just the facts – LIWF 2010

Tuesday (18 May) saw the start of the 2010 London International Wine Fair (LIWF). Here we take a look at the latest news from the fair.

• It is estimated that over 10,000 buyers, importers, sommeliers, restaurateurs and many other trade visitors have been exploring some 20,000 wines from around the world at this year’s fair.

• For the first time, this year’s event has incorporated a bloggers’ zone, reflecting the growing trend for social media within the wine trade. Organiser Brintex teamed up with Ryan and Gabriella Opaz of internet marketing site Catavino, plus WineConversation.com, the European Wine Bloggers Conference, and Wineblogger.info to create ‘The Access Zone’. The 60m2 stand incorporates an area for recording video interviews, as well as Wi-Fi and powerpoints.

• Europe has seen some of the most substantial increases in stand size, with Hungary, Austria, Georgia and Germany all augmenting their floor space. Croatia, back at the LIWF for its second year, almost tripled the size of its stand for this year’s fair from 35m2 in 2009 to around 100m2. Macedonia has also had an increased presence this year.

• France, Spain and Italy have accounted for over 25% of the entire fair. France led the way as the largest overall exhibitor. Spain followed with increased regional participation from La Rioja and Rioja Alavesa.

• New faces this year have included Copestick Murray Wine Solutions, Marie Brizard and Italian wine distributor, Grossi Wines. Cellar Trends and Bodegas Julian Chivite are a few of the companies that returned after a break.

• A group of wineries from India have been showcasing Brand India for the first time at the LIWF. The India Pavilion has been the initiative of the newly-formed Indian Grape Processing Board. All eight producers, including Sula and Indage, and the new UB venture, Four Seasons, are from the Maharashtra region in western India.

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