Gastronomy and Wine Portal

The 2021 London Wine Fair is set to be the most significant digital trade drinks show to date globally, in terms of both content and exhibiting companies. The Fair will host more than 30 sessions, covering Industry Briefings, panel discussions and Tasting Masterclasses. Visitors will be able to book Tasting Masterclasses from today (Wednesday, 5^th May), to ensure samples arrive in time.  Visitors will be able to access exhibitor stands from Monday, 10^th May.  Exhibitors include the top U.K. agencies and generic bodies as well as several producers seeking representation in the U.K. for the first time. Well in excess of 500 wineries will be participating, showing more than 3,000 different wines.  The event can be accessed via: Digital London Wine Fair 2021.

Exhibitors signed up to date include:

• Ambriel Sparkling;
• Austrian Wine;
• Awin Barratt Siegel Wine Agencies;
• Bernard Magrez Grands Vignobles;
• Brown Family Wine Group;
• Bruce Jack Wines;
• Castilla y León;
• Cider is Wine;
• Enotria & Coe;
• Felline, Fells;
• Freixenet Copestick;
• Graft Wines;
• Hallgarten & Novum Wines;
• Hatch Mansfield;
• Les Producteurs et Vignerons de France;
• Maltby&Greek;
• Propeller;
• Sud de France Top 100;
• Tŷ Nant;
• Ventisquero Wine Estates;
• Wines in India;
• Wines of Greece & Cyprus;
• Wines of Germany;
• Wines of Portugal;
• WX Brands.

The schedule of content is also now live. Headlining this will be a double bill from the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA); Chief Executive, Miles Beale will host a panel debate on the first two mornings at 10h00. The first, on Monday – “Wine Trading 2021: Where are we?” – will explore the impact of Brexit and Covid-19 on current trading conditions.  Its sequel is on Tuesday – “Wine Trading 2021: Are we there yet?”.

Pre-booking is recommended for all sessions, although restrictions on numbers is only in place for Tasting Masterclasses. Visitors wishing to attend the masterclasses with samples will need to pre-book as early as possible, as these are limited to 90 “seats”.  Places are unlimited for those wishing to attend without the sample packs.

All content can be accessed here:  Programme – London Wine Fair Digital Edition.  Highlights include:

Monday, 17^th May: 11h00 – 12h00

“How the drinks industry can drive diversity”

How the drinks industry can do more to promote and take effective action to drive diversity and inclusion through the supply chain and into retail and hospitality sectors. Panellists: Johanna Anderson, The WSET; Ross Carter, The Drinks Trust; Kirsten Macleod, Green Park Executive; Deano Moncrieffe, Equal Measures, Hacha Bar; and wine business strategy consultant, Sumita Sarma.

Monday, 17^th May: 14h00 – 15h00

“Indian Wine: exploring one of the world’s most exciting emerging wine regions”

India’s only Master of Wine, Sonal Holland, will showcase six wines from the portfolio of newly launched UK agent, Wines in India, in this Tasting Masterclass.  Holland will explore India’s wine production, its unique terroirs, pioneering winemakers and breadth of styles.

Tuesday, 18^th May: 11h00 – 12h00

“Can wine be part of the circular economy?”

A discussion hosted by wine writer, Dr Jamie Goode on how the wine sector can – and should – embrace new formats to ensure future sustainability, organised by Sustainable Wine Solutions from Borough Wines.  Panellists: Damien Barton Sartorius, Château Leoville-Barton; Muriel Chatal, Borough Wines; Greg Dunn, Plumpton College; Ania Smelskaya, Wine & Sustainability Consultant.

Tuesday, 18^th May: 15h00 – 16h00

“Organic & Biodynamic tasting with Michel Chapoutier”

The Chapoutier family has been working towards biodynamic viticulture since 1991.  Michel Chapoutier will host a tasting of six of his Rhône Valley wines, including the acclaimed 2018 Sicamor Crozes Hermitage, which illustrate his organic and biodynamic journey.

Wednesday, 19^th May: 11h00 – 12h00

“Finding and retaining talent”

Top recruitment experts and leaders in the drinks and hospitality industries discuss how to find and then retain the best talent across the sectors.  Panellists: Luke Boase, Lucky Saint Brewery; Emma Forster, Drinks Recruitment at New Chapter; Rachel Webster WSET; and Martin Williams, Rogue Restaurants (Gaucho Group & M Restaurants).

