Paris, 11 February 2020 – The 1st joint edition of VINEXPO PARIS and WINE PARIS took up residence on Monday at the Paris-Versailles exhibition centre. The official opening ceremony, attended by Didier Guillaume, French Minister for Agriculture and Food, marked the start of three days dedicated to wines and spirits. The first day was geared to business and was punctuated by numerous debates on the trends and challenges within the industry, promoting closer ties between passionate members of the trade.
Didier Guillaume, French Minister for Agriculture and Food
BECOMING A WORLD LEADER IN A CHANGING INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT…
…This was the hard-hitting message conveyed throughout the official opening of VINEXPO PARIS | WINE PARIS by the exhibitions’ organisers who, by joining forces for the first joint Parisian event, are entering into a planned long-term alliance. Their ties will serve the interests of development and growth for the industry by providing support for its players throughout the year and across the globe.
Christophe Navarre, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vinexpo, emphasised this common desire to become a strong player in the market: “It was important that we all came together, unity is strength! We are in the process of building a flagship vessel that will win market share for the major appellations and for all producers”.
Didier Guillaume, French Minister for Agriculture and Food, showed his support and welcomed this major wine industry event, which is contributing to France’s international influence.
VINEXPO PARIS TACKLES MAJOR CHALLENGES HEAD-ON
From the very first day of the show, VINEXPO PARIS tackled the major trends and challenges that will shape tomorrow’s wine and spirits industry. Here is a look back over the major trends that emerged from these highlights.
HEADING TOWARDS PREMIUMISATION FOR WINES AND SPIRITS
At a conference dedicated to wine and spirits market trends, the IWSR, a world leader in market and data analysis specialising in alcoholic beverage consumption trends, provided an overview of market developments and new consumer expectations.
The perception of alcoholic beverages has changed, most notably among young people, who are looking for better quality products and attach particular importance to a product’s environmental credentials – they want to drink “less but better”. There has also been a breakthrough of the “no” and “low” trend in terms of sugar and alcohol levels in drinks.
Concurrently with this, the “pink” trend continues to grow and is gaining traction in many segments, such as Gin, cider, sparkling and still wines. According to Richard Halstead, CEO of Wine Intelligence, the continued growth of ‘pink’ is mainly driven by women and young people, but also by men drinking more of what was previously considered a women’s drink. 2007-19 data from Wine Intelligence shows consumers are embracing rosé consumption in the UK, Canada and the United States.
BREXIT, STILL SOME UNKNOWNS BUT SOME SOLUTIONS ARE EMERGING
France exports more than 1.3 billion euros worth of wines and spirits to the United Kingdom and is one of the main importers of British spirits, so the issues related to Brexit are extremely relevant for the industry.
At this Monday’s conference by the Federation of Wine and Spirits Exporters (FEVS), the topic was spotlighted. Several questions are still being raised about the regulatory environment for cross-border customs. Will there be customs fees? What will be the rules for labelling bottles?
The objective, for all, is to succeed in building a privileged partnership between the United Kingdom and the European Union that permanently secures the environment for trade. The issue of taxes, which could range from €13.10 to €32 per hectolitre and directly affect the consumer, is one of the major concerns. The two parties are also considering solutions to simplify and facilitate border crossing, in particular by anticipating all the administrative formalities for trade. In the case of labelling changes, wine in the British market will, for example, have to mention the name and address of the British importer.
Vinexpo Paris and Wine Paris continue until 12 February at Paris Expo Portes de Versailles.
About VINEXPO
In an initiative spearheaded by the Bordeaux-Gironde Chamber of Commerce and Industry, VINEXPO came into being in 1981 and today is the leading events organiser in the wine and spirits sector. In 39 years, Vinexpo has gained a unique understanding of the market and gathered a huge global network of influential distributors. The brand now organises events in five cities worldwide (Bordeaux, Hong Kong, New York, Shanghai and Paris), in addition to a roadshow, Vinexpo Explorer. Every year, the group also publishes one of the most exhaustive market studies on global wine and spirits consumption: the Vinexpo/IWSR report.
Vinexpo has obtained ISO 20121 certification. Vinexpo runs a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative through a number of measures aimed at reducing its environmental impact and optimising local, social and economic benefits. Vinexpo is demonstrating its commitment to group-wide performance by ensuring its business is managed in compliance with ISO 20121 certification on “Event sustainability management systems”.
For more information, visit VinexpoParis.com
