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Vinexpo New York marks post-Covid return with Drinks America debut

Published:  14 March, 2022

Re-opening last Wednesday 9 March, at Manhattan’s Javits Center, Vinexpo America returned following a year’s pandemic closure. For the first time, this trade-only, France-based gathering expanded its reach by debuting Drinks America, which added to its 380 exhibitors with products from 30 countries including spirits, beers, and a range of Japanese products.

For the latter, Japan’s governing body for its alcohol beverages, the National Tax Agency, showcased its whiskies, gins, sakes, and umeshus (plum drinks), though no wine was shown. A comprehensive overview of these was provided by Sara Guterbock of New York’s Mutual Trading Co., who pointed out that knowledge of sake is now a requisite in both the Institute of Masters of Wine and WSET programs.

As a result, she said, “There are now better educated buyers in the trade. Many restaurants such as steakhouses, oyster bars and prix fixe restaurants are now carrying two or three premium sakes. Between 85 and 90% of all US sake sales are sold in restaurants and there exists a chasm for shop sales.”

Sake, she adds, is now finding favour with millennials thanks to its unique characteristics and inability to stain teeth.

One of many masterclasses on offer, a look into Japan’s sake exports sat alongside a focus on France’s south, Chile and the Czech Republic, which reprised its strong exhibitor showing from Vinexpo’s previous 2020 edition.

At the Wines & Spirits Sales in a Post-Pandemic World conference session, cannabis cocktails purveyor Miles McKirdy posed a question to Derek Correia of Reserve Bar concerning the future of cannabis in drinks, particularly when it comes to the premiumisation of non-alcoholic drinks and millennials’ diminishing alcohol consumption. (As of 1 January, New York is one of 26 US states where cannabis consumption is now legal).

“With more states legalising CBD, cannabis drinks will grow as these are more readily and safely available than combustibles or vaping and reflect a healthier mindset. Deregulation and lifestyle factors are in our favour, though we’re still navigating the state liquor authorities which, when combined with alcohol, is its own nightmare. We also have to be sensitive to the people who’ve invested in our company to this trend,” Correia said.

On the subject of Covid recovery, Cotswolds Distillery founder and New Yorker Daniel Szor, said: “Things aren’t yet where they were before, but it feels good to bring people to us without Zoom or other types of virtual conferences.”

Selling his gin in the US since 2015, the range now has a core of six single malt whiskies, which are now being focused on fulfilling demand in the US. The former financier is now planning a new whisky facility to open this summer. “The interest in craft whiskies continues both in the US and in England and we’re growing with it,” he added.

Meanwhile, Wines of Chile’s 10 wineries took a large, central position, with North America director Julio Alonso confirming that this was the organisation’s first venture in the region.

“When I showed up in 2020 on March 5 from China where I’d worked for seven years, I was one of very few people who chose to wear a mask, but three days later, New York City shut down completely,” he said. “[The show consisted of] a short flow of people then, but I met many people of quality. There are double the people here now as compared to the last edition.”

Larger operations with established US market reach such as VSPT, Terra Noble, and Ventisquero were also in attendance, positioned alongside those without importers such as Vinos de Hacienda.

While pouring wines at the stand of beverage alcohol importer and distributor MHW, Spain-based Molly Steele reported that “people are still hesitant to attend, just as they’ve been with other shows over the past six months”.

Beckie Kier, event director at Diversified Communications, the organisers of Vinexpo America, reminisced about the 2020 edition, including how her team liaised with New York City to create an on-site, 45-minute turnaround PCR testing service for people wishing to fly home.

“I ran a non-wine event in Chicago last September which required masks, and thankfully with the mask mandate being lifted last week, Vinexpo America 2022 hasn’t had that to consider. It’s been a clean slate,” she said.

Kier ensured personal spittoons and coffee cups with indented lids were made available with wine glasses at the exhibition entry to make attendees as comfortable as possible. Such sanitary measures reflect the building’s on-going contributions to keeping visitors safe and supporting the efforts of stemming the flow of Covid-19. For example, within a few days of closing the 2020 edition, the Javits Center became a hospital serving those felled by the first onslaught of the virus.

Vinexpo America will return 2023 to New York’s Javits Center March 8-9.