London Wine Fair announces line-up

By Jaq Bayles

Published: 24 April, 2025

London Wine Fair (LWF) has released its timetable of sessions, announcing more than 70 industry briefings, masterclasses, seminars and tastings from 19-21 May at Olympia.

The sessions aim to address the industry’s challenges and opportunities and will take place across six areas: Centre Stage; Education Zone Theatre; Premium Masterclass Theatre; Walk-Up Tasting Sessions; and – new for this year to absorb the growing amount of content – Signature Serve Theatre; and The Tasting Space.

This year’s topics shine a spotlight on the global economy, tariffs, duty, and sustainability. The Wine & Spirit Trade Association will again be partnering with LWF on a series of industry briefings and sessions, including this year’s State of the Nation address, aimed at the UK’s key decision makers.

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Titled Staying Grounded: Making Sense of a Rapidly Changing World, the address by WSTA CEO Miles Beale kicks off the LWF at 10.15am, Monday 19 May, on Centre Stage. Beale, along with WSTA regulatory & commercial affairs director David Richardson and director of policy Simon Stannard, will reflect on the seismic changes witnessed over recent months and look ahead to what the future holds for the UK wine market.

Among the many other must-attend sessions are two from the Harpers team, both taking place at Centre Stage on the Monday. First up at 12.45pm, former deputy editor Jo Gilbert (now editor of sister title Drinks Retailing), will reveal the winners of this year’s search for the top under-thirties working in UK wines and spirits, followed by a 30 under 30-inspired panel discussion with the judges.

Editor Andrew Catchpole follows at 2pm with Countering the Anti-Alcohol Lobby. With temperance on the rise, now backed by stark warnings from the likes of WHO, this session looks at how the drinks trade can put moderation and balance back at the heart of the debate.

Other sessions to look out for include:

How Occasions are Evolving for Drinkers and Shoppers (12.45-1-45, 21 May, Centre Stage)

An WSTA-run discussion exploring how wine is evolving for drinkers in the on-trade and shoppers in supermarkets and specialist retailers, looking at consumer trends and shifting occasions influenced by other drink categories.

The Future of Independent Merchants: Mastering the Omnichannel Approach (3-3.45pm, 20 May, Education Zone Theatre)

Exploring how independent merchants can blend in-store education, tastings, on-trade sales, subscription models, online retail and experiential experiences to build customer loyalty and drive growth. (Hosted by Simon Cairns, WSTA, and John Chapman, Oxford Wines).

In addition to the LWF-scheduled sessions, Mentzendorff will host a series of Mini Masterclasses and Feature Pour sessions on its stand (E38) throughout The Fair, featuring estates such as Klein Constantia, Domaine Chanson and Ponzi Vineyards.

For further information on all the sessions scheduled for the Fair, visit here.

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