The massive wine-and-spirits trade show raised the bar in its second consecutive year in the Big Apple
Photo by: Courtesy of Vinexpo New York
Wine industry members could learn about hundreds of wines hoping to find a spot on U.S. shelves.
Early this week, New York City braced for the biggest snowstorm of the season. But by the next morning, the wintry mix had subsided and the sun was shining as droves of wine-industry members from around the globe made their way into Manhattan’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center for Vinexpo New York 2019—two days of networking, idea-sharing and, of course, wine tasting.
“Last year was great, but it’s even better this year,” Mary Larkin, president of Diversified Communications, Vinexpo’s American partner, told Wine Spectator. Larkin also oversaw Vinexpo New York 2018, the program’s re-debut in the city after 16 years away. “Attendance has increased; we’re getting the name out there.”
Since 1981, Vinexpo has connected wine people from all sectors of the industry, starting with its flagship Bordeaux event. With regular visits to Hong Kong, the program now spans three continents and is planning launches in Shanghai and Paris.
This iteration of Vinexpo, held March 4-5, featured 400 exhibitors from 26 countries, and attracted some 3,000 visitors, among them importers, wholesalers, retailers, sommeliers and other industry professionals.
“We have [visitors from] 40 [U.S.] states, so it definitely has a national footprint,” said Mathieu Vanhalst, Vinexpo’s sales director.
“It’s … a show that doesn’t really exist anywhere else in North America,” said Jean-François Joliette, president of Louis Max, a midsize producer and négociant in Burgundy. “New York is an important market for us, but it’s also just where everyone comes.”
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Ingo Stütz, executive director and CEO of German winery Kessler-Zink, also pointed out the importance of having a large-scale international trade event in New York. “It’s a key city for the U.S. market,” he said.
The expo featured specialized sections such as the World of Organic Wines Pavilion, the New York Wine & Grape Foundation, Renaissance des Appellations and the Wine Spectator 90+ Club, a showcase of wines at the event that have been earned 90 points or more on Wine Spectator’s 100-point scale.
In addition to tastings and meetings with potential partners, attendees were also able to drop in on classes and demonstrations based on different grapes and regions, as well as panel discussions of hot topics in the industry. On Monday, a standing-room-only audience attended a seminar on current trends in the U.S. wine market. Moderated by Wine Spectator executive editor Thomas Matthews, the expert panel included Chris Adams, CEO of prominent retailer Sherry-Lehmann Wine and Spirits; Steve Slater, executive vice president and general manager of the wine division for Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits distribution company; Bill Terlato, CEO of Terlato Wine Group; and Rick Tigner, CEO of Jackson Family Wines.
As reported by Shanken News Daily, the conversation wove through topics including the continued rise of rosé and sparkling wine, the increasing prominence of direct-to-consumer shipping, and the potential effects of cannabis on the wine industry. The panelists also touched on topics like the growing importance of technology, diversity in the workplace and the reality of climate change.
“It’s a very fast-moving industry that we’re living right now,” Slater said during the panel. “I can’t tell you what it’s going to look like four years from now. But I can tell you: It won’t look like this.”
So what are industry leaders placing their bets on? “Think about what’s best for the consumers,” Terlato said, speaking directly about the wine retailer case that’s under review by the U.S. Supreme Court, but also largely addressing many of the trends and issues the industry is currently experiencing.
At Wine Spectator‘s panel on the role of imports in the U.S. wine market, wine importer Michael Skurnik echoed the importance of focusing on the consumer: “It’s a very exciting time to be in the wine business. People are learning more about wine and people are drinking more wine. … I think the answer is more authenticity.”
Though Vinexpo New York is open only to members of the wine trade, consumers were constantly at the forefront of the discussions at the event.
“The consumers do drive a lot of the trends,” Larkin said, mentioning “trading up” (buying higher-priced wines), and the premiumization of brands as two of the most commonly discussed topics of the event. “Consumers are looking for new products, and that is a standard trade show type of scenario, but they’re [also] looking for something with a story.”
Consumers weren’t just driving factors at Vinexpo New York; they’ll also soon be benefactors, according to Larkin: “It’s the new brands that are exhibiting that the importers and distributors and retailers find [at Vinexpo] that will be on shelves soon.”