, the benefits of alternative formats (such as bag-in-box) and the benefits of bulk shipping.

Where there’s challenge there’s also opportunity though. As younger generations shift towards moderate and wellness-aware consumption there could be potential to seize momentum under the sustainability umbrella. This might, however, apply not to wine/beer/spirits but to no/low alcohol RTDs. A broader, more fundamental, discussion about the future of the wine & spirits industry might be just around the corner….

*all data and charts copyright of the IWRS and Wine Intelligence

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Vinexpo Hong Kong 2020 will go ahead as planned from 26 to 28 May, said Vinexpo CEO Rodolphe Lameyse at a press conference held in London.

It is Vinexpo’s flagship exhibition in the Asia region, but violent political protests in Hong Kong saw a number of cultural events cancelled last year, including the annual wine and dine festival.

‘Hong Kong is the show that everyone wants to attend – the market is in Asia,’ Lameyse told Decanter.com.

‘It would be a lie to say that the situation in Hong Kong is having no impact in terms of confidence, but I’m very confident about the show in terms of what we are going to achieve.’

He added that, while the political situation was not helping, he expected Vinexpo Hong Kong 2020 to have almost as many exhibitors as the last event, held in 2018.

‘In terms of space, we expect to be close to 12,000-square-metres,’ he said, which is down slightly on 2018’s 13,000 m2.

Andrew Davis, head of investment promotion at InvestHK, a Hong Kong government department that assists overseas businesses wanting to invest and expand in Hong Kong, said that the country is very much open for business. He added that since last year’s protests not a single HK Trade Development Council show has been cancelled.

A ‘plateau’ for wine in Asia?

Speaking about the Asian wine market, he said: ‘From a business perspective we’ve gone past peak wine to Asia. The growth in the past 10 years has been phenomenal but now we have reached a plateau.’

This is backed up by a new report commissioned by Vinexpo and undertaken by drinks data and market intelligence specialists IWSR, which shows that the Asian wine market’s momentum slowed in 2018 and 2019.

However, a recovery is expected and growth is forecast to continue, led by China.

World wine trends

The Vinexpo / IWSR report also looked at global wine trends.

It forecast that the total world value of still and sparkling wine will top $204 billion by 2023, up from $194bn in 2018.

This increase will be driven by the US, which will see its wine market hit more than £40bn – albeit the situation may depend on international trading relations and the industry’s ability to speak to millennial consumers.

China, meanwhile, will jump ahead of France into second place with value of almost £18bn.

Global wine sales by volume will remain roughly unchanged at 2.6bn cases, but the UK will continue its 10-year volume decline – showing a loss of 29.3 million cases in the 10-year period from 2013-2023.

Despite that, the UK is set to remain the second largest wine importer by volume after Germany, and should retain third spot in the value rankings for light wine.

Vinexpo Paris

Ahead of Vinexpo Hong Kong, Vinexpo Paris takes place next month from 10-12 February and Rodolphe Lameyse said he was looking forward to welcoming the UK trade to France for this event.

‘Paris is our flagship European show,’ he said. ‘It is a great example of the comprehensiveness of Vinexpo. We have different types of exhibitors from young winemakers up to the very fine brands, and the location plays an important part too.’

See also:

Is the US wine consumption boom over?

Decanter returned to Vinexpo New York to host another top masterclass with Elin McCoy showcasing New Zealand winners from the Decanter World Wine Awards 2018.

For the second year Vinexpo New York returned to the Javits Exhibition Centre in Manhattan. The trade-only show took place on the 4th-5th March.

Decanter hosted a masterclass featuring eight New Zealand winners from the 2018 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) which was led by wine writer and columnist Elin McCoy.

2018 was a successful year for New Zealand at the DWWA where they won a total of 351 medals including three Best in Show and six Platinum.

The wines showcased in the masterclass included two Best in Shows, one Platinum, two gold and two silver medalists.

Search all DWWA 2018 winners here

Amongst the line-up was a Sauvignon Blanc from Craggy Range that featured in the New Zealand whites: 2018 vintage report where it received 94 points – see the full report HERE

The masterclass begun with Vavasour’s 2017 Sauvignon Blanc, followed by a Spy Valley Riesling and Vidal’s El Lagado Chardonnay.

This was followed by the reds, and included a Ceres Pinot Noir, a Pinot Noir from Te Kairanga in Wairapa and Trinity Hill’s The Gimblet.

The tasting ended on a sweet Riesling from Seifried.

Decanter showcases 23 Decanter Asia Wine Award winning wines and hosts a Grenache masterclass at Vinexpo Hong Kong 2018

This year’s Vinexpo Hong Kong welcomed over 17,200 visitors. Across the course of the three-day event 1,300 exhibitors attended with 50 talks and tastings.

Decanter was also present, hosting a stand that exhibited 23 Decanter Asia Wine Award-winning wines as well a Grenache masterclass.

Find out which wines were available to taste below:

• Maison Bouachon, Les Bariannes, Côtes du Rhône Villages Signargues, Rhône, France, 2016
• Grace, Gris de Koshu, Yamanashi, Chubu, Japan, 2016
• Yealands Family Wines, Babydoll Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand 2017
• Il Roncal, Ploe di Stelis, Colli Orientali del Friuli, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy 2015
• Auntsfield, Single Vineyard Pinot Noir, Southern Valleys, Marlborough, New Zealand 2015
• La Fortezza, Aglianico del Taburno, Campania, Italy 2013
• Marco Bonfante, Bussia, Barolo, Piedmont, Italy 2012
• Sartori di Verona, Corte Brà, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, Veneto, Italy 2010
• Bodegas Olarra, Erudito, Rioja, Mainland Spain, Spain 2015
• Leza García, Tinto Familia, Rioja Crianza, Mainland Spain, Spain 2014
• Bodegas Ondarre, Rioja Reserva, Mainland Spain, Spain 2014
• Bodegas Corral, Don Jacobo, Rioja Gran Reserva, Mainland Spain, Spain 2004
• Condado de Haza, Alenza, Ribera del Duero Gran Reserva, Mainland Spain, Spain 2006
• Les Roques de Cana, Sanguis Christi, Cahors, Southwest France, France 2008
• Château de Monrecueil, Bordeaux Supérieur, Bordeaux, France 2015
• Château Ramage La Batisse, Haut-Médoc, Bordeaux, France 2014
• Gran Enemigo, Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc, Gualtallary, Tupungato, Mendoza, Argentina 2012
• Viña Requingua, Toro de Piedra Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Colchagua, Chile 2015
• Viña Requingua, Toro de Piedra Gran Reserva Carménère-Cabernet Sauvignon, Maule, Chile 2015
• Shottebrooke, The Proprietor Reserve Series, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia 2014
• Copower Jade, Fei Tswei Merlot, Ningxia, China 2016
• Alto Roble, Patagón Grand Reserve Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon, Curicó, Chile 2014
• Santa Alba, Grand Reserve Syrah-Cabernet Sauvignon, Curicó, Chile 2014

Visitor’s to this year’s Vinexpo Hong Kong also had the opportunity to attend Decanter’s World’s Best Grenache Buys masterclass. Decanter’s Asia Wine Awards judge Sarah Wong guided attendees through a selection of top Grenache buys rated by Decanter’s expert panel.

There were eight wines available to taste:

• Mas Amiel, Vers le Nord, Maury Sec, Languedoc-Roussillon, France 2016
• Clos de L’Oratoire des Papes, , Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France 2016
• Cantina Trexenta, Baione, Cannonau di Sardegna, Sardinia, Italy 2014
• Acústic Celler, Auditori, Montsant, Catalonia, Spain 2014
• David and Nadia, Grenache, Swartland, Western Cape, South Africa 2016
• Garage Wine Co., Bagual Vineyard Lot 69 Garnacha, Maule Valley, Maule, Chile 2015
• A Tribute to Grace, Shake Ridge Ranch Grenache, Amador County, Sierra Foothills , California, USA 2014
• Zonte’s Footstep, Love Symbol Grenache, McLaren Vale, South Australia, Australia 2016

Australia tops the list but Chile is one of the only major producer nations expected to increase shipments in the next few years, as the UK overall cuts its wine consumption in favour of less but better, says new forecast.

UK wine imports: Top countries

Data published jointly by Vinexpo and IWSR shows that Australia exports the most still wine to the UK, by volume. In 2016, the UK imported 24.5 million nine litre cases of Australian wines, equivalent to nearly 300 million bottles of wine.

This was followed by the US, which accounted for 15.7 million nine litre cases of wine imported, closely followed by France at 15 million cases.

Italy exports 14.7 million nine litre cases of still wine to the UK., which is the world’s second largest importer of wine behind Germany.

The next biggest sources of still wines in the UK are Spain, Chile and South Africa.

The well-documented Prosecco boom means that Italy also sends around around 8.2 million cases of sparkling wine annually to the UK – and Italian sparkling wines lead this category in volume terms, ahead of Champagne and Cava.

Decline in UK wine consumption predicted

Chile is the only country expected to increase its overall exports to the UK in the next few years, as the chart above shows.

The report predicts that still wine consumption in the UK will go down.

Total still wine consumption is expected to fall from 118.5 million nine litre cases in 2016 to 108 million cases by 2021.

But, this is partly because consumers are drinking less but better, according to the report authors.

‘The increased volume of sparkling wine and a trend to premium still wines will offset the overall decrease in wine value,’ said Guillaume Deglise, CEO of Vinexpo, which will hold events in New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong this year.

‘While still wine consumption falls its sales value will rise driven by a combination of increased prices, weaker sterling and consumers choosing to ‘drink less but better’ as they trade up to premium wine segments,’ Deglise added.

19/02/2018: This article was updated to correct the equivalent number of bottles of Australian wine drunk.

Vinexpo New York took place last week with over 400 producers showcasing their best wines over two days of tastings, masterclass and conferences.

Last week, Vinexpo New York, the first of it’s kind for over eight years, brought together wine and spirits professionals from across the globe. The two-day show was held on 5 and 6 March 2018 at the Javits Convention Center, Manhattan.

Decanter hosted a masterclass based on a panel tasting that featured in the April 2016 issue of the magazine. The session, titled The best Pinot Noirs in the World (outside of Burgundy and California) was led by award-winning wine writer and columnist Elin McCoy.

Seven wines were featured in the masterclass, of which, six appeared in the original panel tasting. This also included the winner of the Best Argentinian Pinot Noir at the 2017 Decanter World Wine Awards.

Search Decanter World Wine Awards 2017 medal winners here

Masterclass attendees had the opportunity to taste the following:

• Tolpuddle Vineyard, Coal River Valley, Australia 2016
• Meyer Family Vineyards, McLean Creek Road Vineyard, Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, Canada 2013
• Bodega Chacra, Treinta y Dos Pinot Noir, Patagonia, Argentina, 2014
• Garcia + Schwaderer, Sofìa, Casablanca, Chile 2013
• Felton Road, Block 5, Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand 2012
• Gottardi, Mazzon Riserva, Blauburgunder, Alto Adige, Italy 2012
• Bernhard Huber, Wildenstein R Grosses Gewächs, Baden, 2012

Over 75 attended with others choosing to standing to grab a piece of the action.

