The Buyer | Caroline Gilby MW on so much to discover at new CEE Wine Fair

Can you tell us about the inaugural Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) Wine Fair coming up?

We are incredibly excited to be finally putting on an event that brings attention to the whole region of Central and Eastern Europe, with a couple of guest countries from close neighbours.

Why have you decided to do this now?

The time is right to showcase this region, as wine buyers and consumers are increasingly looking for authentic stories along with exciting wines. The Old World and bigger, established wine countries have really all been discovered, the New World is about copies and interpretations of the Old World, while CEE has so many unique grapes shaped by fascinating and distinct cultural histories and landscapes that there is a wealth of discovery waiting. And today’s winemaking means quality is great too.

There are 15 countries involved - how have you managed to get them all together to host this tasting?

I have been working across the whole region for many years, since my first job as a wine buyer in late 1980s so I’ve seen the wine revolution here first hand and long wanted to shout about it. My like-minded partner, Zsuzsa Toronyi, also wanted to move beyond single country wine events as a way of getting more attention and creating a buzz for the whole region. Buyers are busy people so I hope that by offering them so many countries to explore we can grab a bit more of their time. I think we’ve been able to do this because we know their stories, have lots of contacts and are a step removed from the countries involved.

Have you held similar events in other countries or plan to do other events as CEE?

We plan that this will be an annual event and will be a must-attend for buyers, sommeliers, and trade in the UK. Wine Communication, our CEE focused marketing agency, also has other events on the calendar or in planning – for instance repeating our successful biannual CEE women winemakers tasting; Blue of the Danube this October for the third time looking at the great CEE red grape Blaufränkisch/Kékfrankos around the Danube basin, and of course the annual Furmint February.

We haven’t done CEE tastings in other countries as the UK is our focus market and there is still a lot of work ahead of us to promote these countries and help them to achieve the position they deserve in this market.

How have you brought the producers together and decided which wine to show?

Mainly through personal contacts and inviting wineries that we respect and believe in to showcase their wines. Choice of wines for the masterclasses will be my personal selection.

Why do you think buyers should give their time to come?

Because they will be able to taste and explore 15 wine countries that they probably don’t know so well and discover grapes from Areni Noir to Žilavka and Zghihară. They will be able to meet winemakers with unique stories and high-quality, exciting wines, offering great opportunities to diversify their portfolios. They can do all this in one location so it is a really great way to spend a few hours.

What highlights can they look forward to?

Hard to pick – as there are so many exciting wines really. Croatia’s Istrian region will be strong with several amazing wineries (Kozlović, Kabola, Fakin and Matošević) with a focus on their local grapes especially Malvazija Istarska and Teran. Two fabulous family wineries from Hercegovina, not far from Mostar, are coming – Škegro and Andrija Vasilj’s Carska Vina – with Žilavka, Blatina and Trnjak on show.

There’s a good group of wineries from Cyprus, never eastern bloc but the island has gone through a similar journey of transformation from volume to quality, and it has never had phylloxera so a wealth of unique grapes like Xynisteri, Maratheftiko and Yiannoudi have survived.

We have some of Romania’s best wineries joining us and a great selection of Bulgarian family wineries and Moldova will be represented by the visionary winemaker Ion Luca and the dramatic Castel Mimi.

Then from the western Balkans we will have the Decanter best in show winner from 2023, Vinčić from Serbia, plus several great wineries from North Macedonia with their signature Vranec and Kratošija. From Hungary, we will be joined by St Andrea, Zelna and Gizella – all previously Decanter platinum and best in show winners.

And Slovenia shouldn’t be forgotten – some of the most beautiful vineyards (and wines) anywhere in the world - Verus, Klet Brda, Gasper, Nebo and Laquin will fly the Slovenian flag. And much more from Hungary, Armenia, Slovakia, Ukraine and Georgia.

Will there be any masterclasses and seminars to sign up to?

Yes, two masterclasses introducing the region, its countries, and grapes with Caroline, plus an additional masterclass focusing on Wines of Slovakia with Elizabeth Gabay MW.

What do you think Central & Eastern European wines can offer that other wine countries can't?

Deep authentic wine roots, amazing diversity and exciting quality for value.

Any particular countries that you are mainly focusing on?

It’s more about the range of countries and wine styles we are showcasing, no one country will dominate. The main strength of the event is that this many wineries happily answered our invitation to show their wines and promote the region alongside other countries.

Will there be any UK importers taking part?

Yes, we have several importers who already bring in wines from this region – for buyers who don’t want to ship direct and to help raise the profile of the region so they can sell better. Liberty Wines, Novel Wines, Malux and the Old Cellar have signed up.

In addition, there will be wineries seeking representation in the UK.

Anything else to say?

We can promise that this will be one of the most exciting wine events of the year – so much to explore and discover.