Around 220 exhibitors and 6,000 attendees from over 60 countries and promises interesting seminars which may be quite useful for Indian producers, Sommeliers and Restaurants. WBWE is not only relevant to the Indian producers and importers but also showcases the quality and diversity of bulk wines that represent around 40% of the world production. India is expected to be represented with the presence of some buyers in this edition which highlights how the China Australia trade has been increasing, aided by WBWE.
Limelight on China and Australia
Australia became the preferred choice for Chinese buyers at the previous WBWE, exporting a total of 4.15 million hL of bulk wine in the past year, accounting for 54.5 % of its total foreign sales, amounting to €281 million at an average price of € 0.68 per liter. This year, both these countries will again participate prominently in the world’s largest fair for the wine business.
Australia will achieve it through exhibitors, like-Growers Wine Group, Qualia Wines, Winegrapes Australia, Kinston Estate Wines and South Australian Wine Group. China will visit the fair with some of the country's largest buying companies such as Cofco (No. 1) and Ninecoast (No. 8).
China will also be represented in the International Bulk Wine Competition being held a day earlier as part of the WBWE, on November 19. Aileen Lee, a Chinese judge working for China Wine News, China's oldest newsletter, and heading of International Department of Yunjiu Media Beijing Ltd., the largest government-owned wine sector newsletter. Subhash Arora, Editor of Indian Wine Academy has also been invited to judge for the fourth consecutive time.
Exports of Australian wine to China grew by more than 44% in volume in 2016 to about 1 Million hA and more than 42% in value of €346 million, ahead of the US and UK which spent €320 and €238.5 million respectively, according to data compiled by the Spanish Wine Market Observatory (www.oemv.es).
However, Chinese bulk wine purchases represented a dramatic turnaround with an increase of 129%, up to more than 26 million liters, and an increase of 154% in terms of value accounting for €27 million, at an average price of €1.04/liter. Thus, China is the fourth largest customer in terms of volume, behind the UK, US and Canada- a position it shares with Netherlands. In terms of value it lags behind €120.5 million for the UK and €42 million for the United States, both at a much lower average price of €0.62 and €0.70 respectively.
Australia's development in the bulk wine trade has been constantly on the increase since 2000, when it barely accounted for 12.5%, compared to 85% for packaged wine. The share went up to 54.5% in 2016 compared to 44% of the packaged wine. China has become the great customer of Australian wine.
WBWE Conferences
On October 24, the OIV holds its customary annual conference in Paris in which the estimated figures for 2017 in terms of gold production and sales will be unveiled. On November 20 at noon, Yann Juban, Assistant to the Director General of International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) of which India is a member, will officially launch the World Bulk Wine Exhibition Conferences 
and also talk about "The global wine market during 2017, with special emphasis on bulk wine and set the tone for 10 speakers from different countries to talk on different subjects of topical interest, at the 2-day conferences at the Exhibition.
These conferences are an integral part of WBWE and give insight into various aspects in different countries. Following are the other conferences:
12:15. "The wine preferences of the Polish consumers", by Pawel Gasiorek, president of the DomWina company and wine importer (Poland).
13:30. “Let´s talk Private Labels – basics, trends and success stories”, byCruz Liljegren, internationally experienced wine businesswriter and bulk wine broker (Sweden).
14:00. “The challenges of the bag-in-box and bulk wines: Towards a greater added value”, by Rafael del Rey, director of the Spanish Observatory for the Wine Market (OEMV-Spain).
14:45. “New trends of wine consumption in the German market”, by Teresa Rosário, general manager of Cologne-based Rosário&Prange distribution company (Germany).
15:15. “Value-added wines in Spanish cooperatives”, by Bienvenido Amorós, technician at the Wine Department of Agri-food Cooperatives (Spain).
15:45. “Consumer habitsin Central Africa”, by Samih Dardouri, oenologist atSofavinc,in Cameroun.
16:45. “Voice of Wine Award" will be given to the 2017 winner: ProChile”
16:45 “Wine trends of consuming countries”, speech & Tasting session by Jean Luc Favarel, Research & Development director of the Péra-Pellenc group (France).
17:45 Presentation of the Bulk Wine Club. Place: Conference Hall.
