The wine and spirits industry is going through a very difficult time with duty increases, rises in supply chain costs and the roll out of EPR - what steps are you taking to help the sector at the show?
The wine and spirits industry has been well and truly battered by ever-increasing duties on alcohol, squeezing margins and a downturn in consumption, all of which combine to make profitability a real challenge. This on the back of the dual impacts of Brexit and Covid-19 over the last five years, feels like there has been a distinct lack of respite for our sector.
The London Wine Fair is the biggest opportunity of the year for the UK drinks industry and many of its world suppliers to come together
In terms of steps we have taken, these range from offering our companies a breadth of exhibiting opportunities: from single day activations; a one-hour masterclass; or turn-key stand build; with all options focusing on a value for money offering.
We understand the event can be a significant investment for drinks companies, but we feel return on investment is something we deliver, and this is evident in the huge number of exhibitors who return each year, especially this year where we are seeing significant stand increases from the likes of Mentzendorff, the Japan Pavilion and The Canned Wine Company, which has signed for the next three years and doubled their space to show both its flagship brand and The Copper Crew organic wines.
We firmly believe that London Wine Fair supports the UK market like no other event. It fosters business, engagement, and generates solutions to our shared challenges. Less tangible, but as important, is the energising effect of the show. Our visitors and exhibitors often refer to the buzz of “The Fair”, and this has a real benefit in promoting positivity, creativity and futurism.
Do you think the London Wine Fair has a particular role to play in these hard times?
In a word, yes.London Wine Fair has always been the one major event where the drinks industry can come together to discuss the challenges, issues and opportunities. We enjoy a positive partnership with the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), and their annual ‘State of the Nation’ address on the morning of day two of the show is always a major fixture for our industry’s key opinion leaders.
Over the last few - turbulent - years we have covered the impacts of Brexit, Covid-19 and government agendas. This year The WSTA will cover the challenges and opportunities presented by politics, from Trump’s tariffs to the UK’s duty escalator.
Any specific features that have been introduced to address the trading environment?
There will be an opportunity to hear leading trade figures discuss key industry challenges at the show - including two sessions from The Buyer on bringing new skills into the industry on May 19 at 4.45pm and how the industy is coping with duty changes on May 20 at 11.30pm
As you know, The Buyer is hosting a panel session which explores the impact of the duty changes four months on and how is the industry tackling the full roll out of both the ABV-driven duty system and the new EPR packaging regulations on May 20 (11.30am-12.30pm - see end for details).
We are working closely with the WSTA to ensure their content reflects the most prescient challenges the industry is facing – across on and off-trade sectors.
Can you talk us through other areas of the show you are introducing for the first time?
Our big news for 2025 is the launch of Signature Serve. This is a dedicated space for premium spirits and mixer brands and content. Signature Serve will appeal to an audience of top end UK based buyers and distributors across the on and off trade sectors, from the leading cocktail bars to independent retailers and multiple grocers.
We decided to fully commit to spirits this year due to the dynamics of our visitor audience, the changing landscape of the UK market, and a gap in the market for an industry event that connects spirit brands to serious buyers.More than 2,000 decision makers working in spirits are already attending the fair, as crossover between wine and spirits buying roles increases year-on- year. Whilst these buyers use the fair as an essential part of their wine-buying remit, they are currently under-serviced when it comes to spirits exhibitors.
For example, 41% of the 2024 on-trade visitors were spirits buyers, covering premises such as Caprice Holdings, Harrods, 28-50 Restaurant Group, Cliveden House,. and Rare Restaurants. From the off-trade 26% of the visitors were responsible for buying spirits, covering retailers such as Harrods, Waitrose, The Whisky Exchange, Majestic, Tesco, Loki Wines and The Co-op.
