Wine Paris 2024
Boutinot Wines
In theory we’re a wine business, but really, we’re a people business. Our wine is the product of our people.
By Vicki Monaghan, French Product Marketing Manager
A look back at three whirlwind days of wine, rendez-vous and a lot of walking.
As a novice to the world of large wine expositions, the sheer scale and scope of Wine Paris was staggering. The size of each of the six halls, the huge stands that could have been theatre sets, the bright lights, the low-key roar of hundreds of voices talking at once…
I know that this experience will be a routine part of the year for many in the wine industry, but for someone seeing it all for the first time, the effect is dazzling. I feel like we should try to never become blasé about the mammoth feat it must be to put together an event like this and to keep it going without incident for three days.
Apart from the scale, it also feels like a stylish event, the location in one of the world’s most chic cities certainly helps and their “Le Off” programme, a curated list of bars and restaurants dotted around Paris, which includes special tastings for visitors to sample away from the fair, looked very well considered and tempting. ?I also spotted some very well-attired, distinguished guests milling around the stands, including one dapper chap who had paired his wardrobe to match his rosé. Not to mention the attendance of a few well-known personages; twenty-seven ambassadors from around the globe, three French ministers and Ridley Scott, world-famous Director and owner of Mas des Infermières in the Luberon. (I should stop listing figures before this turns into the 12 Days of Christmas).
A focus on sustainability
But shiny stands, gastronomy and celebrity aside…the real objective of the fair is doing business (bien s?r) and discussing the overall shape of the wine industry, now and in the future. There were more than 70 masterclasses, panel discussions and conferences over the three days with the usual range of innovation, tech, the environment, communications, and specific wine regions being given attention. Looking through the programme at least 15% were specifically dedicated to sustainability in the wine industry in one guise or another, whilst I’m sure many of the others will also have touched on this topic. The title of one panel discussion certainly captured the question many will have asked “Sustainability in wine: Luxury or Commercial Necessity?” I hope for many the answer lies on the side of necessity, and I’d like to think for more than purely commercially led reasons.
The ‘s’ word was everywhere, and the organisers were clearly taking their own CSR seriously; upon signing up for my visitor pass I was asked to fill in details of how far I was travelling to attend the event and by what means, this was repeated by means of a short survey, each time I needed to sign into the fair’s Wi-fi. A simple but I imagine very, very effective way of capturing this information from the thousands of people all wanting to avoid using their roaming data.
Posters bearing the header “Let’s Change Together” highlighted the environmentally friendly objectives of the fair, such as to collect 5,000 litres of wine from the spittoons (and in case you’re wondering what on earth for, it turns out it was to be turned into industrial alcohol) or to recycle 80,000 bottles. Exhibitors too were asked to help in these efforts by ensuring lights and tech were turned off overnight; even to use LED bulbs where possible and to consider modular stands that could be re-used over several years.
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Our wine is the product of our people
For my part, I had a full programme of meetings each day with many of our fantastic French producers who had come to exhibit and do business at the event. Some of them I hadn’t previously met so it was great to put faces to names and to get to know them all and make better connections. Speaking to people in person really does still have value and the ability to see so many within only a few days, simply by walking from one stand to another, was really worthwhile. When you think of the amount of travelling it would have required to achieve the same thing, going all over France to visit their respective estates, doing it this way is extremely eco-friendly. I don’t think meetings like this should completely replace a visit, there’s nothing like seeing a winery or the landscape with your own eyes, but if it means we can all see each other in person more often, then that’s no bad thing.
An event of increasing scale
This year was the 5th iteration of the exposition, and it was bigger in size and ambition than ever before, with visitor attendance up 14%. There was a whopping 53% growth in international exhibitors which suggests that Wine Paris is moving from an event mainly for French winemakers and their wines to something that draws much wider interest.
To gauge its success with an experienced veteran, Deb Brooks, Head of Marketing, shares her opinion of the fair…
“Our Boutinot stand welcomed new and old customers alike.? The launch of our new Home Heaphy in Nelson, New Zealand was exciting and great to taste inaugural vintages of Moutere Old-Vine Riesling and Nelson Sauvignon with them. I poured a lot of Henners Brut from our Sussex vineyard (and not only for staff!) so thrilled to hear that English sparkling is taking off internationally.”
Naturally, this has all prompted discussions about which of the big wine fairs we visit or have a presence in, both internally and amongst our producers. Some winemakers we spoke to will now just be focusing on Wine Paris, whilst others will still attend ProWein as well. For Boutinot, these events are both great opportunities for export customers to meet with our International Team and in particular to showcase our own production wines and our Homes vineyards, so we’ll see you there at both.
Check out our reel highlights here https://www.instagram.com/p/C3SScRMtWA8/