While many other conference organisers may not agree to the Must-Fermenting Ideas organisers’ contention that ‘this is the first wine summit to bring all experts to discuss future of wine,’ this is certainly one of the highly professionally organised conferences with diversified content that keeps you on your toes, with so much to learn and imbibe. The quality of the Speakers is excellent, with some fine examples being as follows:
Robert Joseph, the well known British expert, critic, author, commentator, judge and above all-now a producer in France, will open the Conference Talks after the Opening Ceremony with ‘What sort of media support should we use to market wine?’ Most beginners like to drink French wine but are too intimidated to drink French. Michel Bettane, the highly regarded French journalist and author will discuss whether the French wine communication too confusing for new consumers.
Climate change and the wisdom of setting up vineyards at high altitudes is the burning topic today with some of the Argentine wines from ripe grapes touching 15% alcohol. Laura Catena, the next gen family Managing Director of Catena Zapata Vineyards is a perfect choice as a Speaker to talk about ‘High altitude vineyards-are they here to stay or it’s just a fad’.
If last year there were talks on Natural wine, this year the focus is on biodynamic wines with Frank Cornelissen from Belgium talking about ‘Biodynamic farming, hocus- pocus or true respect for Mother Earth?’ With his estate in Etna where he makes only 100,000 bottles of single vineyard winesthrough an unconventional mix of ancient, local and organic farming traditions and a modern non-interventionalist and biodynamic approach in the cellar, you can bet he will convince you about this sustainable form of winemaking that could change your viewpoint about life in general.
Willi Klinger who is the dynamic head of Austrian Wine Marketing Board and is very busy with the biennial wine Show in Vienna, Vie Vinum on 9-11 June, would take some respite before coming to the Conference and do what he does best-promote Austrian wines but this time the reds, with the topic- ‘Austria -land of red wines?’ Austria is already known for its whites and dessert wines. Give him a piano and the bundle of energy could also take you to the Beatles era as well, later at night.
Storytelling’ has become a big mantra in wine, but most people misunderstand what it means: and this will be the topic for Felicity Carter, Chief Editor of Meininger Wine Business International, Germany, who was a Speaker last year as well.
Maureen Downey, the world’s counterfeit wine expert whose testimonies have been given cognizance of in several international cases of counterfeiting, will talk on ‘Wine counterfeit, should we be afraid?’ We should be, I would say! But let’s hear what she has to say. Wine, brain and consumer psychology is the topic for Prof. Charles Spence. Whereas the winemakers’ winemaker Alberto Antonini who owns Poggiotondo winery near Empoli, Tuscany which I visited this spring, will address his favourite topic ‘Going back to the roots-Are we finally over with overripe, over concentrated wines.
Heini Zachariassen,Founder of Vivino would let you know if you use Vivino in your favour and Martin Brown, CEO of Wine –Searcher that we look up on a daily basis, will talk about ‘The art & science of pricing of wine’. Wine tourism is an integral part of wine marketing. Mariette du Toit-Helmbold talks about Wine tourism and building loyalty connections.
There will of course, be Speakers talking about Portugal and its wines. ‘Clay amphora wines in the Alentejo, a legacy handed down from generation to generation’, will be the topic for Rui Falcão . Portugal is a wine country full of paradoxes- at least that’s what Dirk Nieport, the iconic Port producer will talk about. There will also be a Masterclass by Dirceu Vianna Junior, MW who will explore the hidden Gems of Portugal.
There will be yet two other Masters of Wine- Debra Meiburg MW. Hong- Kong based Debra will talk about Asian wine trends and what it take to succeed in Asia. There are a myriad of organisations providing wine education including her. Which of these (ISG, CMS, WSET or IMW) one should choose? Gerard Basset MW MS will try to look at the merit of each of these.
No two bottles are alike Tasting
A new innovation this year is called the ‘Taste the Difference.’ Every day, right after Lunch at 1:30 pm (those of us who have been to conferences know how sleepy one feels after lunch!). This wine tasting session will present wines-the same wine, bottled on the same day in the same winery, under the same conditions, but sealed with different closures. The goal of these experiments is to learn more by encouraging the tasters to Taste the Difference, primarily due to closures.
