You are about to host your 10th Wines Unearthed at London Wine Fair - tell us what you have in store?
We are excited to be returning to the London Wine Fair for our 10th anniversary. This year, the pavilion will feature over 50 wineries from 13 countries — all seeking UK and international distribution, including 23 producers through Wines of Portugal. The space offers buyers an exciting opportunity to connect with high-quality producers who are currently without representation in key markets.
Can you give us more details in terms of the countries and types of producers that are taking part?
Wines Unearthed's co-founders Ana Sofia Oliveira and Judy Kendrick
From the boutique vineyards of Portugal to up-and-coming estates in Turkey, the Wines Unearthed area offers wine professionals and buyers a unique opportunity to discover new and exciting producers.
This year’s line-up includes producers from:Portugal, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, South Africa, Turkey, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, Switzerland and more.
You can find a full list of participating producers here:
https://www.winesunearthed.com/lwf---visit-25
Over the years of running Wines Unearthed what are the key things you have learnt in terms of maximising returns for both the producer and the visitors tasting their wines?
For buyers, it’s a win-win: Every producer is vetted for quality and market ambition.
They're prepared for the UK market and serious about finding distribution.
And you’ve got producers from 13 countries all in one place so no traipsing around the fair to discover new talent.
For producers: Preparation is key. Those who do the groundwork tend to achieve the best results. The fair’s business matching platform helps identify potential buyers.
Our team actively promotes exhibitors using one of the UK’s most extensive trade databases. We encourage producers to focus on "What we can do for you" messaging as it helps buyers quickly assess fit.
What percentage of producers can you say end up with listing and good leads from taking part - and has this increased over the years?
Wines Unearthed at London Wine Fair will have producers taking part from 13 countries
We have a producer coming to Vinexpo Asia in Singapore with us this year who exhibited at the London Wine Fair in 2019 and when I spoke to him, he was up in Scotland supporting the tasting of an importer he found back then.
We also had an Argentinian producer with us at Wine Paris who similarly found UK distribution six years ago at Wines Unearthed in London. Both of their business partnerships are still going strong. This is ultimately the goal: for producers and for importers to find good partnerships that work for them for the long haul.
In general terms, the majority of producers leave the London Wine Fair with positive leads to follow up. We estimate that if the follow up is done properly, 35% of producers eventually find some distribution as a result of exhibiting.
Trends are an important factor in answering this question. If a producer has wines from a trendy region or wines that are on-trend or in short-supply then they are bound to have more success especially if these assets form part of their marketing message.
What sort of buyers are likely to be best served by the producers taking part - is it more smaller merchants vs major supermarkets?
While most of our producers are small to medium-sized, many have the capability to supply larger volumes including bulk shipments. This makes Wines Unearthed valuable for a wide range of buyers including:Independent merchants; regional distributors; on-trade buyers; even supermarket buyers looking for something new.
You also offer support and advice to the producers taking part - what do you look to offer them?
Wines Unearthed also hosts a conference on the Sunday before London Wine Fair for the producers taking part as an opportunity to hear from leading UK trade figures on how to successfully distritbute wines into the country
One of the things that is hugely valuable to exhibitors is the Road Map to Export document. This is a 100+ page piece of work that we update every year explaining how the market works, what’s new in terms of the trading environment and what the current trends in the market are. If producers are really committed to finding a partner they read this document from cover to cover before they come.
As you can imagine, the document is quite a lot to get through, so on the day before the fair we hold a conference to bring the document to life. We invite members of the trade to come and talk to the producers and explain how their sector works and what producers need to do to succeed in their type of business.
You are also now exhibiting at other major trade fairs around the world - and working with Vinexpo on their shows?
We debuted at Wine Paris with Vinexpo last year and had a great experience: buyer engagement was strong and the organisers were very supportive. This year, we returned with 47 producers from 16 countries: a 25% increase on 2024.
Wines Unearthed now works with Vinexpo and has held two events at Wine Paris and is going to Vinexpo Asia in Singapore for the first time later in May
We’re excited to launch Wines Unearthed Asia at Vinexpo Asia in Singapore, right after LWF 2025. We chose this show because of the strong growth in the region and our confidence in Vinexpo as an organiser. We expect this to become a key hub for our producers looking to expand into Asian markets.
What have you learnt from working at those shows that you can also use for LWF and making Wines Unearthed better there
Every show helps us refine how we support producers - from how we brief them, to how we promote them to buyers. At international events, we’ve seen the value of even greater preparation and more targeted buyer matchmaking. We’re bringing those lessons back to LWF, ensuring that Wines Unearthed continues to evolve as the go-to destination for discovering new talent in wine.
What else have you learned from taking Wines Unearthed to an international audience?
One of the key things we’ve learned is that not everyone immediately understands what the word “Unearthed” means. Some visitors are unsure why the area includes so many producers from such a wide range of countries, and others assume we might take a commission on any deals that result from the event — which, of course, we don’t. This has made it clear that we need to communicate our purpose more effectively.
At its core, Wines Unearthed is a platform for discovery - helping wineries exhibit with ease and connect directly with buyers. Our goal is to bring together quality-driven producers who are actively looking for new markets, and give buyers the chance to uncover exciting new opportunities, all in one place.
* You can find out more about Wines Unearthed at its website here.