In addition, The Wine & Spirit Education Trust will host a daily taster session at Midday, designed for those looking to either embark on, or progress through, the Award Levels. The sessions are hosted by WSET Educators and include tasting samples.

Visitor looking to register at the London Wine Fair can do so via www.londonwinefair.com.  Tickets, which will cost £25, will give access to content and exhibitors from 17^th to 19^th May, as well as access to the virtual exhibitor stands, sampling platform and recorded content for three months.

The 2021 London Wine Fair is set to be the most significant digital trade drinks show to date globally, in terms of both content and exhibiting companies.

•  1,337 wines/products available to browse;
• 8 exhibitor pavilions;
• 104 exhibitor pages;
• Over 400 individual wine samples requested;
• 11 different exhibitor sample packs, multiple wines included, available for order;
• 335 sample packs ordered;
• 90 sample packs dispatched in advance of the Enotria ICON session;
• A further 186 visitors watched without samples;
• 157 live viewers of the Recovery of the On-Trade session.

London Wine Fair were delighted to host the focused preview day “Welcome back Wednesday” virtually.

The white wine competition, organized under the OIV Patronage, will take place on October 2 and 3 in Strasbourg, France.

Le Mondial des Vins Blancs Strasbourg, organized under the OIV Patronage, is the only wine competition in the world entirely dedicated to the variety of white wines.

• More than 1000 wine samples from 20 countries of the world will be offered to the jury;
• 70 international winejudges;
• Your wines’ recognition on the national and international markets;
• Registration for Le Mondial des Vins Blancs Strasbourg is open from 8^th of April to 31^st of August;
•  Samples shipping: June 1 – September 10.

The winners receive gold and silver medals, as well as the Grand Prix.

More details here.

The white wine competition, organized under the OIV Patronage, will take place on October 2 and 3 in Strasbourg, France.

From 21 April, the Cité du Vin website features a new look, designed by the Goodkids Agency. A new version thought out to offer visitors an immersive and interactive browsing experience, just like the physical experience in the Permanent exhibition. Cité du Vin has taken the opportunity to strengthen its online content by offering La Cité en ligne, an enhanced audio and video content platform (virtual tour, original podcasts, replays of events from the cultural programme, etc.).

A fully revised website  

Cité du Vin has given its website a complete makeover, as it approaches its 5th anniversary. “We wanted to give new impetus to our website with a design that was in line with our graphic charter while meeting the new expectations of Internet users,” says Solène Jaboulet, Marketing and Communication Director at the Cité du Vin. To achieve this, the Cité du Vin called on the Goodkids Agency to design the new version of the site. After six months’ work, this new website offers online visitors an intuitive, interactive and enhanced browsing experience.

La Cité en ligne, a unique platform dedicated to wine culture    

The new version of the website places great emphasis on audio and video content through La Cité en ligne, which brings together multimedia content as well as a virtual tour to explore the building’s architecture.

From a computer, tablet or smartphone, and after buying a ticket online (€5), it is now possible to explore the visitor areas over 4 floors and discover the secrets of the construction of this building, which has become emblematic of Bordeaux, through a virtual tour with enhanced content (texts, photos, audio and videos) to complete the experience. The tour also lets you walk through the Permanent exhibition, to prepare for the real-life experience or be reminded of a previous visit, and to stroll around the Belvedere.

Culture Vin, the Cité du Vin’s online media library, has also been completely redesigned. It is now an enriched platform where Internet users can enjoy free access to videos, podcasts, etc. on the whole world of wine, all themes combined (terroirs, viticulture, science, literature, economy, etc.), in addition to the live conferences offered online for a year now and replays of highlights from the cultural programme.

Photo: Cité du Vin/Goodkids Agency

From 21 April, the Cité du Vin website features a new look to offer visitors an immersive and interactive browsing experience.

Vasivadkörtepálinka has supplemented the list of Hungarian Protected Geographical Indications.

The Hungarian spirit drinks made from wild pears have led to increase of a number of the Hungarian Protected Geographical Indications which are protected by the EU, up to 66 items.

