With CapeWine 2025 planning commencing, we look to recent international exhibitions for key trends that can help ensure a successful show for all South African wine and brandy producers.
The 30th ProWein 2024 trade fair took place in Düsseldorf from 10 to 12 March and welcomed wine experts from all over the world from the retail and catering sectors. The focus was on around 5 400 exhibitors from 65 countries hosted over 300 masterclasses and events.
Photo: ProWein 2024 press kit
Photo: ProWein 2024 press kit.
No and low alcohol sector
One big trend seen at this year’s ProWein fair was the dedication of an entire hall to low and non-alcoholic beverages. The continued demand in the no and low-alcohol sector shows no signs of stopping. Vintners from Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and other emerging markets embrace this trend, and there’s much room for growth.
Technology and the emergence of AI
Though wine, as an agricultural product, needs a predominantly hands-on approach, technological advancements are undoubtedly reshaping the industry. With many industries already seeing the merit in using AI tools such as ChatGPT, the South African wine industry will be left behind if it ignores these advancements.
Agri-tourism – wine-related travel
The Italian wineries at ProWein greatly emphasise travel, specifically agrotourism and specially crafted wine experiences. They see wine as an integral part of tourism, and the two collectively work towards crafting the ‘bigger picture’ of lasting impressions and continued customer loyalty.
Lighter weight bottles
Producers at ProWein all preached the sustainability aspect of lighter-weight bottles and their environmental benefits. Reducing the carbon footprint on wine production and transportation is essential to the end consumer, but reducing the overall energy use and improving logistics will benefit the entire industry.
Celebrity wines
The most recent A-list celebrity to announce his involvement in the wine trade, George Clooney, joins a long list of rock stars, celebrities, and soccer players. Locally, we’ve seen celebrities such as Bonang Matheba and The Parlotones create their wine labels. Perhaps this is a route to explore further, with younger local celebrities, to gain favour with the GenZ market.
Photo: VinItaly 2024 press kit
The 56th VinItaly 2024 event took place in Verona from 14 to 17 April and welcomed 97 000 visitors from 140 countries. Over 30 000 foreign operators were present (31% of the total), and more than 4 000 wineries were exhibited.
Wine cocktails
While cocktails and mixology have been around for a while, masterclasses by renowned bartenders at VinItaly brought new attention to this trend. Winemakers are now exploring wine cocktail creations that complement their wines. By diversifying their product offerings, producers can attract new audiences and enter new markets.
Sustainability
Sustainability is deeply rooted in Italian winemaking, seen more as a core value than a passing trend. Many producers consider it essential to meet their customers’ expectations. European and New World consumers demand more transparency in the wine production process, emphasising the importance of traceability and accountability.
Consumption decrease
The global trend of decreasing consumption concerns all wine-producing countries, Italy and South Africa alike. Currently at 8%, this trend has been coming since pre-COVID-19. OIV Director General Dr John Barker also touched on this in the State of the World Vine and Wine sector in the 2023 press conference at the end of last month.
Regional focus
The VinItaly exhibition halls are always regionally divided, with each part of Italy having its hall or part of one in which to shine. The eye-catching décor and attention to regional differentiation, either by varietal, climate or terroir, draw visitors in to truly experience each place for what it offers. The showcase was not limited to the impressively large producers; even the smallest wine producers took the time to embellish their stand, which our local producers can take on board, too.
Varied seminar programme
One of the main highlights of VinItaly was the extensive seminars and varied tasting programmes offered. Showcasing not only top producers and their world-class offerings, they also had tastings pitting Italian wines against other countries’ similarly styled wines. Cultivar seminars also explained varietal versatility and how differing production methods impacted the end product. I believe this exciting seminar programme resulted in visitors returning on multiple days, as each day offered a wide and varied selection of events. Between the seminars, visitors stopped by producers and ensured success for all – something CapeWine could benefit from.
