Wine+: The final countdown
Yes it may be cold, rainy and oh so dark in the mornings. But rather than let the post-Christmas blues affect you, why not use the new year as an opportunity to examine your wine offer and get along to the Wine+ exhibition at Olympia, London,next week?
The on-trade exclusive event is in its second year and has been specifically designed to offer outlets expert advice, networking opportunities and new ideas.
Wine+ 2008 will be considerably larger than last year's event, incorporating more than 90 exhibitors, two central Taste Zones, the Live Theatre and Business Clinic in addition to extra stands. The French Wines Discovery Lounge at Wine+ will enable visitors to do business in an informal area, taste French wines at the wine bar or relax and plan their day.
With a challenging trading year in prospect, you could visit Olympia and open your pub up to some new ideas.
Highlights
There are a number of events to look out for including two Publican seminars featuring our very own Adam Withrington. The event is being held at the Business Clinic - specifically designed to focus on the pub business.
The Business Clinic
The Publican seminars
What's next after pinot grigio?
Robin Knapp, director of wine at Matthew Clark, and Peter McCombie, master of wine (MW), will discuss with The Publican's drinks editor Adam Withrington what is the next big trend in the on-trade wine sector, from wine styles to grape varieties.
How to run a successful wine pub
Adam Withrington will interview on-stage licensee Gerry Price and winner of The Publican Wine and Food Pub of the Year 2007, Inn@West End
Other sessions
There will also be other live sessions that are must-sees for licensees. Will Beckett and Huw Gott, the founders and owners of award-winning pub company the Underdog Group, will demonstrate how successful outsourcing can improve business, while Whitbread wine and spirit buyer Eileen Ginger will be discussing the importance of training.Taste Zones
Generic organisations Wines of Chile, New Zealand Winegrowers, Wine Institute of California, ViniPortugal and Wines of Australia will be presenting a selection of wines available to the on-trade. The Taste Zones offer you the opportunity to taste the wines away from any hint of a sales pitch. Generic promotional support will be available to help increase sales. Live Theatre
Food and wine pairing will be the focus of the Live Theatre for Wine+ 2008 with luminaries such as John Radford, Nicolas Clerc - 2007 UK Sommelier of the Year - and Patricia Michelson of La Fromagerie all taking centre stage to explore new food and wine trends.
French Wines Discovery Lounge
The French Discovery Lounge enables visitors to taste a bespoke on-trade range of up to 100 wines put together by a panel of UK experts. Seminars focusing on different wine-producing regions of France will also be held throughout the two days.
Get organic
Wine+ gives visitors the opportunity to learn about growing trends. This year organic wines look set to step into the limelight with a number of exhibitors presenting organic or biodynamic ranges:
WaverleyTBS will present many organic wines: new Parejes de Alta Expression 2005 Gran Espiral Organic Rioja and also Sartori Organic Soave Isabelo Semillon Isabelo Merlot; Sartori Organic Cabernet Sauvignon; Cono Sur Organic Pinot Noir; and Organic Cabernet Sauvignon Carmenere (stand 213).