Click here to find out more about Vinexpo New York

The international wine trade expo is planning to hold a show in New York in 2018, more than five years since its previous leadership abandoned an attempt to get a foothold the US.

Vinexpo New York will be held on 5 and 6 March 2018 at Manhattan’s Javits Convention Center, the wine trade expo group said.

The US is the world’s largest wine market. It imported the equivalent of 983 million bottles in 2016 and this is set to rise by 4.8% up to 2020, according a report by Vinexpo and research group IWSR.

Guillaume Deglise, Vinexpo’s CEO, told Decanter.com that the expo group was keen to ‘capitalise’ on this.

Vinexpo New York will not be a biennial event, like Vinexpo Bordeaux or Vinexpo Hong Kong, but an annual, two-day fair.

The fair will be organised with American events business Diversified Commnunications.

It has taken five years for Vinexpo to announce a fresh attempt at breaking into the US wine scene. Its previous leadership tried to organise a consumer event, Rendez-Vous, in New York in 2012 – but was forced to cancel.

The Bordeaux-based fair organiser claimed that its latest move would make it the first wine trade show firm to be present on three key continents. Deglise said that Vinexpo wanted ‘to be a springboard [for producers] to enter the buoyant US Market’.

Vinexpo New York will be hold around 10 days before the ProWein show in Germany, and is seen as late enough to avoid snowstorms and early enough to prevent a clash with Vinexpo Hong Kong, which is held in May every two years.

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Vinexpo CEO Robert Beynat says a 'complicated' US wine market and the economic downturn contributed to the postponement of its

The US remains top of the world wine consumption league and is expected to grow further in the next four years, but the industry still isn't sure about the best way to handle so-called millennials, suggests a new report jointly presented by trade show Vinexpo and research group IWSR...

World wine consumption trends

USA 

The US is still seeing significant wine sales growth; it is the highest wine consuming country by volume, drinking 341.5 million nine-litre cases in 2016.

This is expected to rise 4.9% by 2020, to 358.3 million cases, according to a report released this week by trade show Vinexpo and drinks research firm The IWSR.

Its figures re-inforce evidence of a consumer trend towards higher-priced wines in the US, too. US wine retail sales are forecast to increase by 11% up to 2020, to $38.6 billion; twice the size of the nearest competitor, the UK.

Only China is expected to grow faster than the US in that time period in volume terms, while the UK market will stay roughly flat in volume as higher demand for sparkling wine offsets a drop in still wine consumption.

Millennials

Capturing the millennial market is a key aim for much of the wine trade. But, opinions on these younger consumers vary.

Millennials are drinking less wine than generations before them, according to wine consumption data from Vinexpo and IWSR.

This echoes other research suggesting that millennials globally are more likely to switch between drinks, such as wine, craft beer and spirits, than stick to one category.

This trend was first reported regarding US millennials last year, but now appears to apply worldwide.

‘They are less loyal to the products,’ Vinexpo’s chief executive, Guillaume Deglise, told Decanter.com. ‘But I also think the wine industry needs to adapt.’

There appears to be a generational shift, according to Deglise. Habits are changing from common consumption of wine to more thoughtful drinking.

‘Millennials want to know exactly what is in the glass; the grape variety, where it is from, how it is made.’

Prosecco still driving sparkling growth globally

Sparkling wine will continue to grow, and this continues to be driven by the Prosecco trend, according to the report.

By 2020, Prosecco consumption will grow by 13.6%, up to 34.4 million nine litre cases.

‘Prosecco has made a major shift to become it’s own brand,’ said Deglise.

‘You don’t hide that you’re drinking Prosecco anymore; it’s what people are asking for.’

The success is also down to the price, according to Deglise.

‘It’s an everyday luxury, and perceived as ‘‘less serious’’ than Champagne.’

UK market

Still wine consumption is declining in the UK, predicted to fall by 1.6% from 119.3 million to 117.4 million cases between now and 2020.

Sparkling wine, however, is on the rise, predicted to grow by 18.8% to 15.2 million cases by 2020.

Brexit has resulted in economic uncertainty and price increases; and wine is a ‘very price sensitive market.’

It particular, the low-cost market – bottles priced £5 and under – will suffer, as it will be tricky to maintain this price point, said Deglise.

Vinexpo Bordeaux will take place from 18th – 21st June.

Updated: 8th May 2017

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US growth has slowed, but Prosecco knows no bounds...

Vinexpo 2015: Francois Hollande opens wine fair with charm offensive

Vinexpo Bordeaux: Chief promises ‘major change’ for 2015 show

One of the biggest events in the wine trade’s calendar, Vinexpo in Bordeaux, will get a major facelift in 2015,

Vinexpo has announced that it will be launching ‘Vinexpo Explorer’ later this year, an initiative to bring together buyers and winemakers.

Vinexpo Explorer initiative

The first, two-day Vinexpo Explorer will be held in Austria, on 11-12th September 2017.

It will be invitation only for 100 buyers, and an all-inclusive package, with scheduled meetings, vineyard visits, dinners and tastings.

‘We want to create a community of buyers,’ said Guillaume Deglise, CEO of Vinexpo. ‘At the moment this does not exist.’

Each chapter focuses on a particular country or region – producing wine, spirits or both – and gives buyers a chance to explore everything the hosting country has to offer, like local cuisine and culture.

‘We will be running at least one every year – but could be more than one,’ Deglise told Decanter.com.

The aim is to help promote exports to countries and regions with potential to offer more in the international market, rather than the already very well established ones.

‘We are very honoured for this opportunity to kick this off with Vinexpo,’ said Willi Klinger, Managing Director of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board.

‘We want to transport the strong image we have established into sales.’

Austria is also hosting the European Sommelier Championship this May.

Vinexpo 2017

Vinexpo Bordeaux will be held on 18 to 21 June, with Spain as the ‘Country of honour’.

There will also be the World of Organic Wines within the show this year; a chance to highlight and showcase organic wine producers.

Conferences this year are likely to be on topics including climate change and Brexit, although the final list is still to be confirmed.

More on Vinexpo:

Vinexpo 2015: Francois Hollande opens wine fair with charm offensive

DAWA tasting at Vinexpo Hong Kong 2016

Key world wine consumption trends – Vinexpo

US growth has slowed, but Prosecco knows no bounds...

Vinexpo 2015: Chateau Montrose hosts Fête de la Fleur for 200th anniversary

Vinexpo 2015: Domaine de Chevalier party offers wine treasure trove

Decanter showcased a selection of Decanter Asia Wine Awards winning wines to trade visitors at Vinexpo Hong Kong on 24-26 May 2016.

At Vinexpo Hong Kong 2016, Decanter presented over 20 medal-winning wines from the Decanter Asia Wine Awards. The wine trade show that take place in Hong Kong in alternate years attracted over 17,000 visitors from the Asia-Pacific region, including local visitors and those from Mainland China and Macau.

Aside from tasting these award-winning wines, visitors had the chance to meet Decanter’s content director John Stimpfig and DecanterChina.com web editor Sylvia Wu. A special tasting of DAWA winning wines from Languedoc-Rousillon was also conducted at the stand.

See the list of wines presented at the Decanter stand here

Search full DAWA 2015 results here

Ian D’Agata, Decanter’s Italian wine expert and an award-winning author, brings you a bitesize guide to Chianti Classico Gran Selezione - a new top-tier of wines that he believes has proved the doubters wrong.

In front of a dramatic backdrop of the Hong Kong waterfront at Vinexpo Asia-Pacific 2016, Ian d’Agata introduced some of the most exciting wines from the new Chianti Classico Gran Selezione category.

When did all this begin?

Since 2013, Gran Selezione is the highest quality level within the historic Chianti Classico production area, which sits neatly between the region’s twin capitals of Florence and Siena. ‘This is the cradle and birthplace of Chianti,’ d’Agata said.

‘So the area is very small and Chianti Classico produces three levels of wine – Anata, Riserva and the now Gran Selezione’

How do you join the club?

To be a Gran Selezione, the grapes must be estate grown and aged for thirty months, three of which must be in bottle.

However, a wine must also be judged against its peers. A tasting panel convened by the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico acts as a quality control mechanism, and all wines put forward for Gran Selezione status must be approved the panel.

Proving the doubters wrong

• RELATED: Chianti Classico Gran Selezione – top tier or just another layer?

‘At the time, there were those who weren’t sure Gran Selezione would work,’ d’Agata said. ‘But I think it has been a remarkable success and has produced some genuinely outstanding wines.’

One of the reasons why D’Agata believes the category has worked is because the wines show reassuringly similar recognisable characteristics – with distinct terroir and vintage variations.

That was certainly the case with the 10 exceptional Gran Seleziones on show at this masterclass, including wines from Fontodi, Fonterutoli, Castello di Volpaia, Felsina and Barone Ricasoli.

What about ageing?

A good Chianti Gran Selezione from a top vintage will certainly age for 30 years providing it is well kept, d’Agata.

• RELATED: More d’Agata comments on how Chianti Classico wines age

John Stimpfig’s favourite wines from the Vinexpo masterclass:

Principe Corsini, Don Tommaso Gran Selezione, San Casciano Val di Pesa, 2013

Grown in a notably cooler area of the region at 350m, this distinctive Chianti Classico is a blend of 80% Sangiovese with 20% Merlot. The latter modifies the wine’s dominant red fruit profile, giving the wine a touch of coffee bean and cocoa. The palate is dry, juicy and vibrant with lively acidity, minerality and wild Tuscan herbs. 90

Drink: 2016-2027+

Fontodi, Vigna del Sorbo Gran Selezione, Greve in Chianti, Panzano, 2012

A 100% Sangiovese from this benchmark estate, which has become one of Italy’s finest producers. Vigna del Sorbo’s small, dark and concentrated grapes are grown in a special amphitheatre-like of vines which acts as a sun trap for the forty year old vines. Red fruits and spice again predominate on the nose. The palate provides a seam of ripe red cherries, tapenade, cream and spice. The tannins are also very polished while the bright acidity means this will age for many years. 94

Drink: 2016-2035+

Felsina, Colonia Gran Selezione Castelnuovo Berardenga, 2011

This wine comes from closer to Siena in the south where the soils are richer, giving a more powerful expression. A touch of violet on the nose but also tobacco and sweet spices. On the palate, are ripe red cherries and balsamic notes with Asian spices alongside brisk acidity and grippy tannins. The finish is long and complex. 92

Bibbiano Vigna del Capannino Gran Selezione Castellina in Chianti 2011

A 100% Sangiovese from the warmer Bibbiano area of the DOCG. Aged in large old oak barrels and made in a more traditional style, this benchmark Chianti Gran Selezione has a certain weight and rounder texture with flavours of sour cherries, soft tannins and herbal tobacco notes. Impressive length. 90

Drink: 2016- 2028+

Related Vinexpo Asia-Pacific content:

• This could be Chinese wine’s next signature grape variety…

Editing by Chris Mercer

Millennials in the US don't want as much wine as their parents and the Italians are losing touch with their vinous heritage, but Prosecco is a 'weekday luxury' that knows no bounds abroad and China is back in the game, according to a Vinexpo-sponsored report on world wine consumption trends.