We have capped our exhibitors for this, the first year so we can focus on delivering something really special for exhibitors and visitors alike, and we have quickly attracted a raft of really exciting companies to date, including: CASK; Beckford’s Rum; BrewDog Distilling Co; Brixton Spirits; Distillery 031; Dreamsake; Elsham Wold Distillery; Karmaceuticals; Liana Collection; Mahiki Drinks; Old Monk Rum; Poetica Distillery; Renais Gin; Sagrado; Toretto; and Wolfie’s Whisky.
Spirits writer Milie Milliken is helping to curate and host the Signature Serve section of the show
Hawksmoor's head of bars Liam Davy is sharing his expertise to help craft the Signature Serve section
We have appointed two ambassadors for Signature Serve, both of whom bring a wealth of spirits industry knowledge: Millie Milliken, the award-winning drinks and hospitality writer knows what writes the stories; and Liam Davy, head of bars for Hawksmoor. Having a premium spirits buyer tell us what buyers really want certainly dials up the relevance.
What existing areas are you building on and improving?
The main trading floor will see several new and returning exhibitors, and there are two specific areas of growth for which reflects the wider market: Portugal and Asia.Portugal will have its largest presence in recent years; 24 wineries with ViniPortugal have already committed to exhibit in the Wines Unearthed section which represents wineries looking to export to the UK and separately four Portuguese regions are each taking a pavilion to showcase producers: Lisboa, Dao, Gouveia and Beira Interior.
Portuguese and Spanish specialist importer, Oakley Wine Agencies will also exhibit for the first time.Stand space from China has almost doubled. Chinese wine specialist importer, Vinum Eurus will return to the show with a more than 300% increase in stand space to reflect its growing commitment to the UK market.
The Wines Unearthed section of the show is celebrating its 10th anniversary at the London Wine Fair - devised and run by Judy Kenrick and Ana Sofia Oliviera it has been a major attraction and a great opportunity for producers and buyers to do business
Wines Unearthed - the section of the show which is exclusively for wineries seeking UK distribution - is bigger this year, as is the Mindful Drinking Experience, which hosts no and low drinks.
The Japan Pavillion, which showed at the 2024 show for the first time, will be back with a 50% larger stand, at over 150sqm, to showcase its portfolio of sake, shochu and wine.
France is investing significantly this year, with 26 independent producers exhibiting – a notable increase on 2024. Vin IGP Méditerranée is increasing its presence by 50% on account of the continued growth of rosé wine; and CIVP – Vins De Provence will host a masterclass on the first day. In addition, Business France is hosting a pop-up tasting featuring producers across France looking for distribution in the UK throughout May 19.
Following the success of their 2024 show, which saw them return after a 12-year hiatus, Mentzendorff has increased its footprint by a significant 10 square metres, to showcase more of their premium portfolio. It is also hosting an impressive series of tutored tastings on its stand.
One of the largest stands of the event, Hatch Mansfield is maintaining the 130sqm it expanded into last year having found every additional square metre was at capacity throughout all three days of the event. It is also hosting a masterclass on May 20 at midday for its prestige Portuguese producer Esporão.
Drinks industry logistics provider, Hillebrand Gori will return with a third more space for 2025; Wines of Serbia will return with a 25% larger stand and the GM Drinks stand is more than doubling in size.
Sustainability is an area we cover more each year of the show; it really has been a significant focus since 2021, and we are very proud of the initiatives we have supported and launched in that time.
This year we recognise buyers who buy sustainably, with a brand-new category in our Wine Buyers Awards: Sustainable Wine Buyer and Sustainably Wine Buying Team.
This links nicely to one of our panel sessions: Buying Sustainably - What it Means for Drinks Buyers, which sees the industry’s sustainability trailblazers speaking: Anne Bousquet (CEO, co-owner, Domaine Bousquet); Barry Dick MW (buyer and bulk sourcing manager, Waitrose); Verity Sessions (owner, Palate Bottle Shop) and Carolin Haas (global head of sustainability, Hillebrand Gori).
