The London Wine Fair confirms dates (May 18-20): “without ProWein an international fair is necessary

Italy stops. And if already the calendar of wine and food fairs, from Vinitaly (currently scheduled from June 14-17, in Verona) to Cibus (September 1-4, in Parma), passing through Macfrut (September 8-10, in Rimini) and Identità Golose (July 3-5), in Milan), in the Belpaese, has taken note and consciousness of the moment, there are those who, outside Italy, in a mixture of courage and unconsciousness, are determined to stand firm and keep straight, despite the Coronavirus emergency, that no longer concerns only the Belpaese. It is not the case of the Messe in Düsseldorf, which decided to cancel the ProWein 2020 (scheduled for March 15-17) renewing the appointment to 2021, nor of the producers in Burgundy, who canceled the Grands Jours de Bourgogne (which were supposed to start yesterday and last until March 13), but still in France the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux seems to have no intention of giving up the mythical Semaine des Primeurs, which, from March 30 to April 2, assuming nothing changes, will present to the media and buyers - or rather to those who will be able to participate – the 2019 vintage, as well as, in Great Britain, the organizers of the London Wine Fair are very firm in their decision to confirm the wine fair scheduled from May 18 to 20 at the Olympia Exhibition Centre.
As Hannah Tovey, organizer of the London Wine Fair, explained to the British magazine “The Drinks Business”, “we took into account everything from the origin of exhibitors and visitors to the times, which influenced our decision, also based on the current situation: more than two months missing, the risks associated with Covid-19 are lower than, for example, those of ProWein”. In addition, the Olympia Exhibition Centre has not yet canceled any events, including the larger ones at the London Wine Fair, so, adds Hannah Tovey, “we believe the right thing to do is to work to move forward, there is no reason to take a different approach, and the Government expects the problem to fade as the season improves”.
Among the three options - go ahead, postpone or cancel the fair - there seems to be no doubt. “We have no intention of canceling the fair, especially in its 40th edition - continues Hannah Tovey - also considering the fact that 91% of the visitors are British, only 9% could be affected by a blockade of air traffic, so that our exhibitors, practically all foreigners, could be the ones to suffer inconvenience: in that case, the importers will represent the international wine brands. It is not a rash choice - concludes Tovey - but if something should change we will be ready, perhaps with a postponement in the autumn, because the cancellation of ProWein in any case makes an international fair for the sector indispensable”.