July 04: The 10th edition of the 2-day World Bulk Wine Exhibition (WBWE) to be held in RAI Amsterdam on November 26-27 has chosen USA as the guest country, visited last week by a delegation from WBWE and the Bulk Wine Club formed under its tutelage a couple of years ago, writes Subhash Arora, a regular visitor to the exhibition that sees 75-80% of the bulk wine business transacted at this Show, making it a not-to-miss Show for those looking for value- for- money wines in India
About 200 producers from 22 countries and 6,500 visitors from 60 countries including India are expected to attend the event happening on November 22-23. There is also a wine competition a day before the Show opens. To that effect, a Business Tour was also planned a couple of weeks ago to the USA, the partner for this year’s event.
The California Wine Business Tour was the first of a series of trips planned by the Bulk Wine Club (BWC) and WBWE for improving business and expanding the economic and social benefits of the bulk wine industry through the membership of BWC. US was targeted as the destination for the first business trip due to the growing importance of this country, with a growth of 24.5% compared to the previous year, importing 339 million liters in 2017 by many of the 9,654 wineries across the country.
Representatives of wineries from Australia, Argentina and Spain took part in the trip tailored to meet the commercial requirements of these producers and top-level experts from the United States. They visited two of the most important companies in the region: E&J Gallo Winery (Sonoma) needs no introduction and LangeTwins Winery and Vineyards (Lodi), a winery that has grown exponentially from 50 hA to 3,500 hA during the last 10 years. Here are a few pointers from the trip:
The trip also focused on the debate and networking with keynote lectures given by some of the industry’s most renowned professionals in California, who pointed out key insights on the present and future of the industry for all those professionals who are interested in operating in the US market.
Since 2008 the growth of bulk wine imports in the US has been unstoppable. There is tremendous opportunity at the moment for bulk wine imports for the segment of sub $8 suggested retail price. Chile is one of the main suppliers of quality bulk wine to the US which is constantly looking for alternatives and novelties. Sparkling wines like Prosecco have a huge potential for growth, since wineries prefer to import it instead of investing in equipment to produce it. American consumers increasingly spend on the wines that they drink.
- Interestingly, only 3 companies reportedly control 50% of the US bulk wine market- Gallo, The Wine Group and Constellation Brands.
- Generation X will be the one that spends the most in wine consumption in the long run.
- Women are shaking off men as the leading purchasing and consumption force in the US.
- CO2 emissions plunge by 40% by shipping wine in bulk.
- The categories with a greater growth and future potential trend are rosés and sparkling wines
- Direct to consumer labels will grow and they will be retail driven.
Of course, there will be usual features like tasting independently in hassle-free area. There will be the usual Seminars, tastings and food sampling. If you have not been to one before, it is a great opportunity to be a part of the segment that handles 38% of wine business. If you have visited before, you know about all the benefits and would surely be considering joining the same again.
Subhash Arora
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