The Canned Wine Company is hosting a session on centre stage covering hot topics such as sustainability, women in wine, canned wine and alternative formats. We will also welcome back the Porto Protocol team, Sustainable Wine Solutions and for the first time the Impact Focus team. All of whom are working with LWF to provide content and activations throughout all three days.”
Any other highlights?
The Judgement of London tasting is returning this year with a special event focused on picking out the best Champagnes
I am particularly looking forward to this year’s Icon Tasting: The Battle of the Bubbles, which will see the best Champagnes pitted against the best sparkling wines of the world. As with last year’s “Judgement of London”, this is being curated by Sarah Abbott MW and Ronan Sayburn MS, and promises to be a highly anticipated tasting.
We have secured 20 of the UK industry’s best palates, including Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers and specialist wine writers, as judges for a tasting to be held under examination conditions in a private room in Olympia. We look forward to revealing the results on the Wednesday afternoon.
What are the challenges of putting on a major trade show and how are you getting over them?
The passionate London Wine Fair team and I work really hard to keep the fair fresh, relevant and exciting for visitors. It is how we are managing to grow our exhibitor content each year. The positive testimonials and word of mouth from exhibitors who are already hitting their objectives is also helping.
The landscape of the drinks industry is changing so quickly, that inevitably addressing the challenges and spotting opportunities for growth, are always front of mind.We spend significant time talking with our industry leaders and working together to ensure we deliver a show which meets their needs.”
What do you most look most forward to running the show?
I always love those few minutes before the doors open on the very first day of London Wine Fair.The sense of anticipation is palpable as exhibitors put the finishing touches to their stands, the pre-show meetings are underway and a satisfying queue of eager industry professionals starts to build.Other than that, probably The Buyer’s London Wine Fair party on Tuesday evening!
What other things are you doing for the rest of the year to help promote the show and support the trade?
The results of the Wine Buyers Awards will be announced at London Wine Fair
We publish the digital London Wine Fair Times for three months leading up to the show, featuring topical articles and news from our exhibitors. This publication reaches over 50,000 industry professionals.
We also host The Wine Buyers Awards, with entries opening in October and the shortlist unveiled at our annual preview party in February at Gaucho, Piccadilly. This celebration not only announces the award finalists but also provides exhibitors and visitors with a valuable opportunity to learn about the latest exciting plans for the show.
Anything else to say?
I am acutely aware that our visitor audience actually want a greater consolidation of tastings in the UK - so fewer dates in their diary for them to have to leave their venues and offices – not more. A large percentage of our audience tell us regularly that they would like to see even more companies, generic bodies and brands return to the fair. Simply put, it is more efficient for them.
In these stretched times it is unrealistic for most buyers to attend the number of tastings they currently need to – in terms of both cost and time. My team and I are massively committed to being here for the industry we love and providing solutions that work for all budgets. We are proud of how creative those solutions are, and we love to allow our exhibitors to showcase their business or brand in a way that reflects their ethos and style. These may be straightened times, but tough times call for more creativity.
We certainly know how hugely important drinks buyers are in the market, but we also know that buyers don’t work in isolation. London Wine Fair is the one space, that once a year, all of the moving parts come together and create that palpable energy in a room full of opportunity, support and commerce.
* You can find out more about London Wine Fair and how to register at its website here.
* The Buyer is hosting two panel debates at the show:
* May 19: 4.45pm-5.45pm: Why the wine industry needs to atract new talent and different skills to stay competitive. Chaired by The Buyer's Richard Siddle and including Pauline Vicard, Areni Global; Sam Linter, Plumpton College, Mitchel Fowler, Ferovinum; Gareth O'Kelly, Vinokelly.
* May 20: 11.30pm-12.30pm: Duty, EPR, tariffs etc...what buyers, importers, retailers are doing to tackle the industry's biggest headaches, what solutions and new ways of trading are they coming up with. With Barry Dick, Waitrose; Kim Wilson, North South Wines; Alex Green, Beyond Wines; Andrew Porton, Lanchester Wines.