World wine consumption – US millennials

It is the second time inside one month that concerns have been raised within the wine trade about the US, the world’s largest wine consuming nation.

So-called millennials, a broad spectrum of people born from the 1980s to the early 2000s, are just as interested in craft beer and small batch Bourbon as the latest wine, according to a report by drinks market research group The IWSR in co-ordination with the Vinexpo wine trade fair.

‘The US market has not developed as well as we thought it would [two years ago], and that’s mainly down to the millennials,’ said Vinexpo’s chief executive, Guillaume Deglise, at a press conference in London this week.

A separate market report recently predicted that the US would see its first fall in wine consumption for two decades in 2016.

‘Less but better’

However, this headline figure hides a projected rise in sales of wine above $10 per bottle in the US. The ‘less but better’ consumption mantra is something that will be repeatedly used in trade circles in the next few years.

Plus, according to Vinexpo/IWSR, US wine consumption is still forecast to increase by 2% between 2015 and 2019 – ahead of the global growth rate of 1.4% – to reach an estimated 346.5m nine-litre cases, or 4.2bn bottles.

That would easily maintain the US as the world’s biggest wine market. Its closest challengers, France, Italy and Germany, are all projected for decline over the next four years.

Italy in decline

Among these, Italy is suffering the most. Wine consumption in Italy fell by nearly 8% between 2010 and 2014 inclusive, and is set to drop by another 7% up to 2019, to just below 3.1bn bottles.

It means that Germany, traditionally more known for its bierkeller than its wine bars, is set to overtake Italy for wine consumption – although mainly because it will decline more slowly than its southerly neighbour.

‘It’s important to remember that France and Italy are still consuming around 45 litres per capita per year,’ said Deglise. ‘In the UK it’s about 24 litres, in the US it is 12, in Japan it is four and in China it is 1.4 litres.’

Prosecco now a ‘weekday luxury’

Italian winemakers may have an increasingly tough crowd at home, but in Prosecco Italy has a world-beating brand.

Global sparkling wine consumption is set to rise by 7.4% up to 2019, hitting 2.7bn bottles, and most of that is down to Prosecco, says the Vinexpo study. Still wine will rise by 0.8% to 28.9bn bottles.

‘People are really asking for Prosecco in bars,’ said Deglise. ‘It is seen as less serious, but it is not seen as a cheap alternative to Champagne. It has become a weekday luxury.’

• TASTE: Top Prosecco – 12 to try

China returns to the fore

With Vinexpo Asia-Pacific taking place in Hong Kong from 24 to 26 May 2016, and Vinexpo Tokyo scheduled for 15 and 16 November, Deglise said it was pleasing to see Asia coming back as a wine force.

Predominantly, this is being led by a recovery in China, where wine imports have started growing again in the past year.

Bottled wine imports to mainland China rose by 37% in value in 2015, to$1.9bn, according to Chinese customs data reported by DecanterChina.com.

Vinexpo and the IWSR project a 16% overall increase in wine imports to China and Hong Kong between 2015 and 2019, to $7.4bn. the report also projects a 17% rise in wine imports in Japan, to $4.1bn.

Catch up with Decanter's behind the scenes access at the Vinexpo 2015 wine trade fair in Bordeaux.

French president Francois Holland opened Vinexpo 2015, addressing the importance of the wine industry to France’s cultural heritage, as well as its economy, and discussing the plans for a wine tourism campaign.

Read more – Vinexpo 2015: Francois Hollande opens wine fair with charm offensive

DWWA chairman Steven Spurrier was joined by vice-chair Gerard Basset MW MS OBE, and judges Paolo Basso and Markus del Monego MW in leading a Vinexpo masterclass, tasting eight stand out wines from this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards.

Read more on the Decanter World Wine Awards masterclass ‘Excellence in unexpected places’

On the first evening of Vinexpo, Chateau Margaux held a dinner for almost 500 guests from the media and the wine trade to celebrate the opening of their new cellars, designed by architect Lord Foster – including a wine library vault, housing tens of thousands of mature vintages.

Read more – Vinexpo 2015: Chateau Margaux dinner marks new cellar

Some of the wines on offer at the Napa Valley Vintners Big Bottles party – the body’s first time at Vinexpo.

Medal and trophy winning wines from this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards could be tasted on the Decanter stand at Vinexpo.

Olivier Bernard, Domaine de Chevalier, welcomes guests ahead of a party fuelled by magnums and jeroboams of some of France’s best wines.

Read more – Vinexpo 2015: Domaine de Chevalier party offers wine treasure trove

Is this the future of people reading wine reviews? Visitors at Vinexpo were able to wear virtual reality headsets showing information on a range of different wines.

Some of the wines on offer at the Montes Wines stand, demonstrating that Argentina can offer much more than just Malbec.

St-Estephe second growth Chateau Montrose hosted the 200th anniversary Fete de la Fleur gala dinner on the last day of Vinexpo 2015, for nearly 1,700 guests.

Read Jane Anson’s report on the Fete de la Fleur dinner, hosted by Chateau Montrose

Saint Estephe second growth Chateau Montrose has hosted the traditional Fete de la Fleur gala dinner to close Vinexpo 2015, with nearly 1,700 guests attending. Read Jane Anson's report of the evening here.

Hosted by owners Martin and Melissa Bouygues, 1,680 guests attended the evening after the final day of Vinexpo 2015.

Once at Montrose, they were greeted with aperitif wines of Château de Rayne Vigneau 2010, Château Olivier 2012, Château Beaumont 2009 and Bollinger champagne.

The evening began with an induction ceremony into the Commanderie de Bontemps de Medoc, Graves, Sauternes et Barsac. New Commandeurs included Chinese actress Carina Lau, Alistair Viner of Hedonism Wines in London and Coravin founder Greg Lambrecht.

Guests at the evening included French senator Jean-Pierre Raffarin, Bordeaux mayor Alain Juppé and a host of well-known faces from the world of wine including First Growth owners from Philippe Sereys de Rothschild with his partner Carole Bouquet to Corinne Mentzelopolous and Prince Robert of Luxembourg.

Over dinner, the wines continued with Château Tronquoy Lalande white 2012, Chateau Tronquoy Lalande red 2010, Chateau Malartic Lagravière 2005, Grand Puy Lacoste 2000, Chateau Montrose 1986 in magnum, served with aged Comte and Mimolette cheese, and Château Rieussec 2007.

Dinner was provided by three-star Michelin chef Christian Le Squer of Le Cinq restaurant, hotel Georges V in Paris and was kicked off with a Caviar de Montrose, produced by sturgeon owned by Martin Bouygues himself.

Martin Bouygues bought Montrose with his brother Olivier in 2006 for €140 million. They have recently completed a €20 million investment programme that has turned the estate, as Melissa Bouygues told guests over dinner last night into a ‘showcase of sustainable development’, where they will soon be producing more electricity that they consume.

Heading up the property are two ex-First Growth directors; Haut-Brion’s Jean-Bernard Delmas, who is now semi-retired and works as a consultant for Montrose, and Hervé Berland formerly of Mouton Rothschild.

The 15th Tour de France des Appellations at Domaine de Chevalier event in Pessac Leognan is the moment when the world of fine wine lets its hair down, with top Burgundy, Champagne and vintage Port uncorked, many in jeroboams and magnums.

Olivier Bernard, ever the party host, pictured here at Bordeaux 2014 en primeur week.

The 15th Tour de France des Appellations at Domaine de Chevalier event in Pessac-Leognan is the moment when the world of fine wine lets its hair down at Vinexpo 2015.

Whereas black tie has been the dress code for the last two evenings, no tie of any kind is required. Instead, this is an annual knees-up celebration where old friends reunite, laugh, gossip and drink truly memorable and magnificent wine.

As ever, Olivier Bernard is the convivial host, while Olivier Leflaive, in his trademark ‘chapeau’ takes the role of side-kick and stand-up comedian. After their welcoming pre-amble both introduce a roll-call of the world-class winemakers who had brought a bevy of special bottles to make this un-missable party swing into the ‘wee small hours’.

It would be invidious to list all of them and besides, it would take too long. So here is a brief selection of some of the family producers and wines on show. First of all, Olivier Bernard had generously provided the glorious 1995 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc in magnum. And the 85 Domaine de Chevalier Rouge (from Jeroboam) wasn’t too bad either.

From Burgundy, Erwan Faiveley generously served his Domaine’s 2008 Bienvenu-Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru en Methusalem and an equally stunning 2007 Grand Cru Latricieres-Chambertin en Jeroboam. Not to be outdone, Olivier Leflaive gave his sublime Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos St Marc 2010 – also from Jeroboam.

Pol Roger’s Hubert de Billy was clearly in party mood and happily shared vintages of Pol Roger (2004 and 2008) and Cuvee de Winston Churchill 2008. Olivier Zind Humbrecht is another larger than life character who dug deep. The Alsacien brought his Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos Saint Urbain Grand Cru 2011 and his Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann, Clos St Urbain Grand Crus SGN. Both were beyond words.

The same could be said of the 2001 Chateau de Beaucastel Rouge and Chateau de Fuisse’s Pouilly Fuisse Vieilles Vignes 1998 (from Jeroboam). And from the Loire, Alphonse Mellot had brought a glorious Sancerre Rouge – his En Champs 2012.

And though this was primarily an all-French affair, Dirk Niepoort was the honourable Portuguese interloper.

And he certainly didn’t let the side down. Not least because he’d hand-picked some remarkable large format wines including his 2008 Batuta and Charme Reds, both in gargantuan 18L bottles. But that was by no means all. He’d also opened two 14L bottles of Niepoort Colheita 1987 and a similar sized bottle of Niepoort Garrafeira 1931, both of which slipped down with considerable ease. All things considered, it was yet again quite a night and quite a party.

Decanter kicked off the first day of Vinexpo by hosting the fair's first masterclass, 'Excellence in unexpected places', showcasing eight medal winning wines from the Decanter World Wine Awards 2015.

Decanter publishing director Sarah Kemp was joined by DWWA chair Steven Spurrier, vice-chair Gerard Basset MW MS OBE, and judges Markus del Monego MW and Paolo Basso, who chose their favourite wines from among this year’s more unexpected medal winners.

Eight wines were selected in total, from the UK, Switzerland, France, Morocco, Turkey and Australia, and the judges spoke about their reasons for highlighting their chosen wines. Gerard Basset MW MS OBE chose the sparkling English wine from Coates & Seely, reminiscing how 30 years ago, on a wine list of 600, only two were English, and that ‘no English man ever drank English wine, only tourists….’

