All the fun of the wine fair

This year's London International Wine Fair — 17-19 May at London's ExCeL — promises so much more than just some wines to try. From 'speed tasting' and consumer insights to the grape of St George, Robyn Black gives the lowdown.

Even if you are into your wine and know a thing or two about varietals and terroir the idea of a wine show may not at first seem like a good use of your time, but the biggest wine show in the UK has worked hard to make sure it is as relevant to UK licensees as it is to the likes of Oz Clarke.

"For anyone in the pub and bar business, the London International Wine Fair (LIWF) provides countless opportunities to taste, discover and network," says Will Broadfoot, marketing director of event organiser Brintex.

More than 3,000 on-trade visitors take time to have a look round the event each year and there are plenty of on-trade orientated events to make it worth your while.

"This year highlights include the launch of the On-Trade & Sommelier Theatre, which offers the on-trade focused features," says Broadfoot.

"The 2011 fair also features interesting on-trade focused masterclasses, including sessions with Matt Stamp (formerly of the Napa Valley's French Laundry restaurant), Ronan Sayburn (of the Hotel du Vin group) and Isa Bal (of the Fat Duck) to name but a few."

Learn something useful​

As if to prove that the event isn't all about men in mustard corduroy rhapsodising over esoteric wines, there is plenty to help get the little grey cells working on how to improve your bottom line.

Diageo's wine arm Percy Fox will be using its stand (L62) to demonstrate the best ways to display and merchandise wines, as well as providing consumer insights from its own research to help businesses boost their wine trade. It has divided the space into two separate on- and off-trade areas to ensure it is relevant to everyone.

Brintex has also used its Top 100 tasting to highlight what are believed will be the five big trends of 2011. The wines have been chosen by the Wine Gang, a group of wine writers, who have identified five trends: aromatic wines; Pinot; Rhône varietals grown around the world; natural, organic and biodynamic wines; and surprising wines — that is wines that do not deliver what you'd expect from their region, varietal or style.

The Wine Gang will also be busy at the south-west France stand (G22/1), where they will be hosting a series of seminars each focusing on a different aspect of the region, such as Joanna Simon on "From aperitif to dessert" at 11.30am on Tuesday 17 May, or Jane Parkinson on "Indigenous south-west grape varieties" at 3pm the following day. There will also be a table showcasing 77 wines of the region chosen by the group.

On top of all this there's the usual programme of masterclasses, taking place in a purpose-built theatre at the east end of the hall. A complete list can be found on the event's website (2011.londonwinefair.com/content), but some highlights include learning all you can about Rioja from 12.15pm to 1pm on 17 May; biodiversity and Fairtrade wines in South Africa from 10.30am to 11.15am on 18 May; and Russia presents its best wines from 10.30am to 11.15am on 19 May.

If it's consumer insights you are after then book a place at the Wine Intelligence Theatre on 19 May, from 10am to 10.45am, for a seminar entitled "How to make wine matter in the on-trade."

"There are almost 26 million wine consumers in the UK who regularly drink in the on-trade. In too many cases their needs are not being met. This seminar will debate key ways to reconnect with UK wine consumers in pubs, bars and restaurants, with findings from Vintrac, in-depth surveys and international case studies," says a spokeswoman.

Meet someone interesting​

All of the stands, from the small one-table affairs to the huge double-decker pavilions, will be staffed by people wanting to talk to you about their wines and your business. Many of the bigger wineries have even flown over their winemakers, so if it's a little more technical knowledge or insider know-how you are after, this is the time to catch them.

Pernod Ricard UK, for example, has four of its winemakers available throughout the fair on K52/L50: Bernard Hickin from Jacob's Creek, Patrick Materman of Brancott Estate, Elena Adell from Campo Viejo and Victor Marcantoni, chief winemaker of Graffigna in Argentina; United Wineries has invited Francesco Polastri, head winemaker of both Cantina La Vis and Valle di Cembra, as well as Massimo Tarter, winemaker at Casa Girelli, onto its stand (K22) for the duration; and Chilean producer Concha y Toro (O50) will be hosting winemakers from its brands Viña Concha y Toro, Cono Sur and Trivento.

Family-owned wineries from Australia will also be making more of their presence at the event this year, as part of the Australia's First Families of Wine (AFFW) initiative.

If you fancy passing the time with, for example, Ross Brown of Brown Brothers, Victor de Bortoli and Steve Webber from De Bortoli, or Colin Campbell of Campbell's, then you can at a tasting session on 17 May, between 10am and 1pm, in the South Gallery Waterfront Rooms.

Alternatively, the AFFW has also designed a 'speed-tasting' event, from 2pm to 3.30pm on the same day, and will provide a whistle-stop tour of all 12 wineries that make up the initiative, including a chance to taste the wines.

Taste something different​

Talking of tasting, of course it would be a real missed opportunity not to taste some of the world's best and most interesting wines while you were at the fair, but why not spend half an hour or so experiencing something completely new as well?

What about wines from Russia, for example? Wineries from the country, including Myskhako, Fanagoria and Kuban-Vino, will be on P16.

Turkish wines will be available on stand G45 as the generic promotional board Wines of Turkey continues its push into the UK, following a launch in February this year. "Visitors to the Wines of Turkey stand will be able to taste the best of Turkish grapes from the world's oldest terroirs and in doing so hopefully discover some of the most exciting new grapes for the future," says Wines of Turkey director Taner Ogutoglu.

There are also Indian wines (Sula Vineyards J2/15 and Sveta Wines J74), Croatian wines (I60), Greek wines from Ino on H52 — including wines made from Agiorgitiko, the grape of St George — and Lebanese wine (R10).

Of course, it isn't all about weird and wonderful wines. Big brands such as Blossom Hill (L62), Jacob's Creek, Brancott Estate (K52/L50), Cono Sur (P55/56), Freixenet (K50), JP Chenet and Calvet (G70), to name just a few, will all be on show, as

well as agencies based all over the country. For example, Enotria (N40), PLB Group (N60), Hatch Mansfield (P45), Bibendum Wine (L30) and Mentzendorff & Co (O72) are just a few among many.