Expect an Impressive On! Programme at Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris 2024

For three days, Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris’ boundless energy promises to scale new heights. The ON! programme, which has been broadened to get conversations going and fuel reflection within the industry, will be at the very core of this buzz. Details of the 122 sessions available at the exhibition can now be viewed online.

THE ON! PROGRAMME FOCUSES ON MAJOR INDUSTRY CHALLENGES

With its sights set squarely on the trends and movements that drive the wine and spirits industry, the ON! programme will be curated by international experts. Drawing on extensive, long-standing knowledge of the sector, their mission will be to decipher and deliver information on innovative prospects that help understand markets and their development.

A TASTE FOR DISCOVERY

The ON! will provide an enhanced programme of world-class tastings and masterclasses offering a taste of the quintessential features of regions, appellations, products, brands and wineries from around the world, or alternatively fulfilling a desire for discovery:

• Masterclasses revolving around appellations like Alsace, Bourgogne, Champagne, Languedoc and Beaujolais Villages; grape varieties such as Sauvignon, Pinot noir and Chardonnay, or Grüner Veltliner from Austria; regions including Auvergne, Bordeaux, the Loire, Pays Nantais, Touraine and the Rhone Valley, alongside Friuli, Tuscany, Vinho Verde and the State of Virginia; or a specific terroir, like vineyard sites for volcanic wines, Centre-Loire or Cognac.
• Masterclasses focusing on Italian wines – Prosecco, Chianti and Pinot Grigio – or iconic Australian wines by Penfolds or from Coonawarra, the finest Cabernets from the Napa Valley, enterprising wines from New York or wines from the ancient vineyards of Türkiye, ranging from the great classics to new styles of wine.
• A series of 4 conferences hosted by the California Wine Institute, New York Wines, Oregon Wine and California Wines.
• The Vinexpo Challenge, the traditional blind tasting challenge organised by the International Sommelier Association (ASI) and Vinexposium, hosted by Raimonds Tomsons (Latvia), 2023 Best Sommelier of the World, and Valeria Gamper (Argentina), 2022 Best Sommelier of the Americas.

THE GROWTH OF NO/LOW DRINKS

Salient trends to watch out for this year at Wine Paris & Vinexpo Paris include the no/low category which will be the topic of conferences and masterclasses, among them:

• ‘Can sobriety become jolly?’ by Antoine Besse and Caroline Noirbuisson.
• ‘How to implement an inclusive choice of no/low drinks’ by Jérôme Cuny and Christine Parkins.
• ‘The taste of the future: alcohol-free Grands Crus?’ a masterclass exploring the future of super-premium alcohol-free wine, hosted by Rodolphe Frerejean-Taittinger, CEO of French Bloom.
• ‘Secrets of a Sobrelier: alcohol-free craft drinks’ with Benoit d’Onofrio.
• The Battle of the Sommeliers wille address ‘The role of alcohol-free drinks’, by Marc Almert, 2019 Best Sommelier of the World and Chef Sommelier at Baur au Lac (Zurich) with Dominique Laporte, 2004 Best Sommelier of France and leading critic Robert Joseph.

SUSTAINIBILTY, FROM THE VINEYARD TO THE PACKAGING 

Sustainability has become a major challenge for the beverage alcohol industry and will be a part of the ON! programme with:

• A Vinexposium panel discussion addressing ways of raising awareness about sustainability.
• Conferences featuring biodynamics, a vector of excellence and winegrowing of the future, coinciding with the 100^th anniversary of biodynamics, hosted by Gérard Bertrand; the impact of a changing climate on terroir-driven wines, with François Gilbert.
• Masterclasses, including ‘Sustainable tasting: exploring climate solutions’, with Marta Mendoca for the Porto Protocol and Jamie Goode.
• Tastings by a number of wineries and regions revolving around research into the contribution of stems in winemaking, a versatile response to climate issues, hosted by Jérémy Cukierman and Frédéric Massie.

INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

With many conferences, panel discussions and debates on the future of wines internationally:

• The conference ‘Wine by colours: what are the global trends?’ on changing consumer and production patterns will be presented by John Barker, director of the International Vine & Wine Organisation (OIV) and Giorgio Delgrosso.
• ‘Who will win in tomorrow’s global wine market?’ hosted by the Hopscotch Sopexa agency will reveal the findings of the 10^th Wine Trade Monitor, its forward-looking research conducted in 2023 in 9 key markets.
• ‘Looking for opportunities to win in challenging times’, a conference hosted by the IWSR which will examine the impact of the economic landscape on the global beverage alcohol market.
• ‘Taste shift: 2024 prospects for French consumers’, hosted by Bernard Burtschy, Julia Markowski and Sarah Multigner.
• ‘Doing business within the context of Brexit in 2024. Faced with the challenges thrown up by new laws that aim to change the very definition of wine, should wine producers continue to invest time and effort in the United Kingdom?’ with Miles Beale (WSTA), Justin Liddle, Nadine Maccallion, Chuck Cramer and Andrew Catchpole.

INNOVATION 

This topic will bring together experts in technology, research and trend analysis, digital communications and e-commerce. The WineTech Perspectives, an area dedicated to industry innovation and digitalisation created in conjunction with the Wine Tech and Vinocamp, will host a series of 26 hard-hitting presentations in dynamic, participatory formats on the following 3 themes:

• Tech for Good/Sustainable, featuring a panel discussion on ‘Re-use: is the wine industry ready to take the leap?’ and a keynote interview with Laurent David, chairman of LWT.
• Data, A.I. and Web 3.0 will be addressed at a panel discussion on ‘Wine labels: different perspectives on innovation and regulations’ and a keynote interview with Heini Zachariensen, Vivino CEO.
• Consumption & Retail,with a panel discussion on sharing the culture of wine: the potential for new communication formats, with Marion Château, Sylvain Dadé, Diane Souquière, Gilles Raison and a keynote interview ofMichel Chapoutier.

To view the full line-up of Wine Tech Perspectives sessions click here

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