Out of the Asian participation the general perception was that there were less Japanese and more Chinese, Malaysians and the Indians at the show. I wonder if the delegation of 21 that the Indian Wine Academy took had a tiny role to play. It was perhaps first time that a group of importers, F& B managers and wine connoisseurs had gone as a delegation. I firmly believe that a true wine lover must visit Vinexpo or such Show at least once in a lifetime and members of our club who visited the Fair agreed with me after visiting this extravaganza. Where else will you find one of the top Italian wine producers, Angelo Gaja – christened as Prince of Piedmont by Wine Spectator and selected by Decanter as Man of the Year pour his Super Tuscans and Barolos and tell you with pride that he bulked out his total production of the pricy Barbaresco 2002 as it turned out to be a poor vintage! Where else would you get an opportunity to sample and compare the taste of 1963 Ports from ten top producers including Taylor, Warre and Dow?

There was general consensus among exhibitors that there were fewer visitors this year. But most seemed to agree that they would participate next year. It is the biggest wine show on earth and in spite of a rough patch the industry is going through, it offers them a platform to meet all their existing customers who can taste their wines and the hope of finding new customers is always an attraction.

Over the years, a trend seems to be emerging. There seems to be a tilt towards the London Wine and Spirits Fair from Australia, New Zealand and New World producers in general. VinItaly on the other hand provides a showcase for the innumerous Aziendas from all regions of Italy. VinExpo is considered monolithic and too important to lose its sheen, the other annual shows like Vinitaly, Prowein, and London Fair seem to be offering more competition to the Show. The infrastructure problems, especially accommodation and transportation seem to play a negative role at VinExpo. It is not uncommon to see people travel more than two hundred kms everyday and the local traffic jams can be a nightmare. The authorities seem to be aware of the problems and are taking pro-active steps. Construction of Hall No.3 was one such step. Providing free and frequent transportation from several points within the city and as far away as 70-80 kms from the show are some examples that the authorities are waking up to the challenge that seems to be facing them like the whole of French wine industry.

The issues with South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Italy will have to be resolved. For now, the organisers are happy that they have been able to make the show successful and are very upbeat for 2007

Subhash Arora