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ORGANISER BRINTEX expects more than 11,000 visitors to the show, both UK and international. Some 750 exhibitors will represent wines from more than 40 countries.

Show content will include the View Tastings – a self-contained area within the fair for companies which deal in premium and super-premium wines. Daily fine wine tastings will run alongside, including Châteauneuf-du-Pape on May 4, the first time the appellation has exhibited. Esoterica is a feature which showcases the portfolios of niche and micro-importers, and Wines Unearthed is a standalone ‘village’ dedicated to global wine producers seeking UK representation.

BOTTLEBOOKS PARTNERSHIP

The London Wine Fair has announced a partnership with Bottlebooks which, it claims, will establish a new standard for wine data exchange in the UK.

The fair’s official digital directory will be Bottlebooks’ and will see the launch of a UK standard platform for wine data capture. Bottlebooks is described as a ‘universal wine data solution, designed to solve inherent problems associated with information sharing in the wine industry’. Specifically it says:

l Importers, agencies, exporters, wholesalers, retailers, and wineries waste significant resources exchanging product information;

l Data is incorrect or badly presented. For example, a search for Johner Estate Riesling Wairarapa 2014 will reveal three alcohol levels and three bottle shots;

l Limited growth in a digital world. Lack of consistent and good data limits the ability of the industry to fully integrate itself in an increasingly digital marketplace.

The service will be made available to LWF exhibitors and their suppliers for £77 a year with bespoke online wine catalogues for the fair costing £135. These branded exhibitor microsites will contain details of wines being exhibited, producer bios and ability to book at-stand tastings, all in a URL for the exhibitor to share with clients ahead of the fair.

The London Wine Fair will be the first major industry event to use Bottlebooks.

Show director Ross Carter said: “Bottlebooks is set to change the way the global wine industry does business – providing real, workable solutions for real, everyday problems for everyone working in this sector. We are delighted it has elected to launch in the UK and we are proud to partner with it.”

l Profile on LWF event director, Ross Carter, page 14.

EXHIBITOR NEWS

Fladgate: a port of call

A rare 50-year-old single harvest tawny from Taylor’s, a new 50cl bottle for Croft Pink and a new vintage for Fonseca Late Bottled Vintage will be some of the latest finds from the Fladgate Partnership (owner of Taylor’s, Fonseca and Croft Ports) on the Mentzendorff stand.

The Taylor’s Single Harvest Tawny, from the acclaimed 1966 vintage, is joined by a new 2011 vintage for Taylor’s Late Bottled Vintage. Taylor’s will also show first estate, aged tawny ports from its extensive library, a plump Taylor’s 2001 Quinta de Terra Feita and a Taylor’s 1985 Vintage Port.

Sister house Fonseca will present the youthful Fonseca Guimaraens 1998 vintage along with a black fruit-laced Fonseca 1985 vintage, the full-bodied Bin 27 and the organic Terra Prima.

Croft Pink has a new, square-shouldered 50cl bottle with a silver twist cap.

DOMAINES PAUL MAS

Domaines Paul Mas returns to the fair with a new range of sulphur-free wines.

The Languedoc-based producer will be showcasing the 2015 vintage of the Cuvée Secrète red, a sulphite-free blend of Merlot/Cabernet Franc, in addition to the 2015 Cuvée Secrète Chardonnay.

The Cuvée Secrète range on display also includes: a Minervois La Liviniere and a Clairette du Languedoc, which is a little known AOP situated to the north of Pézénas. The grape produces fresh, aromatic and fruit driven wines, an attractive cousin of the now trendy Picpoul de Pinet, making it an ideal summer aperitif and seafood pairing.

THE LONDON WINE FAIR

Dates & Times

Tuesday May 3: 10.00-18.30

Wednesday May 4: 09.30-18.00

Thursday May 5: 09.30-17.00

Venue

Kensington Olympia, Hammersmith Road, Kensington, London W14 8UX

The London Wine Fair will be held in the Grand and West Halls this year.

To register, visit: londonwinefair.com