The supporting programme at ProWein 2018 is as varied as the more than 6,700 exhibitors from 61 countries and approx. 300 growing regions from throughout the world that are featured here. Some 500 events – including numerous guided tasting sessions, seminars and presentations – will be held directly at exhibitors' stands and at the two ProWein Forums. For instance, a tour around the themed events and guided tastings held by individual exhibitors shows what in-depth know-how is conveyed at the trade fair. Focal topics at the event include Champagne & Sparkling Wine, Craft Spirits & Craft Beer, Organic Wines & Biodynamics, Maturation & Potential, Food & Wine Pairings as well as Marketing and Logistics Themes for Retail. For perfect preparation the entire supporting programme can be found as a PDF file at www.prowein.de or as a printed brochure at ProWein itself.

The well-attended ProWein Forums show just how important the information events are for the trade audience at ProWein. According to Marius Berlemann, Global Head of Wine & Spirits and Director of ProWein, these Forums were initiated to enable exhibitors to showcase various themes to a larger number of visitors. Once again in 2018 numerous events will be held in the Forums in Halls 10 and 13.

Providing an all-round overview on international wine trends are the ProWein trend scouts Stuart Pigott and Paula Sidore in their guided tastings. As part of the Trend Hour on Sunday and Monday (from 6.00 pm to 7.00 pm on both evenings at the ProWein Forum in Hall 10) they will be reporting on the new freshness in wine, the success of natural wines, viticulture in the new north, regionality in taste and style as well as the emerging wine nation of China on the cusp of making its breakthrough.

Champagne & Sparkling Wine for Festive Moments

A unique feature at the world's largest wine trade fair is the Champagne Lounge with 40 tradition-steeped Champagne houses and more than 150 brands. And when you can taste the likes of Champagne aged in the depths of the Atlantic, like at the Champagne Vollereaux stand, it is sure not only to be world-famous but also quite extraordinary. Guided Champagne tastings will also be held at Falstaff, Vinum and publishing house Meininger Verlag. At the stand of Sud de France Développement sparkling delights care of Limoux will be available for tasting. Contrasting with their know-how about centuries-old Champagne and sparkling wine production the Comité de Champagne will be presenting the latest developments in the field in their annual press conference at the trade fair (Sunday, 19/03/2018, 12 noon at the ProWein Forum in Hall 10).

German "winzersekt" or vintners' vintage varietal sparkling wine with or without 36 months' yeast fermentation – as well as the quirky Pet Nats offering – can be found at the events held at the stands of Frankenwein-Frankenland, Rheinhessenwein, the German Wine Institute (Deutsches Weininstitut – DWI), Falstaff and Vinum.

Italians at the Vinum stand featuring spumante from Lake Garda score points as does the Consorzio per la Tutela del Franciacorta with the different Franciacorta types as Italy's best sparkling wines. At their tasting the DE.S.A. Deutschland Sommelier Association will then add to this Italian theme rounding up the first day of the trade fair with traditional, bottle-fermented sparkling wines from Italian winemakers coupled with Italian delicatessen, oysters and caviar.

Information on Spanish Cava will be presented at Meininger Verlag while at the stand of Österreich Wein Marketing the sparkling wine Sekt g. U. (Austrian sparkling wine with Protected Designation of Origin) will be available for tasting and for its part Demeter e. V. will be presenting top biodynamic "bubbly" from Germany and France. And those who like fun and fizzy should check out IBRAVIN Wines of Brazil and discover their semi-sparkling offerings. 

Craft Spirits and Craft Beer Very Much on Trend

Dedicated to the trendy and very highly sought after Craft theme is the newly designed special show "same but different" in Hall 7.0. Over 70 exhibitors will be showcasing their products here like Craft Spirits, Craft Beer and Cider. The most important types of craft beer are presented by the publishing house Meininger Verlag at their stand in guided tastings. On the "same but different" area the unique trend drinks plus the "Who's Who" on the scene will seduce visitors with a night of clubbing with electrifying beats while at the Romanian Wine Promotion Association's stand a Craft Beer Zone plus a competition will be offered.

