The WBWE ends with a clear conclusion: Bulk wine is at the heart of the wine trade
Within an event focused on finding solutions despite the environment of uncertainty, over 220 wineries from 24 different countries and 6,000 visits from 57 countries have filled this fair with optimism and diversity.
The WBWE has experienced its most vibrant edition following two years of pandemic. Major international producers have reunited once again with their clients within an exceptional environment to boost business.
Two years of pandemic have left a challenging economic context to which the transport crisis, the war in Ukraine, the carbon footprint challenge, bottling at destination, and new consumers' demands have to be added... A situation that has been thoroughly analyzed within the framework of the WBWE this week, and that has made one thing clear: the wine sector needs to see each other in person.
There was great expectation and illusion regarding the WBWE, and how the most business-focused international fair would unfold.
Producers, buyers, brokers, bottlers, shippers and plenty of other professionals have reunited once again to mark the steps forward regarding what the following months and crop season might be.
The WBWE is the trade fair because it's the fair in which commercial agreements are closed; large international operations are agreed; new clients are found; and where potential business models are discovered.
The WBWE is the fair devoted to large wine volumes, yet recently it has also become the fair for the industry's future. This year's key debate has been the importance of starting to export in bulk given diverse reasons: price rates, the planet's sustainability, etc.
Exporting in bulk enables us to reduce costs for those who want to ship large wine quantities, but also brings a more-environmentally-friendly approach that is in line with what consumers are demanding currently.
Bulk wine is the wine business and the wine business is in Amsterdam.
"While there is understandable gloom about what 2023 might bring economically, the bulk market is – and will be – offering attractive price-quality opportunities and all sorts of possibilities for enterprise". Ciatti
"With impeccable eco-credentials, bulk wine now ticks all the boxes for businesses looking to become more sustainable, enabling them to explore alternative packaging solutions, slash their carbon footprints and tap into consumer preferences for environmentally friendly practices. The increased switch, and interest in bulk wine from buyers at more premium ends of the market comes at at time when attitudes amongst both consumers and legislators towards packaging and waste is undergoing a seismic shift". The Buyer
"Why go to the WBWE fair? To discover brilliant organic, 1000 metre altitude Uco Valley Malbec or good premium Aussie Shiraz for $1.50/l or South African sauvignon blanc at $0.75c In other words, to see what's really happening in wine in 2022". Robert Joseph