The masterclass also highlighted the success of the Decanter World Wine Awards in showcasing highly quality wines from unexpected countries and regions, including the Slovenian wine that won international trophy for Sweet wine over £15. As the wines are all judged blind, the awards give the ‘little guys a chance to stand up to the big guys’, said Sarah Kemp.

The wines: Excellence in unexpected places

Coates & Seely, Blanc de Blancs Brut, Hampshire, United Kingdom NV – Regional trophy

Adrian & Diego Mathier, L’Ambassadoeur des Domaines Diego Mathier, Valais, Switzerland 2013 – Regional trophy

Didier Joris, Amigne, Vetroz Grand Cru, Valais, Switzerland 2014 – Gold medal

Musset-Rouiller, Les Neuf VIgnt, Anjou, Loire, France 2014 – Regional trophy

Sauska, Cabernet Franc, Villany, Del-Pannonia, Hungary 2011 – Regional trophy

Chateau Roslane 1er Cru, Coteaux de l’Atlas 1er Cru, Meknes & Fes, Morocco 2011 – Commended

Selendi, Selendi Blend, Aegean Coast Region, Turkey 2012 – Silver medal

Morris, Black Label Liquer Muscat, Rutherglen, Victoria, Australia NV – Gold medal

Chateau Margaux has celebrated the opening of new cellars designed by architect Lord Foster by hosting a lavish dinner for almost 500 guests on the first night of the Vinexpo 2015 wine fair in Bordeaux.

Visitors from the media and the wine trade, including Eric de Rothschild of Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Vinexpo chief executive Guillaume Deglise, were given a tour of the new cellars, which include a wine library vault holding tens of thousands of mature vintages.

The exact amount spent on the occasion remains a mystery, but Chateau Margaux recruited the triple Michelin starred chef Guy Savoy to cook for 480 guests. Diners ate in a purpose-built conservatory the height of the chateau building itself; each table adorned with flowers and greenery.

In a series of pre-dinner speeches, Lord Foster told of how his major challenge during the project was to preserve the architectural heritage of Margaux, which he described as a ‘noble’ building.

Corinne Mentzelopoulos, who took over management of Chateau Margaux after her father died in 1980, welcomed guests with Philippe Casteja, president of the Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855, and also asked diners to remember Baroness Philippine de Rothschild of fellow First Growth Chateau Mouton Rothschild, who passed away last year. ‘Medoc will never be the same,’ she said.

Casteja reminded the audience that it is 160 years since the creation of the 1855 Classification.

Operatic music accompanied the arrival of every food course, as tens of waiting staff marched into the room to serve artichoke and truffle soup followed by roast guinea fowl, a selection of cheeses and finally a dessert of ‘exotic fruits’ – the latter matched with a Chateau d’Yquem 1988 vintage.

Other wines served during the meal included crus classes from the Bordeaux 2006, 1996 and 1986 vintages, as well as a Chateau Margaux 1985, one of the most highly rated vintages of that decade. Sauternes and Barsac wines were served as an aperitif.

After dinner, guests were shown a short film beamed across the room on a giant projector and shot around the history of the estate and its terroir.

Francois Hollande became the first French president to visit the 34-year-old Vinexpo wine fair this week in an effort to rebuild relations with winemakers, but he also faced jibes from Bordeaux mayor Alain Juppe, a potential presidential candidate.

President Hollande used a large part of his speech at the Vinexpo 2015 opening ceremony to demonstrate that he and the French government understood the importance of wine to both France’s cultural heritage and its economy.

Around half a million jobs in France are connected to the wine trade, said Hollande. He also re-iterated the government’s plan to launch a tourism campaign later this year, adding that one third of foreign tourists choose to visit France primarily because of its food and wine heritage.

His appearance at the trade fair is a first for a French president since it was founded in 1981 and it comes at a time when relations between ministers and the French wine trade have been strained by a series of issues, including social charges and the ongoing debate around France’s Evin Law, which governs alcohol publicity.

Bordeaux mayor Alain Juppe took to the podium prior to Hollande and spoke proudly of the multi-million euro wine cultural museum due to open in Bordeaux next year, named the Cite des Civilisations du Vin.

In a thinly veiled jibe over the Evin Law and the wine industry’s perception of government’s anti-alcohol stance, Juppe said he would be delighted if the president would also formally open the Cite des Civilisations du Vin. ‘That’s if it is not the forbidden city,’ he added, in front of an array of Bordeaux chateaux owners and wine trade leaders.

Hollande retorted in his own speech that ‘balance’ must be found between the wine trade and those warning against the dangers of alcohol abuse. He said any changes to the Evin Law, as voted for by the French Parliament last week, should proceed ‘with caution’. ‘We must protect the equilibrium of the Evin Law,’ he added.

He also said that he was committed to promoting and protecting French wine appellation names beyond the European Union.

Hollande briefly toured Vinexpo after his speech, and then had lunch at a local Cave Co-operative in Bordeaux.

In an interview with Decanter.com this morning (15 June), Vinexpo chief executive Guillaume Deglise praised Hollande for visiting the show. But, he emphasised that Vinexpo was an international fair and so would not comment on French wine politics.

France's Parliament has voted to make the country's controversial Evin Law, which governs wine and alcohol publicity, more flexible - only a few days before French president François Hollande is due to open the Vinexpo wine fair in Bordeaux.

The amendment to the Evin Law, proposed by Republican senator Gerard César, will now permit a greater distinction between advertising and education.

If passed into legislation, the Evin Law would still ban advertising on wine and other alcohol, but educational articles and wine tourism ventures will not be at risk of breaking the law.

French winemkers have taken last night’s vote as a sign of progress, with many having accused the country’s government of siding with anti-alcohol lobbyists in the past few years.

The issue has been deeply divisive, as ever in France. Health minister Marisol Touraine called this week’s Evin Law amendment ‘incomprehensible’ and Alain Rigaud, director of a national body for prevention of alcohol-related illnesses, said the health of the country ‘should not be sacrificed for economics’.

Earlier this week the Socialist Party government had indicated that it did not want the amendment to pass, but ministers across opposing parties defied them, and voted instead in favour.

Audrey Bourolleau, managing director at wine trade lobbying group Vin & Société, told Decanter.com, ‘This is a cross-party vote, and is a strong indication that there is popular support for clarifying the Evin Law. This does not loosen up the existing law, it simply makes clearer what does and does not count as advertising. It is very good news for the press in France, and for wine tourism bodies – the idea of marking out a Wine Route, for example, is no longer potentially breaking the law. We were not optimistic earlier in the week, but this is a strong gesture for the worth of the wine industry to the French economy’.

The Evin Law, first introduced in 1991, bans media advertising of any drink with an alcohol content of more than 1.2%. Recent years have seen the law tightened up in various aspects, with many French journalists unsure of what they are allowed to write in relation to wine and beer after key cases where Le Parisien (2007) and Paris Match (2012) received fines for editorial pieces.

Hollande is expected to address the issue in his opening remarks at Vinexpo, ‘There are still many inconsistencies within government policy,’ said Bourolleau, ‘and we would like to hear that this amendment indicates a growing support for the 500,000 actors within the wine industry from the government itself’.

Alex Stevenson, a drinks buyer for the Tate art galleries in the UK, is the winner of a competition organised by Decanter and Vinexpo to win a trip to the Vinexpo wine show in Bordeaux this June.

Having answered a series of questions correctly and impressed judges with his reason for wanting to attend the show, Stevenson (pictured) will be flown to Vinexpo and is invited to attend Decanter’s Masterclass to showcase winners in the Decanter World Wine Awards 2015 on 14 June.

The Masterclass, which will coincide with the awards results announcement on Decanter.com, is entitled ‘Excellence from Unexpected Places’.

Stevenson said, ‘I am looking forward to seeing the diversity of wines on offer and to taste wines I would otherwise not be so readily exposed to.’

At Tate galleries, he is responsible for sourcing all the beers, soft drinks and spirits as well as creating the cocktail menus for the in-house bars, restaurants and the events department. He is also a Wine & Spirits Education Trust-qualified educator, up to level three standard.

‘I work alongside Hamish Anderson who is responsible for the Tate wines to source more eclectic wines for the Tate Modern list,’ he said.

‘My favourite grape is Riesling. My favourite wine at the moment is impossible to pin down. As you would expect I am drinking some amazing Rieslings from Donnhoff, Leitz, Zind and a multitude of others, I am also enamoured of Le Soula, Boxlers Edelzwicker and Semeli Mantinea Nassiakos.

Stevenson was introduced to wine at an early age. ‘My parents have a house in France and visit regularly so it was almost inevitable that I would gain an appreciation of wine.

‘I started working in bars and restaurants whilst studying at university and found it more to my liking than the Classics degree I originally signed up for.

Vinexpo Bordeaux takes place between 14 and 18 June inclusive.

Written by Decanter.com staff

No matter how ardent, wine lovers are denied entrance to VINEXPO and its vinous treasure unless they are in the wine business.

Bordeaux city; DWWA Chairman Steven Spurrier; Decanter stand at VINEXPO

Now Decanter has teamed with VINEXPO to offer readers the chance to visit the glamorous City of Bordeaux and to taste the winning wines in the Decanter World Wine Awards on the day they are announced.

This competition with Decanter.com is the gateway to the world’s biggest wine and spirit fair which welcomes over 2,400 exhibitors from 44 countries and 50,000 visitors.

The winner and partner will be received on the Decanter stand and will attend a masterclass from key members of the DWWA judging panel, including Gerard Basset MS MW, Steven Spurrier and Paolo Basso.

They will be guests of honour at the one-off masterclass to taste the winning wines from the largest ever DWWA, which express intriguing terroirs and excellence from unexpected places.

The prize includes air fares from the UK and hotel for two nights for two people in Bordeaux arriving June 13 and leaving June 15.

The key to discovering VINEXPO is to answer correctly ten questions about wine with a tie-breaker. The competition runs from April 7 closing on April 24. The winner will be notified shortly afterwards.

Tie-breaker: I should like to visit VINEXPO 2015 in Bordeaux because (see entry page)

To enter the competition, click here

For a glimpse of what awaits at VINEXPO click here

Read our travel guide to Bordeaux City here

Terms and conditions:

• Return air fares for two people are paid from the UK to Bordeaux only travelling from a UK airport on June 13 and returning on June 15

• Hotel costs cover two nights for two people for the nights of June 13 and June 14 on a bed and breakfast basis

• The winners will met at Bordeaux airport by hire car and taken to the hotel. A hire care will be provided for the journey to Bordeaux airport on June 15

• The competition closes at 23.55pm on April 24. The winner will be notified within 48 hours of closure

• All entrants must be aged 18 or over

• No purchase is necessary to enter the competition

• No cash alternative is available in the event of being unable to take up the prize

• The winners must provide their own travel and personal liability insurance

• Employees of Decanter, Time Inc. (UK) and VINEXPO are excluded from entering

• In the event of a tie, the winner will be selected from the most appropriate written-in answer. No correspondence can be entered into. The judges’ decision is final

• Winners must be willing to be used or consent to their use in any Decanter/VINEXPO publicity arising from their winning the competition and their visit to VINEXPO including the use of pictures taken of them.

