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What to expect from this year's London Wine Fair

Published:  01 June, 2022

Back with a bang, the UK’s premier wine event has evolved into an exciting hybrid hub for the trade.

The 40th edition of LWF is back in business, but with this year’s show folding in both the digital reach explored in 2021, plus the return of its more familiar physical format that has underpinned the UK’s longest-running annual drinks trade event. Moved back to June because of ProWein shifting its dates to clash with an already Covidrescheduled LWF in May, this year’s physical event will now fall immediately after the Platinum Jubilee long weekend and celebrations expected throughout London and the UK.

The digital content, however, will follow the successful pattern of 2021, also being available for three months after the two online days. This is hoped to deliver similar audiences in 2022, building upon the more than 6,000 streamings of events and 2,608 unique visitors that engaged last year.

Physical bookings by exhibitors are also looking strong, with big-hitting generics such as Wine Australia and ProChile returning, producers such as Distell and Domaine Bousquet, plus the likes of Bibendum, with organisers delighted by the renewed support for the show.

The Main Event

↘Location: Olympia London, Grand Hall, London W14 8UX

↘ Live dates: Tuesday 7 June, 10am–6pm Wednesday 8 June, 9.30am–6pm Thursday 9 June, 9.30am–5pm

↘ Digital dates: Monday 20 June, 10am–6pm Tuesday 21 June, 10am–6pm

↘ Tickets: £45 to attend both digital and live event; £25 to attend the digital event only. There is a group booking off er where companies can purchase 10 tickets and get one free. Exhibitors will be allocated free tickets for their guests and a number of members of the drinks trade will receive free tickets, including verified media, Masters of Wine and Master Sommeliers.

↘ Website: londonwinefair.com

A taste of the fair

Billing itself as “a combination of the familiar and new”, LWF 2022 is highlighting the following zones and features:

The familiar…

The trading floor

This will host the UK’s best agents, including: Awin Barratt Siegel, Enotria & Coe, Hatch Mansfield, Richmond Wine Agencies and Félix Solís Avantis, as well as international brands and generic bodies.

Esoterica

This popular feature will return to the gallery level, with around 70 boutique importers taking part.

Drinks Britannia

A celebration of British Drinks, spanning wines, spirits, beers, ciders and non-alcoholic products, with a WineGB hub.

Wines Unearthed

Featuring more than 100 wineries looking to export to the UK for the first time.

The Discovery Zone

In association with D-vine and Harpers Wine & Spirit, championing innovation within the drinks industry, across design, packaging and logistics.

The Education Zone

Hosted with The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), this is an area is for anyone in the trade looking to increase their knowledge, whether taking the first step or working towards the Master of Wine examination.

The new...

Low & No Zone

LWF will host a dedicated space for low and no alcohol drinks for the first time. Club Soda, a mindful drinking movement will curate a discovery space for no and low brands, including a number of new launches. They will also host a fireside chat between Laura Willoughby MBE, co-founder of Club Soda; Christine Parkinson of Brimful Drinks and former group head of wine at Hakkasan; and Harry Crowther, founder of Grain to Grape. A panel discussion of venue owners who have successfully integrated low and no into their offering will take place here.

Old Vine Trail

Co-founder of The Old Vine Conference Sarah Abbott MW will curate LWF’s first Old Vine Trail, which will highlight all the old vine wines available to taste at the show as part of its drive to build a credible category for old vine wines.

The Wine Writer’s Edit

This feature of LWF will take place for the first time at the live event. Ten of the UK’s leading wine writers will each select three wines that they are most looking forward to trying at this year’s show. The final list of 30 wines will be published ahead of the show, giving visitors an opportunity to taste this highlighted selection.

Briefings and Masterclasses

This year’s show will see a focus on strategies for the return to normality, straddling the double impact of Covid-19 and Brexit. These ongoing issues will be addressed through a series of seminars and industry briefings, including those in partnership with The Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), plus Harpers Wine & Spirit and sister publication Drinks Retailing’s own media partnership with the Discovery Zone and Theatre (see box below). Sustainability and the drinks industry’s role in tackling climate change will also be key themes for this year. LWF has been an essential platform for debate on the impact of climate change over recent years and, in the wake of COP26, galvanising the industry will be more important than ever before.

Highlights Include:

↘ Enotria will run 12 on-stand masterclass sessions across all three days of LWF, showcasing its most iconic producers.

↘ Nyetimber has curated an unmissable timetable of tastings allowing pre-booked visitors to compare and contrast their wines while meeting the vineyard team.

↘ Dr Alistair Nesbitt will announce the results of his five-year research project on the impact of climate to viticulture and wine production.

New & Returning Exhibitors

Several high-profile producers, agents and generic bodies will be at this year’s LWF, either for the first time or returning after a significant break, reflecting renewed confidence in the UK wine market. GENERIC BODIES ↘ ProChile has confirmed a presence – the first in several years.

↘ Wine Australia will return after more than a decade, with 26 producers looking to export to the UK for the first time.

↘ The BIVB will return to the show, with more than 40 Bourgogne producers hosting a Grand Reunion pop-up tasting on the first day, including a free-pour tasting of wines from Chablis and Crémant de Bourgogne, plus an afternoon press briefing.

↘ Spain will showcase two regions for the first time – Murcia and Galicia.

↘ Portugal will bring a large collective of new-to-market producers from the Península de Setúbal for the first time.

↘ Greece will also be back, with Crete and Central Macedonia.

↘ Wines of Armenia will exhibit for the first time.

↘ Wines of Romania will exhibit for the first time.

↘ Wines of Ukraine will exhibit – the first time the country has had a presence at the show. LWF is liaising with the generic body to create a special destination stand, free of charge.

Producers

↘ Distell, South Africa’s leading producer of wines, spirits and ciders, will return after a long absence.

↘ Domaine Bousquet, Argentina’s leading organic winery, will take a stand for the first time.

↘ Portuguese wine brand Esporão will join Hatch Mansfield’s growing portfolio.

Harpers Wine & Spirit and Drinks Retailing at the Discovery Zone Theatre at LWF 2022

Tuesday 7 June

↘ 11.30AM Harpers Wine & Spirit: ‘Meeting the Challenges of the Net-Zero Journey’. UK drinks businesses share insights from their own progression towards a carbon-free future.

↘ 1.30PM Drinks Retailing: ‘The Future of Drinks Retailing’. How much of a role will technology really play in the drinks shops of the future?

↘ 3PM Harpers Wine & Spirit: ‘Future Challenges and Opportunities for the Younger Generation’. Judges and winners of Harpers’ 30 Under 30 list unite to pinpoint challenges and opportunities facing the younger generation.

Thursday 9 June

↘ 11.30AM Drinks Retailing: ‘The Power of Social Media for Drinks Retailers and Brands’. In conversation with Tom Harvey, co-founder of YesMore drinks marketing agency.

↘ 1.30PM Harpers Wine & Spirit: ‘Sizing Up the On-Trade in a Post-Pandemic, Post-Brexit World’. How the hospitality landscape has changed and what this means for the drinks offer – presentation by Katy Moses, MD of Kam Media.

↘ 3PM Drinks Retailing: ‘A Guide to English Spirits and Tasting’.






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