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Will the French be left on the shelf this year?
As French winemakers fight back are New World producers about to meet their Waterloo?
At last year’s inaugural London Wine Show – an event where wine producers and retailers meet thousands of wine enthusiasts – we met many independent French producers. Our delight at their presence was tinged by disappointment upon discovering their position – hidden away on a poorly signposted balcony. The big international wine brands dominated the main floor.
This year will be different, says Chris Skyrme of Sopexa, a Holborn-based company promoting many of the French wines at the show. The Wine Show has returned to the London Business Design Centre in Upper Street, N1 and runs until Sunday (October 29). The French will have a big presence, he says.
The main French group is still on the balcony – Chris Skyrme calls it the gallery – but unlike last year, its position will be advertised throughout the show area and they have a gimmick in the form of The French Wine Experience, a series of six lifestyle zones, staffed by actors and each highlighting six wines that compliment a particular activity.
Nights in, nights out, dinner parties, outdoor living, celebrations and Christmas are all featured. Last year French wine producers attended the show and answered questions, this time three “wine experts” will do the job.
For years the French have assumed that their wines sell themselves. They have a historical wine making tradition, a strong regulatory system and an amazing unparallelled diversity of wines.
Their grape varieties and wine styles – an inspiration for most of the worlds wine-makers – produce a stunning range of wines, including many of the worlds most expensive. All this was not enough for the UK market and they have lost share to a growing list of emerging wine making nations.
The French Wine Experience at the London Wine show is a landmark event. It represents French realisation that Anglo-Saxon countries are different, – nothing is sacred – even extremely serious, life sustaining, deeply satisfying and vitally necessary activities like eating and drinking, must in London, come with an additional large dollop of “fun”.
 Oz Clarke |
Fun and grapes with Oz
ISLINGTON, recently named one of the top ten worst places to live in the UK, is about to become extremely desirable. It will provide a temporary home to the world’s greatest wine companies and become a magnet for a small army of wine lovers. Perhaps to celebrate. the borough should run a new flag up the Town Hall flag pole. Hurrah, for the red, white and rosé.
The London Wine Show enjoys its second year at the Business Design Centre in Upper Street, N1.
The list of exhibitors at the show reads like a Who’s Who of the UK’s wine shelves.
More than 130 exhibitors from all the major wine producing countries in the world California, Australia, New Zealand and South America will attend.
Most West European wine makers including Spain, Germany and Italy are represented. France has a large contingent. The French Wine Experience dominates the Gallery, while the main floor is peppered with exhibitors from Bordeaux, Burgundy, Cote du Rhone and underrated Alsace. All will offer a slug of free wine to those who attend. It’s not only those who make our wine, companies who provide the shelf space are also there in abundance.
They include specialist independents and the big guys, Oddbins, Threshers and Sainsbury’s, but no Tesco – the nations biggest wine retailer – their probably to busy opening a store somewhere.
Finally, when you tire of the free wine, which every sensible person does, there are the non-alcoholic exhibitors – including olive oil suppliers – fun events and a restaurant.
The show opens today (Thursday) with an evening preview sponsored by the French wine region, Beaujolais and hosted by the nation’s favourite tippling thespian – Oz Clarke (pictured).
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