Written by eleanor douglas

Germany will overtake Italy to become the world's third largest wine consuming nation within four years, according to a report that also predicts the US will cement its position as the world’s largest wine market and wine consumption in the UK is set to rebound.

A view of Germany’s Mosel wine region

Germans may be better known for frequenting beer halls than for sipping fine wine, but the country that gave the world Oktoberfest is set to consume the equivalent of 3.3bn bottles of wine in 2018.

That would see it overtake Italy, which is only set to uncork 3.28bn bottles, according to figures compiled by market research group The IWSR and released by Vinexpo this week.

But, the tale has more to do with Italians’ weakening love affair with their country’s vineyards than with a sudden rush on wine sales in Germany.

Italy’s wine consumption will sink by 5% over the next four years, while Germany’s will increase by 1%, driven by the sparkling sector.

Italy and France are set to remain neck-and-neck as the world’s biggest wine consuming nations per head, on around 45 litres per person annually. On a per head basis, Germany is back on around 36 litres.

Elsewhere, the Vinexpo report also predicted that the US would strengthen is lead over France as the biggest wine consuming nation overall. US consumption is set to rise by 11% up to the end of 2018, to 4.5bn bottles.

In the UK, wine consumption is set to increase by 5.5% in the next four years, after being in decline since 2009, according to The IWSR and Vinexpo.

This forecast is partly based on the assumption that duty tax will not rise so steeply in the next few years, following the government’s decision to scrap automatic increases in its annual Budget.

If the forecast proves correct, the UK would consume around 1.7bn bottles in 2018, versus 1.6bn last year. Sparkling and rose wines will drive this growth, and white wines are set to become more popular than red over the same time period.

The pick-up in sales should begin this year. ‘We can say confidently that 2015 will show that the UK wine recession is over,’ said Guillaume Deglise, chief executive of Vinexpo, the wine trade fair that will take place in Bordeaux in June.

Written by Chris Mercer

One of the biggest events in the wine trade’s calendar, Vinexpo in Bordeaux, will get a major facelift in 2015, according to its new chief executive, who wants to end perceptions of French bias.

Vinexpo Bordeaux 2015 will be more inclusive than previous versions of the bi-annual, trade-only show, Guillaume Deglise (pictured) told Decanter.com in an interview.

Vinexpo still claims to be the biggest wine expo in the world, but it has seen greater competition from rivals in recent years, notably ProWein in Germany.

Vinexpo Bordeaux has also faced accusations of favouring the French over other nationalities. ‘We need to change that perception,’ said Deglise, who is from Champagne and had his first outing as Vinexpo CEO at the Asia-Pacific sister show last May. ‘Because it’s not really true. We’re going to reposition some of the booths this year.’

He said, ‘There won’t just be a few changes. There will be a major change at Vinexpo.’

In particular, he said South American producers would no longer find themselves bunched together in a corner, but would be reallocated in more central positions.

Deglise also plans to hold networking parties in central Bordeaux every night of the show for those not attending chateaux organised events.

‘There are a lot of chateau parties, which is great, but even exhibitors from other French regions, such as Burgundy or Rhone, don’t get invited,’ he said.

Among the other innovations for 2015, Deglise said he has scrapped the ‘Club du Lac’ concept, introduced by his predecessor in 2007 as an exclusive space away from the main show.

Deglise and his team will replace this with a new premium space called Les Terraces, upstairs in the main hall. ‘Fourteen companies have already agreed to take part,’ he said.

He added that Vinexpo’s restaurants will also step up a gear in 2015. There will be a stronger focus on wine and food matching, he said.

Deglise said it was too early to comment on new countries that would be represented at this year’s show, or on final exhibitor numbers. The last Vinexpo Bordeaux welcomed almost 49,000 visitors from 148 countries.

Related Content:

• Highlights from Vinexpo Asia-Pacific 2014
• Vinexpo cancels 2014 Beijing show
• Vinexpo chief: ‘We need to modernise’

Written by Chris Mercer

Prospective Asian buyers of Bordeaux chateaux packed a seminar room at Vinexpo Asia Pacific this week to learn about the process of purchasing an estate - suggesting more deals are on the horizon.

The number of Bordeaux wine estates sold to Chinese buyers has risen steadily in the past three years, from 21 in 2011 to 26 in 2012 and 36 in 2013, conference-goers heard during the seminar.

Several prospective buyers in the Vinexpo-hosted seminar in Hong Kong this week told Decanter.com that they were actively seeking to invest.

Some of those speaking at the event, including representatives of real estate agency Maxwell Storrie Baynes (MSB), said they picked up potential clients there.

MSB agent Karin Maxwell told the audience that there are several opportunities at different price points.

‘The price of the dream varies enormously,’ she said, highlighting one AOC Bordeaux 25ha estate and property on the market for just under €1m and which has 14ha of planted vines. Another property on MSB’s list – a 19th Century chateau – is value at €12m, and already produces 1m bottles of wine annually on its estate.

Land prices vary significantly between appellations in Bordeaux. Pauillac is the most expensive, with an average price of €2m per hectare, said Michel Lachat, from Premium Transactions Viticoles, a local affiliate of the French agency Safer, which monitors agricultural land acquisitions in France.

This compares to around €1m per hectare in St Julien and Margaux, and €300,000 in St Estephe. Below that, basic AOC Bordeaux land is €12,000 to €40,000 per hectare.

Lachat said the profile of investors has changed in recent years, with more buyers interested in producing and selling wine. ‘At the beginning we had very non-professional investors. They just liked the look of the house, the place.’

Maxwell told the audience that prices look relatively attractive in several appellations, having not risen significant in the last few years.

‘We can’t predict the future, but we seem to be coming out of the bottom of a cycle. As far as we can see from previous cycles, we are at a moment which is a good time to invest.’

Written by Chris Mercer

Chateau Angelus is marking its promotion to Premier Grand Cru Class 'A' status by packaging the 2012 vintage in a one-off gold-emblazoned bottle, the Saint Emilion estate's owning family announced at the Vinexpo Asia Pacific show.

Stephanie and Hubert de Bouard (pictured, centre and right) chose the bi-annual Hong Kong trade fair to reveal the bottle design for the 2012 vintage, which is scheduled for a physical release on the market later this year.

The 2012 vintage was the first that Angelus vinified as a Saint Emilion Premiere Grand Cru Class A chateau.

The estate increased its en primeur release price for the 2012 vintage by 30% as part of a broader brand repositioning strategy following its promotion the regionl wine ranking system.

When asked whether the new black bottled with 21.7 carat gold-imprinted writing would become the norm for the chateau, Stephanie de Bouard said the design is a ‘one off’ for the 2012 wines.

It produced 80,000 bottles of wine from that year, and all wines released en primeur have been sold, the estate said.

Despite choosing Hong Kong for the launch of the bottle, Stephanie de Bouard said that Angelus has spent the past couple of years trying to ‘rebalance’ its global sales.

She told Decanter.com that Asia had accounted for up to 50% of the estate’s annual sales, but the new aim is to increase sales in North America and Europe so that the property is selling roughly a third of its wines in each of these markets, and the final third in Asia.

‘The 2011 vintage was really a step back from China for Angelus and for Bordeaux in general,’ she said.

‘It’s a good thing for Angelus, because the 2009 and 2010 vintages were sold too massively in Asia. A famous wine must be strong in all important markets. We’ve rebalanced in favour of traditional markets,’ she said.

When asked about the recent 2013 en primeur campaign, which saw Aneglus drop by around 8% on its 2012 release price, to €165 ex-Bordeaux, Hubert de Bouard told Decanter.com that the estate has sold 40,000 bottles of the 50,000 it released to negociants. Around 60,000 bottles were produced.

Many chateaux and negociants have found the weather-blighted 2013 vintage a tough sell en primeur.

De Bouard said he wouldn’t describe the campaign as a success, but he said he was pleased given the context of the vintage.

Written by Chris Mercer

The value of wine imported to Hong Kong in 2013 failed to rise on 2012, but regional officials used the opening of Vinexpo Asia Pacific to re-emphasise the region's growth story since abolishing duty tax on wines in 2008.

Hong Kong imported US$1bn of wine in 2013 and $100m of wine was re-exported to Mainland China, said Gregory So (pictured), the region’s secretary of commerce and economic development, at the opening of the Vinexpo Asia Pacific expo this morning (27 May).

He said that the 2013 import figure is five times the value of wine imported in 2007, the final year prior to the regional government abolishing duty tax in order to promote itself as a gateway to Mainland China.

However, figures from the Hong Kong Trade Development Council show that the region also imported around US$1bn of wine in 2012, which was an 18% drop on the value of imports in 2011.

The lack of a rebound in 2013 suggests that Hong Kong has continued to feel the knock-on effects of the Chinese government’s austerity measures, which have damaged high-end wine sales by curtailing officials’ entertainment spending both within the region and in Mainland China.

Several importers in Hong Kong have described the current regional market conditions as tough, especially for top end Bordeaux.

But, secretary So told journalists that Hong Kong remains a key ‘stepping stone’ to Mainland China and that the potential for wine consumption growth is strong.

‘The biggest growth comes from mid-range wines,’ said France’s Consul General in Hong Kong, Arnaud Barthelemy, also speaking at the Vinexpo opening ceremony. ‘I believe this is a very positive development, because it shows that the market is becoming more mainstream.’

Vinexpo chairman Xavier de Eizaguirre said that the shows expects to welcome 18,000 wine trade visitors over the next three days and has increased stand space by 50% versus its previous Asia-Pacific show, in 2012.

This suggests ongoing confidence in Asia’s wine market, he said, adding, ‘Vinexpo is a gauge of the pulse of Asia’s wine market.’ Half of the exhibitors at the show are French.

Written by Chris Mercer

Vinexpo's new chief executive has said he is listening to the show’s critics and that next year in Bordeaux will be a 'really different experience'.

Speaking to decanter.com in London, Guillaume Deglise (pictured) said that he is keen to address past criticisms of the show, which have ranged from accusations of a French wine bias to gripes about transport and the quality of food. More recently, some producers have argued Prowein in Germany is better for doing business.

Vinexpo’s bi-annual fair in Bordeaux remains the world’s biggest wine trade expo, and organisers are currently preparing for their fifth Asian satellite show in Hong Kong after returning there in 2006.

But, 39-year-old Deglise, formerly of Laurent-Perrier and Bollinger and who has replaced Vinexpo co-founder Robert Beynat, has spent his first six months in the job leading a review of operations.

