GLOBAL: New World wine countries form alliance

Some of the biggest New World wine regions, including New Zealand, South Africa and Chile, have formed an alliance to market their wines "as a team" at next year's ProWein trade fair in Germany.

If successful, just-drinks understands, the alliance, which also includes Argentina and California, will consider taking the format to other wine shows.

"This is a significant statement of intent," a spokesperson for New Zealand Winegrowers told just-drinks today (15 July).

It is understood that the move has emerged from what a number of New World wine trade bodies view as bias towards the Old World at some trade shows, particularly the biannual Vinexpo in Bordeaux, which was held last month.

New World trade bodies have held intermittent talks for more than a year on the feasibility of creating a break-away expo. However, they have now decided to create "a show within a show" at ProWein, due to the number of expos already in existence.   

ProWein was chosen because of its reputation for "treating the Old and New World equally", the New Zealand Winegrowers spokesperson said. She declined to comment on New World criticism of Vinexpo, which remains the largest wine trade show in the world.

Australia is the only prominent New World country not to join the alliance, because Australia's focus is "on markets in the Far East", rather than Europe, the spokesperson said.

At ProWein in March 2010, the five alliance partners will be grouped together in a single hall. They intend to lay down the gauntlet to Old World countries such as France, Spain and Italy, on sustainability and the environment. Seminars on all aspects of sustainable production will be held under the theme "Down to Earth".

A spokesperson for the alliance said: "Although we remain competitors, we believe the potential exists to further advance the New World's share of the global wine market by sharing best practice."