Vinexpo India Mumbai 2022 postponed to 18-20 August due Omicron Fears

Although delWine could not contact Rod Lameyse, CEO of Vinexposium, Rajan Sharma, Director of the Indian partner, Inter Ads Exhibitions, indicated that Covid-19 and the safety of the exhibitors and participants including foreign guests, was the primary reason. Continued uncertainty in foreign travel could have also been a factor. It could also be due to the cumulative chain effect of several international shows getting postponed to May and June making it very crowded months. Unfortunately, June and July are also poor months for a Show in Mumbai because of torrential and incessant rains.

Rajan has also confirmed that Rod would definitely be coming for the Show.

ProWein had already postponed

After two years of cancelled shows, Düsseldorf-based ProWein which had been postponing and then cancelling their show for two years in 2020 and 2021 was the first Show to announce the postponement from 27-29 March to 15-17 May 2022 over a week ago. Unfortunately, the new date clashed with the London Wine Fair, which had already announced the Show at Olympia in London on 16-18 May.

Several exhibitors, who participate at both the shows, expressed their disappointment, including the Fair Director Hannah Tovey who minced no words in expressing her anger and dismay at the clash, describing the move as an extremely aggressive assault on both the London Wine Fair and the UK drinks market, according to Drinks Business. She was cut up particularly because this is the 40th edition of London Wine Fair this year.

Blaming the move on the spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant, Wolfram Diener, CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, the organising company of ProWein expressed their inability to change the date while regretting the clash, despite repeated communications between the two organisers.

Aware that ProWein were considering postponing this year’s fair, with May rumoured to be the most-likely month for the show in 2022, Tovey had repeatedly called and emailed the organisers of the Düsseldorf event to ensure that it would not coincide with the London show.

As expected and predicted by delWine, the Show was obliged to be postponed within a few days to a more palatable 7-9 June 2022 at the same Venue-Olympia, London.

Wine Paris and Vinexpo Paris has meanwhile confirmed that the Show will be held on the announced dates 14-16 February, 2022 in Versailles. But the third largest Fair in France, Salon des Vins de Loire to have been held in Angers on January 31 to February 1, has been cancelled and will be held now in 2023, for the same reasons, after being postponed to 15-17 March earlier.

Vinexpo India plans to be much bigger and better in Mumbai, thanks to its association with SIAL India, the Indian arm of the world famous SIAL Paris. It proposes to have many more foreign participation as well as domestic producers most of whom could not participate in Delhi due to the unfathomable excise laws that do not allow any labels registered in Delhi to be displayed or the wines tasted. So it precluded all major producers and several importers who already have a presence in Delhi. They would be able to participate now in Mumbai.

The hugely successful Masterclasses at Vinexpo India Delhi, each with wines to taste, are also expected to attract many producers, wine lovers, importers, distributors, Sommeliers and journalists from across India.

Please pencil in the new dates in your calendar (18-20 August, Thursday- Saturday).. The time looks far away but passes very quickly as those in the trade are fully aware. For any details, contact vinexpoindia@delwine.com

Subhash Arora

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