Vasivadkörtepálinka has become the ninth Pálinka which was granted the EU’s protection, among other names that were registered earlier: Pálinka, Törkölypálinka, Békésiszilvapálinka, Göncibarackpálinka, Kecskemétibarackpálinka, Szabolcsialmapálinka, Szatmáriszilvapálinka, and Újfehértóimeggypálinka.

Vasivadkörtepálinka is produced at the distilleries located in Vas and Zala counties, using only wild pears harvested in these counties. The drink has a bright pear aroma, astringent and spicy taste with honey notes.

The use of geographical indications is a tool available to the producers, which may bring significant economic benefits. According to EU statistical data published in January of 2020, the selling price for an agricultural product with a geographical indication is, on the average, twice as high as that for the product without a geographical indication.

Vasivadkörtepálinka has supplemented the list of Hungarian Protected Geographical Indications.

From May 18-th to May 23-rd 2021, an international project “Odessa Wine Week” will be held in Odessa.

Communication Media Group Drinks+ is to act as the General Media Partner of this event, which brings together in Odessa the leading wine experts, scientists, oenologists, winemakers, government officials, national and foreign wine associations, representatives of tourism, HoReCa and retail industry, sommeliers, wine merchants, marketing specialists, wine experts, and journalists.

Odessa Wine Week unites the efforts of the Ukrainian wine community aimed at the development of the Ukrainian wine market and enogastronomic tourism, the promotion and enhancement of the brand “Ukrainian wine”, and Ukraine’s integration into the world wine community.

We are happy to undertake our efforts for this noble cause! Our journalists will take part in the program, and the Odessa Wine Week events will be covered by our publications. Await our reports and interviews from Odessa!

The Odessa Wine Week program will include:

►All-Ukrainian Tasting Competition “Odessa Wine & Spirit Awards”

►International Symposium “2021 OENOVITI International Network”

►Project “Best Riedel glass for Odessa Black variety”

►Conference «Enogastronomic tourism is a driver of development of the tourist destinations”

► Conference «Innovative vine-growing tools in the climate change conditions”

►Wine Future Forum

►Series of author’s tastings from the guests and participants of OWW, which are to be organized for the representatives of HoReCa and retail sectors

► “Tasting in the Air”. Special air trip, along with a tasting aboard the MAU plane: Top-5 Ukrainian wines – winners of the All-Ukrainian Tasting Competition “Odessa Wine & Spirit Awards” and dishes of the Odessa cuisine.

►  XI Gastronomic Festival “Something finger-licking good”.

Photo: Arsen Fedosenko, a photo from the project “New history of Ukrainian wine”.

From May 18-th to May 23-rd 2021, an international project “Odessa Wine Week” will be held in Odessa.

60% of production lost to Cairanne or Gigondas

Damage greater than 2019 in Provence

No wine-growing area has been spared by frost. In Hérault or Gard, the damage is estimated at 35%, with peaks of 70% in Saint-Chinian or Pic-Saint-Loup.

Since 22-nd of March the Languedoc AOP Picpoul de Pinet has a new coordinator, Celeste Renault.

Previously, Celeste specialized in international and European law, but after an internship at the Union of Winegrowers in the small French region of Roussillon Côte Vermeille (Syndicat des vignobles de la Cote Vermeille), Celeste Renault decided to make the protection of the name of Picpoul de Pinet wines her main activity.

The Picpoul de Pinet appellation occupies 1,500 hectares, consists of four wine cooperatives and 24 private wineries. The region produces about 10 million liters of wine per year, of which 65% is exported.

Photo: facebook.com/celeste.renault.9

Since 22-nd of March the Languedoc AOP Picpoul de Pinet has a new coordinator, Celeste Renault.

The organisers of the London Wine Fair have announced the schedule of content for what will be the event’s first ever preview day, “Welcome Back Wednesday”. 

Taking place on Wednesday, 28^th April – the mid-point between the opening of outdoor and indoor hospitality – the day has been created to give the on-trade industry an opportunity to preview new wines, assess opening strategies and gear up for the end of Lockdown.

A number of U.K. based companies, all with a focus on the on-trade, will be exhibiting at Welcome Back Wednesday in addition to the May event, and will show new launches and new vintages specifically for this sector.  These include:  ABS Wine Agencies; Ally Wines; Alpasión Wine; Enotria & Coe; Fells; Hallgarten; Hatch Mansfield; and Noel Young Wines.

