Australian wine had its largest-ever stand at ProWein in Germany from 19 to 21 March, featuring 61 producers, 6 regional booths, an Australian Wine Bar and a suite of master classes. The three-day event held in Düsseldorf is the world’s biggest trade fair for the wine and spirits industry. The fair attracted 49,000 trade guests from 141 countries – including major buyers from Europe, the United Kingdom (UK), the United States of America (US), Canada and Asia.
Key highlights from this year’s Australian wine stand included:
- 61 exhibiting wineries represented by 147 winemakers, winery owners and winery principals (see the website below for a full list of exhibitors)
- 6 regional booths – South Australia, Riverland, Victoria, Yarra Valley, New South Wales and Margaret River, which were represented by regional heads including Lyndall Rowe (Executive Officer, Riverland Wine), Stephanie Duboudin (Chief Executive Officer, Wine Victoria), Caroline Evans (Chief Executive Officer, Wine Yarra Valley) and Amanda Whiteland (Chief Executive Officer, Margaret River Wine Association)
- more than 700 wines from 47 regions across Australia
- 46 varieties, from the classics like Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon to alternatives such as Assyrtiko, Barbera, Saperavi, Vermentino and Zibibbo
- 11 master classes attended by approximately 500 trade guests and covering topics such as Great Southern Syrah, South Australia’s Mediterranean whites, the Riverland’s diverse and experimental wines, Clare Valley Riesling, Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon, and
- a special visit from Australian pop icon Kylie Minogue, who took time out of her busy schedule promoting her wines to visit the stand on Monday 20 March.
Wine Australia Chief Executive Officer Dr Martin Cole said it was great to see Australian wine exhibitors back at ProWein generating so much excitement for the category.
“This year’s stand was double the size of previous years with 200 brands hailing from 47 regions across Australia. And the meeting space was buzzing as producers juggled a steady stream of appointments with buyers from around the world.
“We also had a fantastic partnership with the states and regions, which saw six regional booths on the stand for the first time celebrating their unique differences and highlighting the quality and diversity from the length and breadth of our continent of wine”, said Dr Cole.
Among the Australian wine exhibitors were:
- General Manager of Sales and Marketing at d’Arenberg Philip Jeffries who said, “It was exciting being back at ProWein after four years, catching up with distribution partners and making new connections. I had very positive conversations with buyers from across the world including the Nordics, Iceland, Greece and Thailand. There’s renewed energy and a new mindset to Australian wine, trade were open to explore new opportunities and more premium offerings.”
- Head of Sales at Voyager Estate Fiona Findlay who said, “ProWein is one of those fairs we keep coming back to. A way of showcasing our wines on the global stage, meeting existing partners and finding new relationships and opportunities. It’s been a fantastic fair for us – excellent quality visitors, valuable meetings and a buzzing atmosphere on the Aussie stand.”
- Founder and Winemaker, Small Things Wine, Ian Batt who said, “I’ve had productive meetings with distributors in Europe and Asia, with opportunities opening up in several markets. The icing on the cake was a handshake with a leading UK distributor on the second day of the fair. What a brilliant result from my first ProWein!”, and
- Joint Managing Director of Bec Hardy Wines Richard Dolan who said, “This was my first time at ProWein and it was beyond my expectations. A must-do event and I’m in for next year.”
The full list of exhibitors and a floor plan is available here: https://www.wineaustralia.com/whats-happening/events/prowein-2023-germany/attend
Next in the trade show calendar, Australian wine exhibitors will join Wine Australia at Vinexpo Asia (23 to 25 May) in Singapore, as part of the Australian Pavilion. Exhibitor registrations are now closed but more information about Wine Australia’s presence at the event is available here: https://www.wineaustralia.com/whats-happening/events/vinexpo-asia-2023
Press release courtesy of Wine Australia.
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