The b2b wine fairs in which Italian wineries should participate

The wine sector has now carved out its digital space, following the model of many other sectors, but it is equally true that the old school, the one represented by trade fairs in attendance, always remains the most popular. Also driven by the ability of wine to unite people and excite. Not to mention the immense amount of opportunities that the fairs give in terms of meeting with buyers and partners for the export of wine to other states.

The wine fairs in fact, events continue to be very popular, sought after and above all appreciated, especially by the wineries that actively participate in them and who see the opportunity to meet partners for the export of their wine to international markets.

It is well known that wine is an experiential product whose sale is only the last step of a journey made of history, culture, sharing and tasting, which involves all the senses. Precisely for this reason, meeting potential business partners in person gives you the opportunity to tell your story and involve potential buyers more emotionally. It being understood that the participation in wine fairs it must be prepared having in mind who you are going to meet and what you are looking for. That is why with this article we will give you some tips on how to participate in the best international b2b wine fairs to export wine.

When identifying a wine market, you have to ask yourself why you want to enter this market? What are the purposes? The objectives? If you want to do it only for strategic purposes or if you want to create a solid and growing presence over time.

How to identify the right buyers at wine fairs

Having understood this and identified the b2b wine fair of interest first of all you have to organize everything in the best possible way because yours participation in a fair prove to be as constructive as possible and perhaps profitable in terms of potential future revenues, as participation in a fair - unless you are invited - requires, as you well know, the payment of a fee.
The work therefore begins well before the fair itself. At least 3/4 months before. And it must be a job of research and contacts. You can start from the event sites and check if the organizing body has exhibited the names of accredited buyers and importers.

Keep in mind that meeting a potential partner is not something to be improvised or something to be taken superficially. You must have in mind what the buyer you are going to meet wants and what he is looking for, what nationality he is and how he is used to thinking.
Remember the things that a buyer looking for wine producing partners will go and look:

• how many bottles do you produce
• how many bottles are you willing to allocate for that market
• what export organization do you own
• in what times and at least how many bottles at a time you can send with a batch of your wines

From here you can start to study them and identify what could best do for you.
Subsequently, if you do not find the direct contacts of the representative who will be present at the fair, you can try a further search by trying to cross-reference the data with Linkedin or contact the importer directly.
Finally, equipped with good information material such as brochures, presentations and data sheets, you can proceed by trying to get the importer's attention and make an appointment for an interview e tasting of your wines at the fair.

Or you can use a shortcut. Fortunately, to simplify your life there are companies like Civinization which in addition to various services for wineries such as graphics, marketing and branding specializes in commercial development and boasts years of experience and contacts with wine importers and distributors in 30 countries. different.

B2B wine fairs in which Italian wineries should participate

Vinitaly - Verona

Vinitaly is one of the largest international events dedicated to the world of wine which takes place in Italy. It is certainly one of the oldest wine fairs in our country: the first edition was in fact held in 1967. Since then it has become more and more a central point of reference for restaurateurs, Horeca and the wine world attracted by the novelties of the moment. The Fair hosts more than 150 thousand visitors and 4600 exhibiting companies from all over the world! Inside, to offer 360 ° product knowledge there are several areas:

● Vinitalybio
● International wine
● Vinitaly Tasting
● Vinitaly Design
● Micro Mega Wines
● Enolitech

Vinitaly Russia

An event generally divided into two stages this year realized in conjunction with the Wine Exchange of the ICE Agency. The format includes a cycle of B2B meetings. One of the objectives of the event is to give a signal of trust to producers and their admirers abroad, testifying to the vitality of Italian winemaking excellence and strengthening the related commercial relations in Russia.

Wine2wine exhibition

There Wine2Wine is an international forum on wine business that has been held in Verona every year since 2014. The event is a point of reference both for producers and for a great variety of wine professionals. It is a unique event designed to relaunch the wine market and provide support tools for all the protagonists of the wine world.

Raw Wine

Are you looking for importers or distributors for your natural wines or organic wines or biodynamic wines or orange wines? Well, Raw Wine is where you need to be! Also because the Raw Wine Fairs they are held on two continents and 4 different countries: the United States, Canada, England and Germany. According to Cornelissen - someone who knows something about selling natural wine - «the most interesting event on wine organized globally».

I drink like this - Milan

I drink like that, is a niche event in which it is possible to taste and taste many high quality natural wines, organic and biodynamic and from all over Italy and some regions of France, Spain and Greece. A fair therefore to be taken into consideration if in your wine portfolio you have something in line with the ecological principles and the oenological styles of the fair. An opportunity to meet a potential target of buyers focused on the style of natural wines.