Content for the day is focused exclusively on the on-trade, and includes:

10.00: “Recovery of the On-Trade”

Hosted by Richard Siddle, this panel session will evaluate the status of the re-opening to date, two weeks in, and assess how the full re-opening can be successfully managed.  The panel will feature:  Xavier Rousset MS of Black Book, Blandford Comptoir and TRADE app; Enotria & Coe Managing Director, Ants Rixon; Publican, Heath Ball, owner of The Red Lion & Sun, Wenlock Arms, The Anchor Tap, and The Lockhart Tavern; and Katie Jenkins of Kam Media.

12.00: “Talk Uncorked”

Hosted by The Drinks Community – the professional network for drinks industry professionals set up by The Drinks Trust – the session will introduce the help available for hospitality staff affected by the Pandemic.  This will be followed by a “break out” session for attendees to share their tips, concerns, pitfalls and opportunities for re-opening.

14.00: “Enotria & Coe Iconic Winemakers”
Enotria & Coe will host an unmissable Tasting Masterclass featuring nine wines from iconic Old and New World estates. All of these wines are available to the on-trade.  The all-star line-up includes:  d’Arenberg; Joseph Drouhin; Planeta; Chateau Ste. Michelle; and Maison Trimbach.

Visitor registration for the 40^th London Wine Fair and Welcome Back Wednesday is now open. Those intending to access tasting samples for the Masterclass are encouraged to sign up by 23^rd April. Attendees will receive their networking login two days prior to the event. Tickets, which will cost £25, will give access to live content on both 28^th April and between 17^th and 19^th May, as well as access to the virtual exhibitor stands, the sampling platform and recorded content for three months.

The organisers of the London Wine Fair have announced the schedule of content for what will be the event’s first ever preview day, “Welcome Back Wednesday”. 

The Project EU “Support to the development of the system of geographical indications in Ukraine” is coming to an end, but the project initiated by him will develop and support SMBs in rural areas, producers of wines, traditional products, and beverages with the potential of geographical indications.

In order to ensure such sustainable development of the Project, GZ supported the initiative of the public unions “Wine and Taste Route of Ukrainian Bessarabia” and “Taste Route of Prykarpattia” to establish a Public Union “National enogastronomic tourist network ” Wine and Taste Routes of Ukraine”. This organization will unite a wide range of stakeholders (representatives of tourism, agro-industrial, and other tourism-related sectors, scientific and educational organizations, public authorities, local governments, relevant NGOs, individual experts in the field of tourism, agriculture, food technology, geography, marketing, regional development, opinion leaders and other stakeholders), whose joint activities are aimed at developing eon and gastronomic tourism in Ukraine, by creating a system of organized gastronomic routes at the local, regional and national levels. The main purpose of the Public Union is the implementation and protection of rights and freedoms, a satisfaction of social, economic, social, cultural, environmental, and other interests of participants, in particular, in the administration of the project of creation and development of national enogastronomic tourist network sustainable development and the European Green Course. The constituent assembly of the Public Union was held on April 15, 2021.

Olena Motuzenko, National Expert of the GZ Project on gastronomic Tourism and Guaranteed Traditional Features, was elected Chairman of the Supervisory Board – President of the”National enogastronomic tourist network ” Wine and Taste Routes of Ukraine”, Valerііа Bondаrenko, National GZ Expert on the Creation and Development of Wine and Taste Routes was elected General Manager of the union.

Iryna Polshakova, President of the Wine and Taste Route of Ukrainian Bessarabia, said: “For two years of working with the EU Project” Support to the Development of Geographical Indications in Ukraine”, we have united, learned to work together, and achieved considerable practical results, we feel the effectiveness of systemic cross-marketing and lifelong learning, and are aware of how important it is for the formation of other Wine and Taste Routes and Taste Routes of other regions of Ukraine, and creation of a system of joint promotion at the national level. So, ready to share their own experience and move forward with the Public Union “National enogastronomic tourist network ” Wine and Taste Routes of Ukraine”. Sincere thanks to the whole team of the GZ Project!”.

In order to ensure such sustainable development of the Project, GZ supported the initiative to establish a Public Union “National enogastronomic tourist network ” Wine and Taste Routes of Ukraine”.