Australian wine had its largest-ever stand at ProWein in Germany from 19 to 21 March, featuring 61 producers, six regional booths, an Australian Wine Bar and a suite of masterclasses.
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.
Sixty-one exhibiting wineries were represented by 147 winemakers, winery owners and winery principals.
The six regional booths were South Australia, Riverland, Victoria, Yarra Valley, New South Wales and Margaret River.
There was a special visit by Australian pop icon Kylie Minogue who took time out of her busy schedule promoting her wines to visit the stand.
Wine Australia CEO 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,” he said.
“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.”
General Manager of Sales and Marketing at d’Arenberg Philip Jeffries 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 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 f Small Things Wine Ian Batt 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!”
Joint managing director of Bec Hardy Wines Richard Dolan 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.”
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