London Wine Fair 2024 - The Largest Fair for the UK Market Concluded with Absolute Success!
The 42nd London Wine Fair, the unique professional wine exhibition for the UK market, concluded with great success.
The LWF is a unique event that annually celebrates, inspires, educates, and promotes wine to distributors, wholesalers, supermarket buyers, wine shops, retailers, HORECA, and collectors.
More than 9,000 industry professionals attended the three-day event, having the opportunity to discover new and innovative trends and products, conduct tastings, and attend speeches, masterclasses, and presentations on the new challenges of the wine industry.
The 401 exhibitors had the chance to connect with some of the biggest names among importers and distributors of the UK’s on-trade and off-trade market, as well as numerous renowned journalists and wine experts.
Additionally, during the exhibition, the Wine Buyers Awards were presented, a tradition established in 2020 to recognize the best professional wine buyers in the UK.
The exhibition’s recognition by the international beverage market as the largest and most important trade show in the UK attracted a significant number of international participants, with companies from the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Greece, Austria, Romania, Armenia, Moldova, South Africa, Argentina, Chile, Spain, Georgia, the USA, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Slovakia, Lebanon, and more.
The Greek Participation
The Greek participation in the 2024 event was particularly significant, including a total of 36 wineries. The Greek Pavilion was once again in a prime location, right in the center of the exhibition. Of the 35 wineries at the National Pavilion, 33 were supported by the Regions of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace, Central Macedonia, Crete, and Central Greece, 2 were independent participants, and the Greek presence was complemented by Achaia Clauss, with a standalone stand outside the National Pavilion.
Among the over one thousand visitors to the National Pavilion were buyers from companies such as Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Hatch Mansfield, Mentzendorff, Friarwood, and others.
Moreover, Ms. Paraskevi Kampouroglou, Deputy General Consul for Economic and Commercial Affairs of the Greek Embassy in London, visited the Greek Pavilion and had a chat with the representatives of the Greek wineries.
The Greek Wine Bars
Within the National Pavilion, two Wine Bars were organized, where over 1,000 visitors could find and taste three representative wines from each winery participating in the Greek delegation.
All the wines at the Wine Bars were included in a special guide produced by RECO EXPORTS, providing visitors with information about each label and the respective winery.
The Wine Bars were managed by two renowned professionals in the field in the UK:
- Martyna Pawliczek, former Head Sommelier at La Dame de Pic London, holds a prominent position in the world of haute cuisine and wine. Now a member of Clark Foyster Wines Ltd, she has extensive experience in the wine industry, having worked in top restaurants worldwide.
- Zigmars Grinbergs holds a WSET Diploma and is an Advanced Sommelier while currently studying to become a Master Sommelier. With over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, he has worked as a head sommelier and is now a wine buyer for Central Europe.
Additionally, in the Free Wine Tasting Area, the Region of Crete participated independently, where Klearchos Kanelakis showcased to visitors the most famous wine varieties from the entire network of wineries in the region.
Masterclass: Greece – an Authentic Modern Classic
The three-day exhibition concluded with the presentation of nine Greek wine labels, selected by MW Demetri Walters from the wineries participating in the National Pavilion, in a special Masterclass Session.
The Masterclass titled “Greece – an Authentic Modern Classic” took place on Wednesday, May 22, from 12:30 to 13:30, in the specially designed “Walk-up Tasting” area of the exhibition. The Masterclass was presented to an audience of 50 visitors (buyers, sommeliers, distributors, and wine enthusiasts), who filled the room.
Master of Wine Demetri Walters is a consultant, educator, and wine presenter with nearly 20 years of experience in retail and wholesale positions with Berry Bros & Rudd.
The labels presented at the Masterclass were as follows:
| WINERY | LABEL |
| 1. Skoumpris Winery | Flevari Moschofilero, 2023 |
| 2. Amargiotakis Winery | Vidiano, 2023 |
| 3. Minos-Miliarakis Winery | Malvasia di Candia/Malvasia Aromatica, 2023 |
| 4. Ktima Tatsis | Orange Roditis Retsina, 2016 |
| 5. Thivaiki Gi | Mouchtaro, 2019 |
| 6. Anatolikos Vineyards | Limnio, 2021 |
| 7. Taralas Estate | Xinomavro, 2020 |
| 8. Zoinos | Vlahiko, 2020 |
| 9. Ktima Vourvoukeli S.A. | Mavroudi, 2018 |
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