Panel Discussions
No matter how attentive or serious you are, it is difficult to sit through a Talk at 5 in the evening when your throat gets parched. The Conference has decided to have an hour of Panel discussion on relevant topics every day at this time to keep the interest alive.
With the social media being so active, is there any space left for the traditional wine press? Felicity Carter, Debra Meiburg, Robert Joseph and Willi Klinger will debate and discuss this in a Panel discussion. In today’s changing world what is a wine flaw? At many competitions I judge at, there are debates among judges about various flaws. For instance Bretts is a technical flaw but many like a bit of it as it adds to the flavour! Michel Bettane, Frank Cornelissen, Dirk Niepoort, Laura Catena and Alberto Antonini will take part in the discussion that may have interesting and conflicting situations.
For the first time, the founders of Wine-Searcher and Vivino, Martin Brown and Heini Zachariassen will discuss the future of selling wine online in a discussed to be moderated by Rui Falcão.
Wine Sunset
Day one of the Conference takes you to an 18th century castle on the Atlantic Ocean, about 10-minute walk from the venue of the Conference. One can enjoy the beautiful sunset on the Atlantic ocean and try a myriad of wines for 3 hours, with delicious snacks provided by the sponsors- definitely an excellent winey way to end the day .
Highly successful maiden Conference
The first Conference held on 7-9 June, 2017 and attended by the writer was a smashing success-both in terms of organising and content and participation. There was never a dull moment or a moment to spare. The programme was filled with Speakers each with a different topic related to the wine industry. Here are some of the comments from a few of the better-known Speakers:
“Really high calibre group of thinkers and influencers” - Jamie Goode
"Organised, Professional, Intelligent" - Felicity Carter
"An outlook of the industry that you don’t usually get" - Victor de la Serna
"There is a lot to learn here” - Eric Asimov
“Inspiring” - Paul Symington
Venue
The coastal town of Cascais ia a beautiful little town with castles and beaches and lovely hotels and can be a basic reason to attend the Conference with a few days of relaxation before or after the event. The picturesque fishermen’s village gained fame in the 19th century when King Carlos I of Portugal said “Cascais is the place where the noble are most popular and the most popular are noble“.
The town is 25 minutes away from Portugal’s capital, Lisbon, and the international airport with a very good train connection with the Capital.. With a charm that resembles Biarritz in France or Sausalito in the US, Cascais was once home and refuge of kings, global political personalities and celebrities. Today, it is one of the top rated, charming touristic spots of Portugal full of energy, events, restaurants, and outdoors activities- an ideal spot for the Conference.
It will be held at the highly modern Centro de Congressos do Estoril, walking distance from most of the nearby hotels-as close as 2 minutes to the venue. The Presentation on the huge stage and with the name of the Speaker and the topic electronically displayed was a first time for me and I have recommended it to many conference organisers in India since. No efforts are spared to make it truly a world class event that deserves kudos.
There is also a Casino nearby for those with the common vice or if you are looking for entertainment après Conference hours! Plan to carry extra cash or have your credit card limit extended.. just in case.
Promoters
MUST is promoted by Rui Falcão and Paulo Salvador. Rui is one of the most respected wine critics in Portugal. He is a consultant, and a columnist for both the Público newspaper and Wine magazine. He is a writer and speaker and is well-known for his expertise in international wine markets. Paulo is a journalist; presenter and Executive Editor of Portuguese television channel TVI with a long and prestigious career in television, radio and print media.
Registration
If there was one problem last year, it was the highrRegistration charges of around €800+ which I felt was rather unreasonable and thus there was not much participation from the locals. This year it has been rationalised to only €300+VAT, which is quite reasonable, considering thepacked program and the line-up of Speakers.
Another criticism was that there were mostly-and a lot of Portuguese wines tasted. In fact, the huge ‘Living Room’ created within the lobby of Congresso where we met for Lunches and coffee, there were quite 
a few stands serving wines - Madeira and Portuguese wines. Although, rightfully, the Conference promotes Portuguese wines, otherwise not so well-known outside, one hopes that there is a fair share of international wines as well this year.
For last minute Registration, if any seats are left, please contact directly at:
https://meetingpoint.emma.events/
Subhash Arora
The review is totally unsolicited and is based purely on the observation of the writer, Subhash Arora who attended the first conference and cannot resist attending the second one because of a fantastic line up of speakers and the excellent program