“Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris”, Italian wine en masse in Paris, to return to growth in 2024

The first major international wine fair of 2024, and also a first moment of contact between operators from all over the world to test the ground to a wine market that comes from a difficult 2023, a bit for everyone: this is, in a nutshell, the meaning of “Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris” 2024, from today to February 14 in Paris. An event on which Italy has bet overwhelmingly, so much so that Italy sees a 40% growth in exhibition space compared to 2022, and, for the first time, in Paris, it will have a dedicated pavilion, with 75% more exhibitors than in 2023 (from Agenzia Ice to Istituto Marchigiano di Tutela Vini, from Vini del Piemonte to Chianti Classico from Consorzio del Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Docg to Enoteca Regionale dell’Emilia Romagna, from Consorzio dei Vini d’Abruzzo to Consorzio della Doc delle Venezie, to regional representations of Sicily, Puglia and Calabria, among those flagged by the French fair, to many leading producers, from Albino Armani to Argea, from Bortolomiol to Bottega, from Braida to Terlano, from Cantina di Negrar to Cantine Riunite & Civ, from Settesoli to Carpineto, from Italian Wine Brands to Famiglia Cecchi, from Fantini to Gaja, from Chiarlo to Pasqua, from Piccini 1882 to Pio Cesare, from Planeta to Barone Ricasoli, from Rocca delle Macìe to Salcheto, from Sandrone to Santa Margherita Gruppo Vinicolo, from Serena Wines to Tenuta Argentiera, from Tenute de Leone Alato to Terre del Barolo, from Umani Ronchi to Umberto Cesari, from Valdo to Varvaglione, from Velenosi to Ruggeri, passing through the big names of Iswa - Italian Signature Wines Academy such as Fontanafredda, Bellavista, Allegrini, Villa Sandi, Frescobaldi, Caprai, Masciarelli, Feudi di San Gregorio and Planeta, to name but a few).
If at the center are all the trends that the world of wine has been experiencing in recent years, from declining consumption to the boom of “no & low alcohol” products, from premiumization that, despite everything, continues, to environmental sustainability to be combined with economic and social sustainability, passing through the global challenge of climate change, to draw a possible picture of the nearest future, meanwhile, is the “Wine Trade Monitor 2024”, edition no. 10, produced by the international agency Hopscotch Sopexa, interviewing a panel of more than 950 professionals working with an assortment of international wines (including importers, wholesalers, supermarket distributors, wine merchants and online sales specialists), who provided their forecasts for the next two years, in markets such as Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, China, Japan and South Korea. From which it emerges, as previously reported by WineNews, that “European wines - with France in the lead, followed by Italy - remain among the most popular in the portfolio of global operators; French wine is also the best in terms of image; in the coming months, insiders predict stagnation in the wine market, although small operators are more optimistic; the most sought-after features in bottles are naturalness, price segmentation and low alcohol; wine authenticity positively influences sales; Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir are the three best-selling international grape varieties, followed by fast-growing secondary varieties; finally, traditional glass bottles are evolving, while interest in cans is declining”.
And if, today, the day was mainly dedicated to business, there will be no shortage of moments of reflection on international scenarios. On February 13 (11:30 a.m.), for example, the SoWine agency will explain whether wine, in France and around the world, is still fashionable, in the debate “Is wine “cool”?”, while (1 p.m.) Sopexa will delve again into the results of the “Wine Trade Monitor 2024” study, to guess who will win in tomorrow’s wine market (“Who Wins in Tomorrow’s Global Wine Market ?”). Instead, the specialized portal Star Wine List will unveil (2 p.m.) its ranking of “The Top 100 Restaurant Wines of the World”, while the OIV - International Organization of Vine and Wine will shed light on consumption trends by type, with white wines seeming to have overtaken reds, with “Uncorking color trends: the global shift in wine preferences” (4:30 p.m.), while , with International Wine & Spirits Research - Iwsr, they will discuss (5:30 p.m.) how to find opportunities in a time of great challenges (“Seeking Opportunities to Win in Challenging Times”). On February 14, however, Italian wine will be the protagonist in the goblet with Gambero Rosso’s “Tre Bicchieri Tasting” (from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.), but, at 11 a.m., there will be an interesting masterclass led by Francois Gilbert of Gilbert & Gaillard, among the leading voices of French critics, who will shed light on the future of wines anchored to their terroir in light of climate change (What is the Future of Terroir-Driven Wines Faced With Climate Change?), and at 1:30 p.m. also returning to the topic will be the Oiv- International Organization of Vine and Wine, with an in-depth look at the impact of sustainability on the vine and wine sector. Again wine critic Robert Joseph (Meininger’s Wine Business International) will go over “10 Years of Wine Revolution”.
Themes at the center of a French fair on which, as mentioned, Italy has bet en masse, as also explained by the voices of many Consortia, among the most important of the Belpaese, participating in Paris. “Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris is an unavoidable showcase for the Consortium, the first international appointment, which gives us the opportunity to communicate the steps planned in the new year, new projects, consolidated partnerships such as the one with the Cité du Vin Bordeaux and the Via Sensoria project that, this year, from March 26 to November 3, sees us among the protagonists within an initiative that aims to enrich the knowledge and perception of the environment in which we are immersed thanks to a sensory journey in which each season will be paired with a wine or beverage that can stimulate the senses”, says the president of the Consorzio del Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Docg, Elvira Bortolomiol. “Wine Paris is a great opportunity for promotion in France, and it now opens the dances of European fairs: this year in particular turns out to be strategic for understanding market sentiment, after a 2023 of lights and shadows”, echoes Alessandro Nicodemi, at the head of the Consorzio Vini d’Abruzzo. Also strong is the presence of the Consorzio del Pinot Grigio delle Venezie, led by Albino Armani, according to whom the Parisian fair, “only in its No. 5 edition, is one of the reference points in the panorama of wine events at the international level”. And Chianti is also betting on Paris: “we are returning to Vinexpo Paris with high-level products and this gives us the possibility to face world markets with serenity. As always we focus on history and quality, our hallmarks”, comments the president of the Consorzio del Vino Chianti, Giovanni Busi.
Voices, among the many taking part in the international fair in Paris, whose comments you will find in the coming days in the daily reports of WineNews, and which testify to an industry that, despite a thousand difficulties and many uncertainties, is looking forward to a 2024 of revival for Italian wine, as emerged from our recent survey, which collected the sentiments of 27 top Italian wine realities, which put together an aggregate turnover of more than 2.5 billion euros (representing more than 15% of the entire wine business in Italy), with a heterogeneous sample made up of small companies of great blazon, large structured groups with wineries and brands of great prestige, and cooperatives that, for some time, have focused on quality and on building important and well-positioned brands on the market.