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Vinexpo: How a Wine Show in Bordeaux Shapes What You Drink Every Day

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Black-tie parties at lavish Bordeaux châteaux and champagne cruises along the Garonne — they may seem far removed from the modest dinner you'll have this evening, but if you're enjoying wine with the meal, they are more connected than you realize. Every bottle, whether from a store or restaurant, has gone through many hands to get to your table: winemakers, brokers, exporters, importers and distributors. And for every treasured wine the sommelier discovered while biking through France one summer, the majority of the list are the result of many meetings and tastings — and Vinexpo, held every two years in Bordeaux, is where for many wines, that journey begins.

Last June, Vinexpo brought 50,000 visitors to taste wines and spirits from 2,350 exhibitors from 42 countries. The posh evening events are entertaining, but by day it is a trade show like any other. Prospective customers wander miles a day through 13 acres of exhibition space, where wineries and distilleries, big and small, each have specific goals — a Chilean winery wants to crack the Asian market or an Irish distillery needs a new U.S. importer. Some wineries have built mini-palaces within the hall, complete with luxurious tasting areas and meeting spaces, while smaller brands may have only a simple booth, with a few bottles and a welcoming smile. Many wineries have grouped together, within their region, to create a larger presentation space and, hopefully, a bigger draw.

Founded in 1981, Vinexpo is now in its 35th year, and while it used to have more of a monopoly, it now faces the challenge of the internet age, where information and communication is readily available, as well as competing wine shows — most notably Germany's ProWein. Talk to almost any winery about how their show is going and they automatically bring up Prowein, comparing where they are getting more business and where they are making more contacts. Most exhibitors feel both shows are still essential, but the costs associated with attending — renting space, travel, hotels, bringing wines — have some smaller businesses feeling they will soon have to choose one or the other.

Vinexpo chairman Xavier de Eizaguirre has witnessed the wine world change over the past decades, having worked at Baron Phillippe de Rothschild from 1975-2010, and is now charged with keeping Vinexpo on course to meet the current demands of the industry. "I remember when the U.S. market was just beginning," says de Eizaguirre. "Europe was dominating, the Asian market was nonexistent and South America was the same. Today it's the opposite. Outside Europe, U.S. is now the number one market. Japan had no wine, today it's a traditional market. China, even five years ago was not anything, and now it's the seventh largest producer and fifth largest consumer. Africa has now become a serious player."

In this new makeup of the wine business, de Eizaguirre sees Vinexpo as more important than ever. "Where else can you meet everyone in five days? You would have to travel the world otherwise. At this stage it's still essential to meet people in person when it comes to making your deals." And as for their ProWein rival, the majesty of the Bordeaux experience still reigns supreme in his eyes. "There's room for everyone, but we have our own unique style. We have the glamour and the parties that you can't do anywhere else in the world."

One way to measure the effectiveness of Vinexpo is the example of Georgia — the former Soviet state has the distinction of being the world's oldest-known wine producer, yet is little heard of in many foreign markets. "I received a letter from their Minister of Commerce. They wanted our help," says de Eizaguirre. Vinexpo set up prime center space for a group of Georgian wineries and assisted with setting up meetings and contacts for them. Now, months later, Aleksander Chkhaidze, from Kakhetian Traditional Winemaking, looks back at the event, and see it as a great success. "It was the first visit of Georgian wineries to Bordeaux, and Vinexpo opened the door for us to European and Asian markets. The event helped create a solid basis for future partnerships. We are in talks with Canada, China and Japan. We met with many press representatives that want to write about us and help introduce Georgian wines to the world."

Florence Hallett, from Domaine La Tour Boisée in the Languedoc, displayed her wines in a special pavillion set up for organic wineries — a much more democratic room, where everyone poured their wines from simple tables — and sees her visit to Vinexpo as a success, but still has her questions for the future. "Vinexpo still brings in people who don't do any other shows in Europe, but will the Americans keep attending? That is an important question for us. It seems European buyers are not coming as much any more." Meanwhile, Thomas Mooney, CEO of the Portland, Oregon-based House Spirits, stresses the show was important for his European audience. "Europe presents a highly fragmented route, with independent distributors who cover different countries and, in some cases, specific cities.  The only possible way to understand the market is to meet distributors and retailers in person."

Other innovations for the show included the introduction of a "Country of Honor," — the first year went to the U.S., and was best represented by a contingent from Napa — a smartphone app, providing information and maps to exhibitors, as well as lectures, cooking demonstrations and a focus on wine-world trends, which for this year were identified as sparkling wines, rosés and sweet wines. Special tasting stations were set up to promote these three categories."Everyone thought sweet wines were dying," says de Eizaguirre," and now they're back in worldwide demand."

In even years, Vinexpo takes place in Asia, and this year it will be in Hong Kong from May 24-26, and then Tokyo from November 15-16. It will draw 1,300 exhibitors and help arrange meetings to match them with business opportunities in the every-growing Asian market. France is the number one supplier of wine to Asia, and all its regions will be represented there, but it is Italy that will be the event's "guest of honor." Italy is the world's largest exporter of wine, but is only fifth in Asia, according to organizers. As long as the romance of wine needs the business of selling, Vinexpo will have a steady future.