‘We need to modernise Vinexpo. We need to become more attractive,’ he said.

‘A lot of people come [to Vinexpo Bordeaux] because they say they have to come, but I want people to want to come.’ He added, ‘I’m listening to the people who say that Vinexpo is more for the French.’

There are plans for a ‘really different experience’ at Vinexpo 2015, he said. Specific details are still to be revealed, but one idea is Vinexpo-hosted events to engender a more inclusive feel.

‘I realised as a former exhibitor that for most of the events in Bordeaux you had the same people invited, and it wasn’t necessarily a Chilean or Argentinian exhibitor,’ Deglise said.

More immediately, Vinexpo Asia-Pacific organisers said this week that the show’s floor space in Hong Kong has risen by 50% versus 2012 and stand space is 90% sold.

Late last year, Vinexpo cancelled a planned inaugural show in Beijing, but its return to Tokyo via Vinexpo Nippon will go ahead on 1 November this year.

Deglise did not rule out a return to Beijing in future. ‘We continue to believe there is potential in the north of China,’ he said.

Like his predecessor, he has less appetite for a move to the US, and there appears to be little chance of a return to the consumer show format that was proposed and subsequently abandoned in 2012.

‘We need to keep an eye on the US market and on possibilities, but I don’t think our raison d’etre is in consumer shows.’ Latin America may hold more promise as a venue for the future, he indicated.

Written by Chris Mercer

Vinexpo has cancelled its 2014 debut show in Beijing and may not try again in future, after failing to secure a licence from Chinese authorities.

The group had intended its June 2014 show in Beijing to mark a significant next-step in its development, beyond the bi-annual wine trade fairs it already organises in Bordeaux and Hong Kong.

However, the two-day Beijing event will not go ahead. ‘Vinexpo Overseas has not been able to secure the Chinese Government licence that it expected, through our China partner,’ the group said.

Authorities have not given a specific reason for withholding the licence. ‘We have been talking to them for the past few months and we could hardly get an answer,’ Vinexpo’s new chief executive, Guillaume Deglise, told decanter.com.

He said a call had to be made, before too many resources were committed. Vinexpo will put extra focus on its Hong Kong fair, which is set to see a 50% increase in stand space on the previous show in 2012, to 15,000 square metres.

‘Hong Kong was always our number one goal for 2014,’ he added. Vinexpo will also hold a show in Tokyo in November 2014.

Deglise was lukewarm about the idea of rearranging the fair in Beijing, despite seeing the city as an important gateway to China’s northern provinces.

‘It’s a possibility. [But], I think we need to wait until the next Hong Kong show. We expect to attract more visitors from northern China, and if we are successful maybe will not need to go to Beijing.’

Although a clear technical reason was given for the cancellation, some merchants in Bordeaux took the timing and context of the announcement as another signal of an uncertain political and economic situation in China, which some believe has manifested itself in dissipating demand for fine wine.

‘It’s not the best year,’ said Jennifer Green, area export manager in Asia for Bordeaux negociant Mahler-Besse. ‘The market is more complicated politically since the new government took over in October. Things are much less show-off.’

Deglise said that the current economic climate in China was not a main part of Vinexpo’s thinking.

(Additional reporting by Sophie Kevany)

Written by Chris Mercer

Decanter Man of the Year, Christian Moueix, celebrated the 100 years anniversary of the birth of his father Jean-Pierre Moueix (1913-2003) and the renewal of Chateau La Fleur-Petrus on Wednesday 19th June 2013.

International guests, including Tom Matthews, editor of

the Wine Spectator and Jeannie Cho Lee MW from Hong Kong joined Christian

Moueix and family for a specially prepared lunch by Michel Guerard and a

vertical tasting of Chateau La Fleur Petrus from 2005 to 2010.

At lunch magnums

of an astonishing youthful Chateau La Fleur Petrus 1970 accompanied Michel

Guerard’s signature dish Oreiller Moelleux de Mousserons et de Morilles with

the magnums of 1998 accompanying the Civet de Hommard New Look Noix de Veau

Braisee Au Vin de Pomerol.

Christian Moueix told the guests, ‘my father always

said the first quality of a wine is abundance.” All were glad his words

were being followed so well.

Written by Sarah Kemp

Bodgas Emilio Moro brought a taste of Spain to France, entertaining international partners and press on 17 June 2013.

President of Emilio Moro, José Moro hosted an intimate evening in true fiesta style.

A beautiful 11th century converted windmill (Le Moulin de Canteloup) was chosen for this informal evening of traditional food and wine from Ribera del Duero.

Tapas including freshly cut jamón Serrano, Manchego cheese and white asparagus were served followed by a succulent 21 day old lamb brought from Spain especially for the occasion. The lamb was grilled on a barbecue of Emilio Moro vine stems. Wines served included Malleolus de Sanchomartin 2008, Malleolus de Valderramio 2008 and Malabrigo 2009.

At the end of the evening a few bottles of Emilio Moro Clon de la Familia were offered. This wine is produced and sold exclusivity for the Fundacion Emilio Morro with all proceeds used to fund charitable projects, in particular providing water to the most impoverished countries and people in the world.Javier Moro, vice president, and guests brought the evening to a crescendo in true Spanish style playing guitars and singing both popular and traditional Spanish songs.

A good time was had by all.

Written by John Abbott

On Saturday 14 June 2013, just before Vinexpo opened its doors, the Confrérie of the Hospitaliers of Pomerol gathered at the beautiful Chateau de Sales in Pomerol to initiate a small group of ten new members to this prestigious order.

They included Decanter’s veteran advertising manager for France Michael Denton (far right in picture), Miss Lijuan Li (Maxwell-Storrie-Baynes Christie’s International Real Estate executive, responsible for selling Bordeaux vineyards to Chinese buyers), Catherine Leparmentier (Great Wine Capitals Director, who selects the “Best of…” in wine tourism cities around the world) Juan Carlos Rincon (jounalist and wine judge), Mr. Zuo Tao Qiang (Managing Director of Milon Wine Group), Derrick Wu (Deputy General Manager of Milon Wine, Mrs Stella Mak (Executive Director of Milon Wine), and Laurent Moujon (International author who just released his new detailed and essential 298 page Guide Book on Bordeaux ‘s Vineyards called “Bordeaux Patrimoine Mondial et Routes des Vins”. English, Dutch, and Chinese versions of this book have also been published).

The hosting Pomerol producers, Bruno de Lambert of Château de Sales, Mme Dominique Vayron of Château Bourgneuf, François Estager of Château la Cabanne, and President of the Pomerol Producers, Jean-Marie Garde, owner of Clos René oversaw the swearing in of the new candidates under a lovely sunshine which was followed by cocktails and tasting of these Pomerol wines.

Written by John Abbott

Playlist 19 Videos

Vinexpo 2013: Robert Beynat 03:18

Video: Brazil 2014 World Cup wine Lidio Carraro at Vinexpo 02:23

Video: Michel Drappier at Vinexpo 01:47

SWA: Essential guide to Spanish Garnacha - Jane Parkinson 06:09

SWA: Altitude in Spanish wines - Helena Nicklin 03:56

SWA: Journey through the Spanish Landscape - Susy Atkins 06:55

SWA: Ageworthy whites from Spain - Sarah Jane Evans MW 11:36

The rich diversity of Spanish wines 09:12

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2017 01:25

DWWA 2017 Judging Week video 01:58

How to taste en primeur wines 00:00

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2016: Discovery Theatres 01:00

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2016 02:24

Video: How to make mulled wine for Christmas 04:12

2016 Decanter Shanghai Fine Wine Encounter consumer video 02:22

California Wines Green Tour - Promotion 01:06

California road trip video - Promotion 01:26

California Wines Food Tour - Promotion 01:01

Discover California wines - Promotion 03:03

Vinexpo Chief Executive Robert Beynat spoke to Decanter.com on the final day of Vinexpo 2103 about this year's fair, and plans for future fairs in Asia.

Playlist 19 Videos

Vinexpo 2013: Robert Beynat 03:18

Video: Brazil 2014 World Cup wine Lidio Carraro at Vinexpo 02:23

Video: Michel Drappier at Vinexpo 01:47

SWA: Essential guide to Spanish Garnacha - Jane Parkinson 06:09

SWA: Altitude in Spanish wines - Helena Nicklin 03:56

SWA: Journey through the Spanish Landscape - Susy Atkins 06:55

SWA: Ageworthy whites from Spain - Sarah Jane Evans MW 11:36

The rich diversity of Spanish wines 09:12

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2017 01:25

DWWA 2017 Judging Week video 01:58

How to taste en primeur wines 00:00

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2016: Discovery Theatres 01:00

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2016 02:24

Video: How to make mulled wine for Christmas 04:12

2016 Decanter Shanghai Fine Wine Encounter consumer video 02:22

California Wines Green Tour - Promotion 01:06

California road trip video - Promotion 01:26

California Wines Food Tour - Promotion 01:01

Discover California wines - Promotion 03:03

Playlist 19 Videos

Video: Brazil 2014 World Cup wine Lidio Carraro at Vinexpo 02:23

Vinexpo 2013: Robert Beynat 03:18

Video: Michel Drappier at Vinexpo 01:47

SWA: Essential guide to Spanish Garnacha - Jane Parkinson 06:09

SWA: Altitude in Spanish wines - Helena Nicklin 03:56

SWA: Journey through the Spanish Landscape - Susy Atkins 06:55

SWA: Ageworthy whites from Spain - Sarah Jane Evans MW 11:36

The rich diversity of Spanish wines 09:12

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2017 01:25

DWWA 2017 Judging Week video 01:58

How to taste en primeur wines 00:00

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2016: Discovery Theatres 01:00

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2016 02:24

Video: How to make mulled wine for Christmas 04:12

2016 Decanter Shanghai Fine Wine Encounter consumer video 02:22

California Wines Green Tour - Promotion 01:06

California road trip video - Promotion 01:26

California Wines Food Tour - Promotion 01:01

Discover California wines - Promotion 03:03

Decanter visited the Official Brazil 2014 World Cup wine stand, Lidio Carraro at Vinexpo, to find out more about the wine range Faces, and how the boutique winery was selected by Fifa to represent the country's wine industry.

Written by Georgina Hindle

Playlist 19 Videos

Video: Brazil 2014 World Cup wine Lidio Carraro at Vinexpo 02:23

Vinexpo 2013: Robert Beynat 03:18

Video: Michel Drappier at Vinexpo 01:47

SWA: Essential guide to Spanish Garnacha - Jane Parkinson 06:09

SWA: Altitude in Spanish wines - Helena Nicklin 03:56

SWA: Journey through the Spanish Landscape - Susy Atkins 06:55

SWA: Ageworthy whites from Spain - Sarah Jane Evans MW 11:36

The rich diversity of Spanish wines 09:12

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2017 01:25

DWWA 2017 Judging Week video 01:58

How to taste en primeur wines 00:00

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2016: Discovery Theatres 01:00

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2016 02:24

Video: How to make mulled wine for Christmas 04:12

2016 Decanter Shanghai Fine Wine Encounter consumer video 02:22

California Wines Green Tour - Promotion 01:06

California road trip video - Promotion 01:26

California Wines Food Tour - Promotion 01:01

Discover California wines - Promotion 03:03

A new Bordeaux-based association for wine start-up companies was launched this week at Vinexpo.

