MEDIA RELEASE
Australian wine has had its largest showing at ProWein, the world’s biggest wine trade fair held annually in Düsseldorf, with 76 wineries joining Wine Australia on its stand.
ProWein saw a record number of guests with more than 58,000 trade from 130 countries attending over the course of the three-day fair.
The Wine Australia program focused on showcasing the diversity of Australian wine and “challenging outdated perceptions”.
Stuart Barclay, Wine Australia general manager, Marketing, said: “ProWein is the biggest and most important event in Wine Australia’s global calendar. It’s about showcasing our wines on an international stage and engaging with key buyers and influencers from across Europe, Asia and America.
“This year’s ProWein was a great success; the stand was always busy, meeting areas were constantly in use and our events were well attended.
“There was a fantastic atmosphere on the stand throughout the fair and I was delighted to see the renewed excitement in Australian wine. I’d like to thank the 76 wineries who joined us for their energy, their support and their great wines.”
Guests participated in feature tastings, regional tastings, masterclasses, a food and wine matching session, networking happy hours with drinks and canapés, and tastings in collaboration with the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET). Cool climate regions, Mediterranean varieties and old vines were some of the themes of the events.
“The stand had a more expansive meeting space than last year and this was used to boost commercial opportunities for the exhibiting wineries and visitors. Across the three days, the space had a steady stream of appointments with key buyers and influencers from across Europe, Asia and North America,” Stuart said.
German wine educator Peter Jakob said: “Having looked at Wine Australia’s event program before the fair, I decided to dedicate this year’s ProWein to the New World and especially to Australia. I was impressed with the Wine Australia stand, and the events and wineries really showed off the diversity and quality of Australian wine.”
Enrico Donati, wine consultant and sommelier from Italy said: “Incredible tastings and masterclasses at the Wine Australia stand. Even if I had stayed here for the entire ProWein, I wouldn’t have been able to discover all that Australia has to offer as there is so much. Great hospitality at the stand, too.”
Chris Unger of the Rathbone Wine Group said ProWein was a great success for the company with an abundance of new opportunities from existing customers and markets but also new opportunities in new markets.
“The stand had a great energy and accessibility, making it easy for guests to approach and engage with us and our wines,” he said.
“The staff managing the stand were exceptional, from good coffee to clean spittoons, there is little more you could have wanted. We have already signed up for 2018.”
Sue Henderson of Howard Park and MadFish Wines said they sought – and found – quality new business at ProWein 2017 and expanded business with current business partners.
“Visitors were higher quality customers who knew what they wanted and the interest in the Australian category has improved,” she said.
“It was busy every day and the Wine Australia stand provided a great environment to conduct uninterrupted business meetings.”
It was the second time Voyager Estate had attended ProWein.
“It was an extremely successful show for us,” Fiona Findlay said.
“We were able to meet with a number of potential new distributors in specific markets we were looking for as well as catch up with existing distributors in some of our key markets. The organisation by the Wine Australia team ensured we were able to totally concentrate on doing business, and the camaraderie on the Wine Australia stand was a huge benefit, as it is often in the side conversations that great ideas are shared. We will definitely be back next year.”
For the record, the Wine Australia on-stand barista made more than 1,300 coffees.