|  The smiling faces of the owners and managers of the organisers, Spanish Pomona Keepers, seemed to indicate that the World Bulk Wine Exhibition (WBWE) in Amsterdam has had a breakthrough this year with a strong growth in both the exhibitors and the visitors. The number of participating wine producers grew about 30 percent to 175 companies from 16 countries. The visitor numbers was about 40 percent higher, reaching 5.800. For the first time, Eastern European exhibitors from Moldova, Bulgaria and Montenegro participated and presented their wines. The international buyers from 62 countries and all five continents could choose from a wide range of wines: a total of more than 30 million hL (hectoliters) of bulk wine was on offer at prices that varied generally between € 0.65 to €0.90 a liter although some offerings were as low as €0.55 and as high as €1.20 for the award winning oaked reds.
According to Federico Castellucci, Director General of the International Organization for Vine and Wine (OIV) which supports the event, the bulk wine sector represents more than 40 percent of the worldwide wine trade and ten percent of the value and is growing constantly.
Castellucci was the inaugural speaker at the 2-day conference program followed by Natalia Posadas Dickson- Buyer for the Co-operative (Great Britain), Director of the Spanish wine market  observatory Rafael del Rey, Director of ProChile in the Netherlands Christophe Desplas, Director General of Coop de France Languedoc-Roussillon Italo Pitis, journalist Ms. Mi Yeun Hong (Korea), Jean-Luc Faravel (Pera/France), wine broker Florian Ceshi and President of the National Wine Institute of Uruguay José María Lez. The speakers talked about the wine trends in their respective countries.
At the 3rd edition of the International Bulk Wine Competition, 70 wines were entered from nine countries. The internationally renowned jury gave the highest score to a wine from Chile - the Cabernet Sauvignon Plus 2013 from Las Mercedes. The winery was awarded a “Great Gold Medal”. Quality of some of these wines was found to be very good, according to the jury panels- especially Viñedos Puertas from Chile. John Salvi MW who was one of the judges along with his South African wife Petronella Salvi, said that every year the quality of the wines had been going up and so was the interest. Robert Joseph, the well known British journalist, author and critic was present on the second day. ‘Whatever it is, these wines are gaining more and more importance and the show is getting bigger and more meaningful every year.’
Maximum presence was from Spain and France; the show has a distinct Spanish flavour. This was followed by Italy which had fielded many of the giant co-operatives like Soave, Caviro, Cevico and Consorzio like Cantine Riunite d’Abruzzo who are keen to get a bigger share in the Indian market. Argentina, Chile, Australia and South Africa also had a big presence.
 Plantaze is a producer from Montenegro (www.plantaze.com). With over 2500 hAs of undivided vineyards, this debutante participating wine maker claims to be the biggest single parcel vineyard owners in Europe. It has a financial backing of World Bank and produces15 million bottles. Krstać (white),Vranac (red) and Kratosija (Zinfandel) may not be the household words outside the previous constituent of Yugoslavia but their wines with these indigenous grapes have been getting international recognition and though some of the wines were as expensive as €2.50, the quality generally  ranges from €0.55- €1.5. But they also have three hierarchies of quality (similar to appellations) - Table, Quality and Premium. Because of their maiden appearance and interesting wines, they were kept busy by the interested visitors who were tasting on both days.
Interestingly, the Chinese presence was noticeable and the interest for bulk wines was evident. One of the importer visiting groups informed delWine that they were looking for newer grape varieties as they were bored with the usual varietals. They were quite fascinated by the wines from Plantaze and similar exhibitors.
Origin Wine and Mendoza Vineyard is a Stellenbosch winery that also exports its entry level wines to Sula. Frequent visitors to the Show, they had a wide range of wines that would suit the Indian palate and the price is more than right and quite affordable.
A big pleasant surprise was the presence of Viñedos Puertas from Curico Valley, Chile. I had visited the winery during my visit to Chile in 2011. They specialize in bulk wine, with over 90%  being in the bulk category. I was impressed by the capacity and quality of the wines. I remembered the Shiraz winning several gold medals. No surprise that several of their wines won Golds here.
Most exhibitors expressed satisfaction with the Show and plan to participate again next year. This is a big platform they find very useful to discover new markets. There has been no significant presence of Indian importers or producers to the Show except a sporadic presence in the past. The Show promises a lot of possibilities for those who are interested in bottling wine in India.
Like a health check up, WBWE also gives a reality check for the Indian wines. The equivalent wines are available at a small fraction of their costs. The importers can taste the better quality wines and bottle them in India or get them bottled as private labels.
Either way, the Show may have good potential for Indian producers or importers who can schedule their foreign travel next year to be in Amsterdam RAI where it will be held for the 6th time on November 24-25, 2014.
For an earlier related article, click WBWE: On Wine, Toddy and Voice of Wine Award 2013
Subhash Arora |