Everyone wanting to know what those Scandi lifestyle hygge drinks taste like should check out the Meininger Verlag in the Fizzz Lounge. Insights into the harmonious balance of a cocktail will be supplied by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) at their stand. Conversely, at the distillery Feinbrennerei Sasse Korn things do not all just revolve around the Korn schnapps trend but also a fair bit around what makes a good aperitif. For training in the field of Pálinka fruit brandies, this Hungarian eau de vie will be dealt with for the first time by the AMC Agricultural Marketing Centre at the ProWein Forum in Hall 10.

Eco Wines Are and Remain on Trend

"Organic" wines are not just a passing trend in Germany as the theme has also preoccupied many top-notch wine producers and associations for a long time now. For instance, at the Demeter stand based on market developments they will debate whether organic wine is a product for the elite or a broader audience. The organic wine association Ecovin Bundesverband Ökologischer Weinbau e.V will have interesting facts on hand for interested visitors. At Bioland LV Rheinland-Pfalz they will be asking whether organic wine cultivation can give wine retail an opportunity to raise its profile. Experts at Falstaff will give talks on the future of organic wine in the international context, and as a Spanish supplier Viñedos Emiliana will show what 20 years working in organic wine and biodynamics means. The Ecole du Vin de Bordeaux Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB) will provide insights into the organic movement in Bordeaux. And at the stand of Rhône Valley Vineyards Inter Rhône Interprofessionel des Vins A.O.C there will be a guided organic wine tasting. Wine Australia will be presenting organic and biodynamic wines while publishing house Meininger Verlag will furnish information on the importance and development of these wines in Chile.

Newcomer Japan: Sake & Koshu Wines

Celebrating a premiere at this year's ProWein will be a joint stand from Japan focussing on the topic of sake. Which means: sake will be centrestage at a variety of tasting sessions. For instance, visitors to the Japanese joint stand in Hall 9 at Ueno Gourmet GmbH and at the stand of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) will find out all sorts of interesting facts about this Japanese drink: from the first basics and food pairings to traditional and modern production methods. Furthermore, prize-winning Japanese koshu wines will be the focal point of a guided tasting session by Messe Düsseldorf Japan.

Maturation, Storage Potential and Time

Vertical tasting sessions are always exciting – especially when real rarities are involved. For instance, Germany's DE.S.A. Deutschland Sommelier Association will be presenting a number of Lanson Champagnes from vintages between 2002 and 1989 alongside a Custoza vertical tasting from 60 years of Monte del Frá as well as Lugana discoveries from the last 50 years. The Consorzio per la Tutela dei Vini Valpolicella will be holding a tasting session with vintage Amarone della Valpolicella Doc. Frankenwein will place a young and aged Silvaner side by side. Winding back the clock will be Puklavec Family Wines treating stand visitors to an archive wine tasting featuring a 1969 Weißburgunder and a 1971 Furmint. The CVRA, Comissao Vitivinicola Regional Alentejana, will be illustrating why some wines need more time than others using the example of wines that are over ten years old.

Marketing, Sales, Export, Logistics & Co

Wine is a commodity – so here marketing, sales, export and the like play a key role. Which is why know-how across this entire field is all the more important. And all this will be offered by speakers from the ViniPortugal – Wines of Portugal association and the PAR Institutes with their programme of further training on the topics of tasting abilities, wine quality assessment, on wine list compilation and well as range design. With the latter the trade audience will also find out what points and medals can do for the retail trade. Experts from Wein+Markt Fachverlag Dr. Fraund will shed light on the future of the retail trade in the ProWein Forum in Hall 13. Also playing a role here are online wine sales. At their own stand experts from Dee-Wine/Digital.Wine. Business will discuss how to properly go about this. Help with the pronunciation of Portugal's tongue-twisting autochthonous grape varieties is provided at the stand of the CVRA, Comissao Vitivinicola Regional Alentejana. Playing a role in international sales are the respect of legal requirements, logistics questions, quality assurance during transportation and transport insurance as well as targeted marketing. Albatrans S.p.A., USA Wine West and New Zealand Winegrowers will be providing information on these themes.

Further information on ProWein and the entire supporting programme can be found on the Internet at www.prowein.de. High-resolution visuals can be found on our database in the "Press Service" section at www.prowein.de.