21st of November
10:30. "Access for wine sintothe Chinesemarket", by Shuyao Quin, Secretary-General of the Wine & Spirits Association of China en China.
11:15. "Transport in the bulk wine market",by JF Hillebrand.
11:45. “Shifts in wine consumption in Argentina”, a talk by Cristina Pandolfi, oenologist and technician having worked many years at INAVI (Argentina).
12:15. "The effect of using wood in the elaboration and wine aging of bulk wines" byBenoit Verdier, director of oenological development at theSeguin-Moreau company.
13:15. “Eco electricity, the valorization of organic waste for generating electricity”, presented by Alberto Arellano, CEO of San VALERO distilleries and María Dolores Corvinos, Project Manager at Innotecno Development Ltd.
13:35. Handin gout of the "Award for the Best Scientific Poster" of The Vine.
13:45."The characteristics of the wine market in Canada", by Réal Wolfe, owner of the Canadian company Francs-Vins en Canada.
Private Labels-Much More than Bulk
The WBWE offers great business opportunities to bottling companies many of whom offer private labels. Casa Vinicola Bosco Malerais one of the important co-operative producers of Prosecco, and a part of .V.O. Group (Veneto Vineyards) since 2009, has been participating at WBWE for over 4 years, providing custom-branding (private labels) facility to importers.
Paolo Lasagni, Managing Director, feels that Prosecco is now consolidating in the European markets after years of tremendous growth, and the trend will last for a long time, if the prices do not increase. It is growing massively in the US and he believes it will consolidate at very high volumes, such as Pinot Grigio which has a great commercial standing; especially since the change from IGT delle Venezie to DOC delle Venezie with 2017 harvest will bring an even better positioning of this wine. It is already quite popular in India and a big proportion is being imported in the form of bulk wine in a bottle as BIO (Bottled in Origin).
He adds, ‘this year we are about to face one of the toughest harvest in Europe of the last 10 years, due to frost, drought, and, in certain areas, hail. It’s going to be a very thrilling exhibition. I am also expecting to see market reactions to the introduction of the new Pinot Grigio DOC delle Venezie’.
ProChile gets Voice of Wine 2017 Award
ProChile will receive the Prize Voice of Wine 2017 at WBWE for its consistent encouragement of Chilean wine in foreign markets and their remarkable marketing and advertising campaigns. ProChile works under the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It has 55 offices around the world, including India, and 15 regional agencies within Chile, through which it promotes export of Chilean goods and services worldwide, helping in the development of foreign investment and encouraging tourism. Chile is the 4th largest global wine exporter accounting for more than US $1,800million, where bulk wine represents 42% of our overall shipments. All this is due largely to varied promotional measures by ProChile.
The Voice of Wine is the award that is given by the World Bulk Wine Exhibition annually in order to recognize the work of those who promote the values of wine. Otilia Romero de Condés, president of the WBWE and member of the jury in charge of choosing this edition’s winner, says, “the constant boost of the Chilean wine in foreign markets, thanks to the excellent marketing and advertisement campaigns by ProChile, and because it spreads the superb quality and diversity of their wines around the world, in addition to having come to make wine one of the great insignias of the Chilean foreign trade”.
Wines of Moldova, the Coop de France Languedoc Roussillon, Wines of South Africa (WOSA) and COVIAR (Argentinean Viticulture Corporation) have been some of the winners in previous years.
For more information about other exciting events at the Exhibition, visit www.worldbulkwine.com
For some of the previous relevant Articles, please visit
WBWE 2017: World Bulk Wine Exhibition in November at Amsterdam
WBWE 2016 : World Bulk Wine Exhibition to open in Amsterdam on Nov 21-22
Subhash Arora
Tags: World Bulk Wine Exhibition, WBWE, bulk wine, Growers Wine Group, Qualia Wines, Winegrapes Australia, Kinston Estate Wines, South Australian Wine Group, Cofco, Ninecoast, International Bulk Wine Competition, Aileen Lee, China Wine News, Yunjiu Media Beijing Ltd, Yann Juban, International Organisation of Vine and Wine, OIV, Casa Vinicola Bosco Malerais,
Prosecco, ProChile, Prize Voice of Wine 2017, Chilean wine, Otilia Romero de Condés