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Est. 1996

Issue 132

February 2008

ISSN: 1357-1168

WINE+ Declared A Success As The Industry's Finest Acknowledge Its Value For The On-Trade

The cream of the on-trade made their way to Olympia recently to the second Wine+ event organised by Fresh RM. Over 90 hand selected exhibitors took part showcasing entry level to premium wines to an audience of sommeliers, restaurateurs, hoteliers and publicans.

Since its launch in 2007, Wine+ has benefited from considerable hype in the trade and the support of leading figures such as Eileen Ginger (Whitbread), Will Beckett and Huw Gott (Underdog Group), Nicolas Clerc (The Milestone), Suzanne Arensmann (OXO Tower) and Ajaz Sheikh (The Lanesborough) helped draw the heavy hitters that have make this show a success.

The ever popular Live Theatre and Business Clinic played host to some of the industry's most illustrious names. Visitors came in force to benefit from the expertise of leading wine makers, chefs and sommeliers. John Radford, Peter Gordon (The Providores), Gaia Gaja and Vivek Singh (Cinnamon Club) all played to packed audiences in the Live Theatre whilst Gérard Basset (TerraVina) and David Paskins (Gorgeous Group) stole the show in the Business Clinic. At The French Wines Discovery Lounge, visitors networked and took advantage of tastings with luminaries that included Tim Atkin MW, Suzy Atkins and Peter McCombie MW.

Exhibitors commented that the show retained a buzz and consistency of numbers throughout and many acknowledged the high calibre of visitors, noting the attendance of leading sommeliers such as Franck Massard (Torres), Christine Bartsch (Petrus), Jan Konetzki (Maze), and Gearoid Devaney (Tom Aikens).

Visitors commended the layout of the show with many enjoying the accessibility and size. The range of premium wines was also a highlight with some commenting that they had not expected to be able to taste such high end wines at a trade show and were pleasantly surprised by the quality offering.

Emily O'Hare, sommelier at Fifteen and River Café, commented, "The quality of wines is really strong. I came with no expectations and left knowing that this is an event which professionally I cannot afford to miss."

Master Sommelier Matt Wilkin, formerly of The Capital Hotel and Genesis Wines, said, "Wine+ is a very comfortable environment in which to interact with suppliers and contacts and the quality of the education programme enables visitors to learn a great deal in a short amount of time. It's also important to have an event that is totally focused on the needs of the on-trade - something that's been missing for a long time."

Following the challenging weather conditions of 2007 when hurricane conditions prevented many from attending the second day of the inaugural show, it was no surprise to learn that visitor numbers were up by over 50%, however the increase was unprecedented, showing that Wine+ has already established itself as a vital date in the wine trade's calendar.

Premium partner, Enotria, acknowledged the quality of the show, "This is a great show for us as it attracts the right people in the trade and the quality of the speakers and attractions speak for themselves. We have met numerous new contacts as well as existing clients. The set up and organisation is amongst the best we've experienced."

First time exhibitor, Lanson, agreed, "The show is a good size as it's not overwhelming and there are good quality visitors. We will certainly be returning next year."

Event Director, Sue Woodward, added, "The increase in visitor numbers and the relevance of those attending remain a key priority for us. Wine+ was a bigger show this year, however the quality of the event remains our number one priority. We are delighted with the support we have received from the on-trade and the endorsement by leading figures has ensured the event's status as an essential diary date for the industry."