Wine StartUps so far has 13 member companies, all of which were formed between three months and three years ago.

It is led by Gilles Brianceau, director of Inno’vin, an ‘company incubation’ facility at the Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin at the University of Bordeaux.

The companies in the group are linked by the fact they target the wine industry, and use innovative or ‘disruptive’ digital technologies.

Among the companies are Kasual Business, who publish the Smart Bordeaux application, a wine label scanning system that has been adopted by the Bordeaux Wine Bureau (CIVB) for its chateaux database.

Vinoreco, the ‘virtual sommelier’ system that works on smart phones and is used by several major supermarkets in France, and Wine Services, an online research and marketing company which is working with high-end classified chateaux.

Xavier Montero, director of Vinallia, a company that offers joint purchasing of vineyard equipment and other material to help smaller estates, told Decanter.com trainees and digital specialists can apply to work in any of the companies, and new startups can apply to become part of the group.

‘A few months ago, we were aware of each other, but felt we were in competition. But we decided that collectively we could raise awareness of new technologies and products, and stimulate a creative environment.’

Aymeric Fournier, director of Wine Data Systems, also a member, said, ‘In the future we hope to attract wine startups from other countries to Bordeaux.

An example is Vinoga, a Facebook game that won an Innovations Trophy at Vinitech wine fair last year, which decided to set up in Bordeaux rather than California, to draw on the global renown of the region. They are now partnering with Ma Bouteille, another company within Wine Startups that provides online customisation of wine bottles.

Key figures in wine and the internet are offering advice and support such as Jean Moeuix of Maison Duclot, and Dan Serfaty, the French internet entrepreneur and founder of Viadeo, a professional social network with 30 million users worldwide.

‘We will also be looking to raise investment, and hope to have an ongoing dialogue with the local and international wine industry, to ensure our technologies are responding to actual needs,’ said Fournier.

Written by Jane Anson in Bordeaux

Bordeaux's new multi-million pound Cité des Civilisations du Vin made its debut this morning, as the first stone and set of vines were unveiled during a special preview ceremony.

Each of the Bordeaux Cité des Civilisations du Vin‘s major stakeholders, including institutional representatives, sponsors, partners, architects, and builders, were present at the Les Forges site to officially launch the building of the centre.

Bordeaux Mayor Alain Juppe began the presentation ceremony with a speech thanking those involved ‘for making the project a reality’ and to ‘celebrate such a unique occasion’.

Juppe especially praised the ‘renown that will come with the centre’, increasing the ‘international reputation of Bordeaux, the Gironde and Aquitaine’.

The ceremony was held as part of this year’s Vinexpo in Bordeaux, and marked two years since the project was first unveiled at the fair in 2011.

The new centre, set on the banks of the River Garonne, will house a permanent circuit of wine themes including models of different terroirs and vineyards from around the world.

In addition, a programme of flavour workshops, interactive sensory stations, annual exhibitions and artistic performances are planned for the new centre.

Speaking to Decanter.com at the launch, Sylvie Cazes – president of the Cité des Civilisations du Vin association – said, ‘It’s a historic day because for the first time there’s going to be a place where we can have all the wines in the world gathered.’

‘Everybody will be able learn all about their cultures which is so important, and all in the heart of Bordeaux. I‘m very proud because we managed to gather all the energies around this project – all the institutional bodies, and also a lot of people from the vineyards to the merchants.’

‘There’s been a lot of private money and public money given, and everybody gathered together around the project – this is very unique in France, and in the world,’ she added.

The inauguration of the Cite des Civilisations du Vin is set for spring 2016 and organisers hope the centre will attract more than 400,00 visitors a year to Bordeaux, including 320,000 tourists from outside the region.

Playlist 19 Videos

Video: Michel Drappier at Vinexpo 01:47

Vinexpo 2013: Robert Beynat 03:18

Video: Brazil 2014 World Cup wine Lidio Carraro at Vinexpo 02:23

SWA: Essential guide to Spanish Garnacha - Jane Parkinson 06:09

SWA: Altitude in Spanish wines - Helena Nicklin 03:56

SWA: Journey through the Spanish Landscape - Susy Atkins 06:55

SWA: Ageworthy whites from Spain - Sarah Jane Evans MW 11:36

The rich diversity of Spanish wines 09:12

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2017 01:25

DWWA 2017 Judging Week video 01:58

How to taste en primeur wines 00:00

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2016: Discovery Theatres 01:00

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2016 02:24

Video: How to make mulled wine for Christmas 04:12

2016 Decanter Shanghai Fine Wine Encounter consumer video 02:22

California Wines Green Tour - Promotion 01:06

California road trip video - Promotion 01:26

California Wines Food Tour - Promotion 01:01

Discover California wines - Promotion 03:03

Decanter caught up with Champagne Drappier owner Michel Drappier at Vinexpo in Bordeaux and uncovered the reason behind a recent trend towards large-format Champagne bottles

Playlist 19 Videos

Video: Michel Drappier at Vinexpo 01:47

Vinexpo 2013: Robert Beynat 03:18

Video: Brazil 2014 World Cup wine Lidio Carraro at Vinexpo 02:23

SWA: Essential guide to Spanish Garnacha - Jane Parkinson 06:09

SWA: Altitude in Spanish wines - Helena Nicklin 03:56

SWA: Journey through the Spanish Landscape - Susy Atkins 06:55

SWA: Ageworthy whites from Spain - Sarah Jane Evans MW 11:36

The rich diversity of Spanish wines 09:12

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2017 01:25

DWWA 2017 Judging Week video 01:58

How to taste en primeur wines 00:00

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2016: Discovery Theatres 01:00

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2016 02:24

Video: How to make mulled wine for Christmas 04:12

2016 Decanter Shanghai Fine Wine Encounter consumer video 02:22

California Wines Green Tour - Promotion 01:06

California road trip video - Promotion 01:26

California Wines Food Tour - Promotion 01:01

Discover California wines - Promotion 03:03

Vinexpo will launch in Beijing for the first time in 2014, alongside shows in Hong Kong and Tokyo.

Vinexpo president Xavier de Eizaguirre spoke to Decanter.com about the new Asia line-up in an exclusive interview:

Written by Decanter staff

Improving Chile's image overseas will be top of the agenda for Aurelio Montes Sr following his appointment as international vice-president of Wines of Chile.

Image: Wines of Chile

Montes takes up the position for two years after being elected to the board in May and begins his role immediately.

His key responsibilities will be strengthening Chile’s image in established markets, as well as leveraging his experience and contacts to improve the image of Wines of Chile overseas.

Speaking to Decanter.com at Vinexpo in Bordeaux, Montes said he expected Chile’s younger generation of winemakers would help to boost the country’s appeal abroad.

‘I trust so much in the new-comers, in the new generation. I see the energy and passion that they have and have no doubt that that will be a strong asset to make Chile better-known and producing better-quality wines.’

‘We will begin building a good platform to make Chile better-known,’ he said.

Claudio Cilveti, managing director of Wines of Chile, said, ‘Wines of Chile have made some important changes in the direction of what we do. We hope Aurelio will help us to re-draw the Wines of Chile image overseas, and to transmit our message much more clearly.’

The appointment also coincides with the 25th anniversary of the Montes winery in Chile, after Aurelio Montes founded it in 1988.

Written by John Abbott

Jean-Michel Cazes, proprietor of Grand Cru Classe Lynch Bages in Pauillac together with Jean-Luc Rocha, the two Michelin starred chef of Chateau Cordeillan-Bages debuted their new book at Vinexpo this week.

Cazes and Rocha were present on the opening day of the fair to sign copies of the 239-page book entitled Lynch Bages & Co. a family, a wine and 52 recipes.

The book, devised by Kinou Cazes-Hachemian and her father Jean-Charles, is part family memoire and part gourmet recipe book, drawing on the history of the family, the chateau and the region and using food memories of family members to create a collection of international recipes.

Of the 52 recipes featured in the book, half were created especially for this project by Rocha drawing on his haut-cuisine expertise and half were adaptations of some of the family’s favourite dishes with an emphasis on home-cooked ease.

Each recipe is also accompanied by a personal introduction written by Cazes.

Speaking to Decanter.com at the signing, Cazes said: ‘This is exactly what I’ve wanted to do for a long time.

‘This book illustrates the story of Bordeaux, the story of Lynch Bages, the story of my family and 52 recipes.’

Lynch Bages & Co will be available in French and English, translated by Jane Anson, with a retail price of €49.50.

Written by Georgina Hindle

A new project to preserve, protect and promote the original grape varieties of the Mediterranean will kick off in Porto later this year.

Wine Mosaic, founded by Jean-Luc Etievent and Arnaud Daphy, will be starting with a symposium held in Porto in July, to contribute thoughts and ideas to help facilitate the goal of highlighting original varieties, developing practical measures to ensure their preservation, increasing the quality of production as well as raise awareness and consumption of wines made from these original varieties, organisers say.

The campaign is looking to create a network of viticulture experts, wine producers, oenologists, researchers, journalists, distributors and sommeliers, and help them find the necessary tools and assistance to make, sell and promote wines made from endangered, indigenous and historic or traditional grape varieties.

Speaking to Decanter.com at this year’s Vinexpo fair in Bordeaux, co-founder Arnaud Daphy emphasised the cause of ‘fighting for vino-diversity’.

‘Today 80% of the wine drunk in the world comes from 20 grape varietals. We know from Jancis Robinson’s book [Wine Grapes] that there are over 1,400 grape varieties so we think that it’s a shame to have such a low number of varieties used to make wine’.

‘The idea really is to fight for vino-diversity. To preserve, protect and promote what we call the original grapes.

‘We think the best people to decide how to do this are the researchers, oenologists, winemakers and the trade and to talk to them to tell us what they need’.

Wine Mosaic has endorsement from the Organisation Internationale de la Vigne et du Vin (OIV) and has secured sponsorship from wine body Vinisud.

The symposium in July is the first of several any events planned for Wine Mosaic to gather information and drum up support. Other planned activity in 2013 will be at the European Wine Blogger’s Conference in Rioja, and promotion at Vinisud in Montpellier in February 2014.

Written by Georgina Hindle

Stéphane le Foll, French agicultral minister, called an attack on six Chinese students, on the eve of the Vinexpo opening, 'inadmissable' and 'xenophobic'.

Picture: Stéphane le Foll condemned the attack at opening press conference

The attack came in the early hours of Saturday morning, on six Chinese oenology students studying at Chateau La Tour Blanche in Sauternes.