Vinoforum - Rome

It is not Vinitaly but Rome is Rome, and some interesting buyers from a local city of this caliber always attracts him. An event that annually hosts over 610 Italian and international wineries, with the sole objective of promoting the agri-food culture of our country. This is not just any event: Vinoforum is considered the second among the quality of the products wine fairs nationwide. In the large park of Tor di Quinto in Rome, tasting, training and entertainment await, with a business-oriented approach.

Merano Wine Festival - Merano

The Merano Wine Festival is the first of the wine fairs organized in Europe to create a sensory journey that since 1992 takes place in an elegant setting, the Kurhaus, a famous historic building in Merano. Each year he dedicates himself to a different theme that makes the event always new and stimulating. He recently dedicated a section to a growing sector in recent years, that of organic, biodynamic, natural, “orange” and PIWI wines. On 5-9 November 2021, theonline edition International PIWI Wine Award 2021 Zoom event.

Millésime Bio Montpellier

If you go organic, Montpellier is the fair you can't miss. Created and organized by Sudvinibio, an organization of professionals operating in the organic sector in Occitania, with the philosophy of offering stands that are all the same, so that only the wine speaks and emerges. It offers masterclasses, technical conferences, market conferences and guided and self-service tastings, all in the name of organic. The stands are not grouped by region or by name but are mixed. This feature of Millésime Bio it is a choice desired by the organizers to encourage meeting and curiosity.

Pink Rosé Festival

Are you looking for a space that can give prominence to your rosé wines and maybe that can make you meet which one buyer interested in Italian rosé wines? Rejoice because it exists. Pink Rosé Festival is the fair that's right for you. It is useless to look elsewhere. Here you will find potential buyers focused on rosé wines, of course.

Wine Paris & Vinexpo

A Parisian fair  with numbers of a certain depth: 29,000 professionals from the sector participating, almost 3,000 producers, 600 journalists and 3,000 scheduled appointments between producers and buyers. The next appointment could be yours.

ProWein

If your interest is the German market, you can't ignore it ProWein. And it's quite unlikely you've ever heard of it. Inside you will also find a section dedicated to organic wines as is now the case in many other fairs, and by participating in this fair you will be able to meet buyers and potential partners not only linked to the German wine world. The fair is held in Düsseldorf in March.

ProWein China

More than 22 thousand visitors engaged in the wine trade. But only 400 places for producers who want to guarantee their place in an excellent well-established place in the Chinese world of the demand for wine capable of opening the doors for important collaborations. The fair ProWein China is held in Shanghai. Will you be able to secure a place at the next edition?

China International Wine and Spirits Exhibition

Like all large countries, China also provides a plurality of opportunities. In this country too, consumption and interest in wine are growing a lot. Not only that, but even the production. In fact, since China is a well developed country longitudinally and latitudinally, it can enjoy somehow favorable climates for the cultivation of the vine, which happens with the expression of native vines. But interest in high-end international wines is growing. So the China International Wine and Spirits Exhibition it could be the right place to start to sell your wine in China.

London Wine Fair

The English wine market is certainly still very much linked to that of overseas wines in which many Californians, Chileans and Argentines appear. Australian wines certainly carve out an important space. Among Europeans, the French and Spaniards stand out in the English wine market. But be careful… because the demands and tastes of the market in recent years have been very evolving and in the English wine market there seems to be much more space for Italian wines now than in the past. In fact, there is a growing interest in Italian sparkling wines. There London Wine Fair it is therefore a fair to take note here.

Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair and Vinexpo Hong Kong

If you aim for large numbers in the Asian markets there Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair and the Vinexpo Hong Kong are the fair from which you have to start. Fundamental to being able to operate well in Asian markets is to have local partners with whom we can focus on growth, the desire to learn and to collaborate with each other to obtain results.
Here you can find more than a few.

Wine Prague

Wine Prague it is the ideal fair if the goal is to expand the distribution of its wines to the Czech Republic. This can represent a strategic step in view of landing in Germany at a later time.
Although the Czech Republic and in particular Prague are known to the news as famous European squares for beer, it is well known that the Czech public is registering a constant interest in wine. Opportunity to be evaluated then!

In the world of wine, taste and emotions are fundamental, but it is precisely through the sharing of these that the reputation of the wineries, their labels and the people who work there is created. Stimulating direct experience of what your company does remains the best way to promote, convince and get people talked about. These occasions are essential to guide the choice of commercial operators / players, buyers, agents, importers but also to wine merchants, restaurateurs, hotel and hotel owners.