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 Around 6,000 wine professionals, a majority being the buyers will congregate at this exhibition venue like every year, from over 65 countries, to taste bulk wines packaged in standard bottles, poured by around 220 participants from 23 countries. These countries represent 85% of the bulk wine business. As always, WBWE also allows an opportunity to taste wines privately in the Tasting Lounge. There are interesting seminars on topical issues on both days. Award winning wines will also be poured for tasting. These are the Gold and Silver medal winners at the International Bulk Wine Competition being held on November 20 at the same venue.
The WBWE provides a wide range of bulk wines and bag-in-box, ranging from wines with designation of origin or protected geographical indication to wines with varietal denomination, as well as generic wines destined for blends or intended to elaborate sparkling wines or aromatized wines, such as vermouth. Such diversity in the supply and the capacity of multiple sales contracts, as well as packaging agreements (both at origin or destination), makes this exhibition rather exclusive.
International Bulk Wine Competition
 International Bulk Wine Competition (IBWC) is the only competition in the world for bulk wines that guarantees transparency and a better knowledge of their quality. It was created also with the purpose of showcasing their quality among consumers and international distributors, to improve their knowledge so that the producers may be rewarded adequately for their efforts.
IBWC has a panel of internationally recognized expert wine tasters from around the world. This year, 22 experts from 16 countries will gather in RAI, Amsterdam on November 20, a day before the 2-day exhibition opens at the venue on November 21. Subhash Arora from India will be one of the international tasters judging again this year. For the complete list of judges, click HERE
Wineries from all over the world that produce a minimum quantity of 10,000 liters can take part in the Competition. Participants in the World Bulk Wine Exhibition (WBWE) are offered discounts, so do more than two samples entered. Although wines are generally shipped in bulk, they have to be submitted in the standard bottles of 750 mL for the competition and are tasted completely blind by the panel of 4-5 judges each.
Voice of Wine Award for Moldova
 Wine of Moldova has been announced as the Voice of Wine 2016 winner- a prize given annually by the WBWE at a ceremony at the Exhibition. The Award is being given “for the efforts of its winegrowers, wineries and public administration in the promotion of bulk wine, for its ability to adapt to international markets and for the quality of their wines”, according to the jury in charge of delegating the prize. It convened in June at the headquarters of the organizing company in Ciudad Real in Spain to decide the winner.
Voice of Wine is an award created by the World Bulk Wine Exhibition in order to recognize and praise the work carried out by people and groups who defend wine and its values and who fight for this sector which is so important economically, culturally and socially.
Co-op Languedoc Roussillon (a French association promoting the region in France and overseas), Wines of South Africa (WOSA) and the Argentinean Winegrowing Corporation (COVIAR) have been winners in previous years.
The National Body of Vine and Wine of Moldova will participate with thirteen wineries at WBWE and is a key participant.
Biggest Exhibition in terms of closed business
 The World Bulk Wine Exhibition (WBWE) claims to be the biggest event in the world in terms of business volume. After seven years of being a benchmark for the sector’s professionals, the 8th edition is getting ready to face the challenge of continuing to offer the best space for those who attend with the main objective of doing business.
Bulk wine market has grown by nearly 5% of the total sales since 2000, representing 38.6% of global exports in 2015. Taking into account these figures, current productions and existing global stocks, WBWE is of a great strategic importance for the entire wine industry.
World Bulk Wine Market
During 2015, bulk wine exports reached 39.49 million hL out of the total sales of 102.43 million hL, representing 38.6% of worldwide sales, compared to 54.3% for bottled wine and 7.1% for sparkling wine. On the other hand, the year 2000 saw the total sales of 59.99 million hL out of which 20.40 million hL was bulk wine (34%); 36.45 million hL bottled wine (60.8%), and the balance 3.14 million hL was sparkling wine, (5.2%). Global sales have grown from 59.99 million hL during 2000 to 102.43 million hL in 2015, clocking an increase of 71%.
Sales in value have also experienced significant changes, moving from 13,704 million to 28,333.5 million Euros, an increase of 107%, from 2000 to 2015. Bulk wine value amounts to 9.9% of total sales compared to 9% in 2000; bottled wine amounts to 71.8% compared to 74% 15 years ago and sparkling wine increased from 17% to 18.3%.
 The standard price of bulk wine increased by 16% on average moving from 0.61 Euros per liter in 2000 to 0.71 Euros in 2015. In the interim period, the price of bulk wine reached a record 0.81 Euros per liter in 2013 and also decreased to a record low of 0.57 Euros in 2002. During these years, the price of sparkling wine dropped by 5%.
WBWE for India
Wine lovers in India drinking imported wines may not be aware but a substantial chunk of wines in retail are bought in bulk by the importers who get it labeled in their brand names or buy the low ended bulk wines that sell for an average of €0.71 a liter today and bottled in origin. Many known producers also buy these bulk wines directly from the sellers and package them in their own well-known value-for-money labels. It is worth your while to visit the Show as a wine professional and check out the thousands of wines some of which may be available in Retail in another Avatar for Rs. 900-1300 a bottle. Importers of course, have a hidden treasure to discover.
For a list of exhibitors, visit http://www.worldbulkwine.com
For related Articles for the previous years, visit
WBWE 2015 closes with Record Participation
WBWE 2014 : Wonderful World of Bulk Wines in Amsterdam
WBWE 2013 : Big Leap for World Bulk Wine
Panel of international Taster
Subhash Arora |