They were in their apartment, in the village of Hostens when a small group of French men who had earlier received a warning from police to quieten down a party forced their way in.

One student was taken to hospital with facial injuries from a bottle being thown at her.

The attack is assumed to have been because the men believed the Chinese students had reported the party to the police.

Speaking at the opening of Vinexpo, Le Foll condemned the attack, joining demands from the Chinese embassy in Paris to bring the perpetrators to justice to ensure the safety of Chinese students in the country.

The timing is particularly unfortunate as the wine industry focuses its attention on Bordeaux for the 17th edition of Vinexpo, the biennial fair started in 1990 by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce, and now grown to the world’s largest wine trade fair, with 2400 exhibitors and 46,000 visitors from 120 countries.

Written by Jane Anson in Bordeaux

Guillaume Deglise of Laurent-Perrier has been named as the new director of one of the world’s biggest wine trade fairs, Vinexpo.

Heading off to the fair…Guillaume Deglise

Although the change of director has not yet been announced officially, Deglise – director of Swiss operations for Laurent-Perrier – told Decanter.com he will take full control of Vinexpo 2015.

He will manage – with the help of the show’s current director and co-founder, the 62-year-old Robert Beynat – Vinexpo Asia Pacific 2014 in Hong Kong next May.

Deglise, who will be based in Bordeaux as of September, said he was ‘looking forward to it’.

Beynat meanwhile will retire at the end of 2014, but he is likely to take on ‘another trade fair project’, the Vinexpo press office said.

Deglise speaks six European languages and has been in the wine business for 15 years. This will be his first time running a wine fair.

Vinexpo is held every two years in Bordeaux and the 17th edition, Vinexpo 2013, opens on Sunday.

Written by Sophie Kevany in Bordeaux

Wine buying in the future will be an interactive world of mobile apps, virtual sommeliers and tweeting winemakers, according to new research.

I, Robot: Max le Sommelier

Digital technology is driving a sea change in the way retailers engage with wine drinkers, said the Chief Operating Officer of research group Wine Intelligence, Richard Halstead.

Speaking at a briefing hosted by trade show Vinexpo, Halstead highlighted several techniques already being used by retailers around the world.

These include ‘Max le Sommelier‘, who is navigating shoppers through mind-boggling wine aisles in French hypermarkets, and an initiative in Total Wine & More stores in the US, which allows drinkers to tweet live with a winemaker and view live link-ups to vineyards on screens.

Mobile phone apps and social media are also set to become much bigger tools for helping wine drinkers to decipher which bottle to pick.

‘The internet is allowing consumers to access wine in an unprecedented way,’ Halstead said. However, he also warned of the danger of ‘information overload’.

In terms of actual online sales, China has the biggest number of drinkers who buy at least some of their wine via the internet, currently at 27%, according to Wine Intelligence data. This is set to hit 47% by 2020.

In comparison, by the same year, the UK will have 26% of wine drinkers buying online, while France is only expected to have 8%.

More generally, the briefing highlighted a trend away from drinking wine in bars, pubs and restaurants in several countries, including the UK, US and France.

The off-trade, which includes the internet, supermarkets, hypermarkets and specialist shops, already accounts for 60% of world wine sales.

Written by Decanter.com staff

China will import wine at a slower pace as the country's domestic wine production increases - while the world's most populous nation is set to become the world’s second-biggest wine consumer by 2016.

Domestic production of wine in China is set to rise…

Competition for space in China’s wine market is set to intensify in the next few years: China’s wine market will still expand by 40% in volume over the next four years, but opportunities for foreign brands will be more limited.

Figures released jointly by wine trade show Vinexpo and research group IWSR show that between 2007 and the end of 2011, wine sales in China rose much faster, by 144% in volume, than they will for the next four years.

Alongside the predicted slowdown, Chinese wine production is growing considerably.

Since 2007, the country has risen from 10th to eighth in the global wine production league table, and it is expected to displace Australia and Chile to become the world’s sixth biggest producer in 2016.

‘It will be more challenging, and especially for France [market leader], because everybody wants to go there now,’ Xavier de Eizaguirre, chairman of Vinexpo, told Decanter.com.

However, de Eizaguirre said the speed of growth in China remains ‘incredible’ compared to many other markets, and its per capita consumption is still only 1.6 litres a year.

‘China will bypass the US very soon,’ he said. ‘The forecast for 2016 is 250m cases. The US is about 350m, so they’re getting very close.’

In value terms, China should overtake the UK to become the world’s second biggest wine consuming nation by value in 2016, with sales of US$16.7bn.

More than a third of foreign visitors to Vinexpo 2013, to be held in Bordeaux in June, are expected to come from Asia.

Most of the other figures released by Vinexpo showed a continuation of existing trends. Consumption in the UK, for example, will continue to fall up to 2016, by around 4% on current levels.

However, sparkling wines and still wine priced above US$10-a-bottle will buck this trend.

Globally, wine consumption is expected to rise by 5.3% between 2012 and the end of 2016, to 2.87bn cases, while worldwide production will fall by around 2%.

Written by Chris Mercer

Vinexpo CEO Robert Beynat says a 'complicated' US wine market and the economic downturn contributed to the postponement of its first consumer show.

Billed as ‘the one rendez-vous you can’t miss’, too many wineries thought otherwise. Rendez-Vous by Vinexpo was postponed indefinitely this week.

‘Despite a lot of effort, we only succeeded in selling 52 tasting areas out of the 150 scheduled,’ Beynat said.

The three-day show, the first of its kind by Vinexpo, was to be held in New York in November with up to 6,000 consumer visitors expected and a one-day ticket costing US$180.

Louis Latour, Barton & Guestier and Baron Philippe de Rothschild were among the exhibitors signed up.

Beynat is ‘disappointed’ but said the decision to cancel was a ‘responsible’ one.

‘With this limited number of exhibitors we were afraid of attracting a limited number of visitors,’ he told Decanter.com. ‘I guess the economic crisis didn’t help.’

Despite the setback, Vinexpo remains committed to hosting a consumer wine show, although this might not be in the US.

‘Promoting wine in the US is quite complicated,’ Beynat said. ‘In the next months we will analyse exactly what we maybe need to improve or amend. We are always thinking about the US, but we are also open to several countries.’

Vinexpo has promised full refunds to exhibitors already signed up to Rendez-Vous.

This will mostly consist of refunded ‘down payments’, because exhibitors were only due to be billed for the full amount earlier this month.

‘The investment we made to create the brand will be useful for the next time. So [the money] isn’t lost,’ Beynat said.

Written by Chris Mercer

Visitors to this year's Vinexpo Asia-Pacific were up 25%, according to final figures released by Vinexpo.

In total, 15,785 registered visitors attended from 24 countries, an increase of 25% on the 2010 edition.

In particular, trade visitors from Hong Kong accounted for more than a third of the visitors (39.7%), up 18.3% on 2010, whilst China visitors were up 38%.

The exhibition also saw increases from across Asia, including Taiwan (31%), Japan (30%), Singapore (14.5%), Macao (28%) and India (42%).

The figures also showed that 1,050 exhibitors from 28 countries were spread took up a total of 10,500 sq. m of stand floor space.

Speaking at the closing press conference, Robert Beynat, chief executive of Vinexpo, said that he was most pleased by the demonstration of a growing Asian market.

‘Our forecasts show that the Asian market will continue to grow – we expect a 4% increase in consumption by 2015. It is a very important thing. It’s not only the success of the show, but it’s a question of is there a market. Yes, the market is there and the market is growing fast.’

The growth in attendees prompted questions over whether future editions of Vinexpo Asia-Pacific would continue to be held in Hong Kong.

Dominique Hériard Dubreuil, chairman of Vinexpo Asia-Pacific, said that a decision hadn’t yet been made and would depend on the results of a survey of exhibitors.

‘We know that Hong Kong is a good location, right in the heart of Asia, but we also know we have an issue with space so far so we will have to consider increasing the space because the fact that we increased the exhibition space by 25% and couldn’t meet the demand is something that we have to consider.’

The next Vinexpo exhibition will take place in Bordeaux from Sunday 16 to Thursday 20 June 2013.

Written by Decanter.com staff

The number of visitors from China to Decanter.com has surpassed both the UK and US for the first time.

In April 2012, website traffic from China accounted for more than 26% of total traffic, ahead of the UK (24.6%) and the US (15.9%).

This is expected to increase to over 30% by the end of May.

The figures were released today at a Decanter seminar at Vinexpo Asia-Pacific called ‘Discovering the Chinese wine-lover’, and showed that in 2012, visitors from cities across mainland China had risen from 1.3% of site traffic in January to 26% in April, taking the country from 13th to 1st in four months.

According to a recent Vinexpo study, Chinese wine consumption is set to rise 54% between 2011 and 2015. In 2011 China moved up to 5th place in the list of the top wine consuming nations, ahead of the UK.

Decanter.com editor John Abbott said: ‘The increase in visitors from China is unbelievable, and shows a clear appetite for comprehensive wine information online. The timing is particularly apt, ahead of the launch of Decanterchina.com this autumn and we’re delighted to be reaching out to a burgeoning population of new wine-lovers.’

Decanter.com was launched in 1999 and currently has visitors from over 200 countries.

Written by Decanter.com staff

Chateau Haut Brion, Bernard Magrez, Domaine de Chevalier and other Bordeaux luminaries have donated over €2.5m to the new Bordeaux wine cultural centre.

So far, donations to the €63m centre – which is yet to be named – include €1m from Haut Brion owners Domaines Clarence Dillon, €500,000 from Vignobles Bernard Magrez of Chateau Pape Clement, and €500,000 from Millesima negociants, Lucien Bernard & Cie and Domaine de Chevalier, all of which are owned by branches of the Bernard family.

Joanne negociants has donated €100,000, while another €500,000 comes from the Bordeaux chamber of commerce and Vinexpo.

Several other significant donations are expected to be finalised within the next few months.

Benefactors will have their names displayed at the entrance to the museum, and will play an advisory role on events and exhibits, Philippe Massol, director of the centre, told Decanter.com.

Depending on the amount donated, they will have the opportunity to sponsor specific parts of the museum, from tasting rooms to auditoriums. ‘The money they are donating is of course essential,’ said Massol, ‘but so is the sense of confidence and support that their names bring to the project.’

Patrick Bernard of Millesima told Decanter.com he was very happy to be involved.

‘This is the right project, in the right city. Bordeaux receives around 1.5m visitors per year, attracted by our reputation as a world wine capital. We are also a UNESCO World Heritage city, and this cultural centre further demonstrates the ambition of Bordeaux.’

The cultural centre hopes to attract 425,000 visitors per year, exploring 15 themes in the permanent exhibition space, with frequent workshops, tastings and interactive events. The centre hopes to create 750 jobs, and to bring around €40m annually into the local economy.

The centre hopes to eventually cover 20% of its initial costs through donations. Opening is now set for June 2015.

Written by Jane Anson in Bordeaux