Collective attendance at the 14th Vinexpo

The Vinexpo wine and alcoholic beverage exhibition – one of the most prestigious events in the wine trade – was held for the fourteenth time by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Bordeaux this year. Over 2400 exhibitors attended the event, where 50,000 visitors were registered. Visitors included representatives of major importers, wholesalers, retailers, restaurants and retail chains, as well as sommeliers. One third of the visitors came from outside France, the majority of them from the UK, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Ireland. More than 2,000 visitors arrived from Asia, including 400 Chineese, whose number had tripled since 2005, while 1,500 visitors were registered from North America. Since 1998, Vinexpo is also held in overseas locations like Hong Kong, Tokyo and Chicago every second year. 12 Hungarian enterprises from the wine and alcoholic beverage industry appeared at the 190 square metre Hungarian national stand, representing the assortments of 10 wine regions. All costs related to the stand and installations were borne by Agricultural Marketing Centre, which also published a bilingual (English and French) catalogue of Hungarian exhibitors. A sampling zone was also operated by AMC, where registered visitors were able to taste 40 wines and champagnes under the supervision of a sommelier. The number of guests taking advantage of this opportunity was over 700. Wines from Hungarian producers were very successful at one of the most prestigious competitions, at the „Citadelles du Vin”. Final results and prizes were announced at Vinexpo. 9 Hungarian wineries collected a total of 14 medals including two „Trophée Citadelles” (gold), five „Trophée Excellence” (silver) and seven „Trophée Prestige” (bronze) medals.