The London Wine Fair

22nd – 24th May 2017 Kensington Olympia

LWF Masterclasses

The London Wine Fair is known internationally for having set the standard in experiential wine events, and the  tastings and masterclasses are second to none.

In 2017 the LWF Masterclass theatre will be located in the spectacular Pillar Hall at Olympia, located just off the Grand Hall to the right as you enter the venue.

Highlights include:

• The Nebbiolos of “Alto Piemonte”
• How techtonics have shaped California
• Exploring Green Spain

It is advisable  to research the Masterclass offer by searching in the LWF Digital Catalogue, where you can reserve seats at popular features. Seats are allocated in advance in many instances, so please book soon to avoid disappointment.

Please  check  other tasting areas –

‘The LWF Pop-Up Tastings and the Walk-Up Tastings’ – for details of the other tasting opportunities at this year’s LWF.

Since making it’s debut at the Fair in 2014, esoterica has become one of the LWF’s most popular feature areas, showcasing a vast array of the country’s most innovative small-scale importers, comprising of around 70 niche micro-importers displaying 14 wines each on each table.

esoterica showcases the diversity and depth of the UK wine trade, putting specialists at the fore and “presenting wines that appeal to buyers across the on-trade and independent retail in particular.”

In 2017 the LWF is welcoming several new businesses to the space, all with distinct specialisms and unique products.

“So if you are looking for natural wine, rare grape varieties, lesser known regions, organic wine or biodynamics, head to London’s foremost specialist wine event ‘esoterica’, at the London Wine Fair.”

Wines Unearthed

Introduced in 2015, Wines Unearthed is an area dedicated to over 100 wine producers looking for UK representation. Participating wineries have no UK importer and should be export ready.

Wines Unearthed is about discovery, but discovery safe in the knowledge that what you find here are wineries that have a track record in exports, that are ready for the challenging UK market and looking for the right partner to build their presence in this market.

All of the participating wineries in Wines Unearthed have been vetted in advance of the event and only those who were able to demonstrate time and funds invested in developing their wine offer for significant export markets were permitted to take part.

You can prepare to unearth the perfect wine in advance of the event by searching the wines available at this year’s event.

FollowLWF Pop-Up Tastings

The London Wine Fair is well known for its tastings and educational offering; and in 2016 we introduced the Pop-Up Tastings to cater for the increasing demand for more tasting lead sessions.

In 2017 the Pop Up Tastings will be held in the Grand Hall, to the right hand side once you have entered the venue.

Highlights include:

• A Brief History of Napa Valley in 10 Wines
• Cool Classics; The Shiraz of Adelaide Hills with Kim Milne MW

Walk Up Tastings

This year the LWF is introducing a third tasting theatre as a result of all of our sessions having been fully booked in 2016, and our visitors telling us they were interested in more tasting lead content.

The Walk-Up Tastings will be unique among our tasting areas; we know that not all visitors have time to book into sessions in advance of the Fair, and that most sessions are booked so quickly that often people are left disappointed. The Walk Up Tastings is exactly as the name suggests, first come first served on the day.

We would recommend arriving at least 15 minutes before sessions commence. You can find out more about what’s on in the Walk-Up Tastings by checking the LWF Digital Catalogue.

Please make sure you check our other tasting areas ‘The LWF Masterclasses’ and the ‘Pop-Up Tastings’ for details of the other tasting opportunities at this year’s LWF.

Industry Briefings

The LWF Industry Briefings is the  dedicated seminar theatre wherethe LWF tackles the issues that are top of the wine trade’s agenda.

Top of the agenda in 2017 will be Brexit and its effects on the wine market in the UK, a session dedicated to the subject will be chaired by Richard Siddle, with guests:

• Andy Slaughter MP for Hammersmith & Fulham (Labour)
• Tim Loughton MP for East Worthing (Conservative)

The  guests have opposing views in the Brexit debate and have had ties to the drinks trade in recent years. This session will be held on Monday 22nd at midday.

 

For those of you who have had your fill of Britain’s EU exit, here are a few other subjects to peek your interest:

Denomination UK will be looking at innovation in wine marketing with representatives from Off Piste, Araldica and Morrison’s on Monday at 1.30. Condor Wines with TAS and Red Squirrel will be discussing ‘Small is not just beautiful, it’s better’ and the role played by independent importers on Tuesday at 10.30.

To book these any all of the other sessions in this year’s Industry Briefing, please head to the LWF Digital Catalogue, sign up and book!

Châteauneuf-du-Pape tastings

12 wine-producers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape will pour their wines at the Pop-Up tasting area on Tuesday, May 23rd. This will include whites and reds from Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC and whites, rosés and reds from Côtes-du-Rhône and a few other sourthern-Rhône appellations.

It is the second year in succession that Châteauneuf-du-Pape has provided a tasting at the London Wine Fair, and will include the following 12 wine estates: Brotte, Domaine Les 3 Cellier, Domaine de la Mordorée, Domaine La Millière, Domaine Georges Lombrière, Domaine Le Serre des mourres, La Clef de Saint-Thomas, Domaine Santa-Duc, Domaine de la Présidente, Domaine des Pères de l’Eglise, Domaine du Père Caboche, Domaine Saint-Patrice.

About Chateauneuf-Du-Pape AOC

Defined in 1933, the area of production of Châteauneuf du Pape is located on the left bank of the Rhône River between Orange and Avignon. It has a wide range of soils, in particular pebbles (diluvium alpin), laying on red-clay, with  6% of the production white wine and 94% is red.

 

This is a ‘dry’ feature, so there are no wines to taste, but plenty of opinions and recommendations to sample!

 

Vintage Sixteen Preview

A new film about the world of wine will preview on Monday, 22nd May at this year’s London Wine Fair.!

Vintage Sixteen is a 45-minute documentary about the 2016 southern hemisphere wine harvest, showing the passion and hard work involved in the harvest across five countries: Australia; New Zealand; South Africa; Chile; and Argentina.

Oxford-based filmmaker Dan James conducted forty winemaker interviews during harvest and created close-up footage in vineyards and wineries.

Some of the best winemakers and vineyards in the world are featured, including: Klein Constantia (South Africa); Grosset Vineyards (Australia); Escarpment (New Zealand); and Kingston Family Vineyards (Chile).

The screening will be held in the Industry Briefing room at Olympia and will start at 5.00pm, followed by a Q&A.

To register, please follow the link to the right, and search under ‘Industry Briefings’.

‘Club Elite’

Formerly known as ‘Club Elite’, the The London Wine Fair Press & Members’ Club is an invitation area of the LWF set aside for visiting buyers, business leaders and the press.

Members are welcome to hold private meetings here and have working lunches. Members of the press are permitted to hold interviews in the club, but we would ask that you contact us in advance to arrange for your guest to added to our guestlist.

If you would like to know more about becoming a member of the Press & Members’ Club, please contact us 

 

22nd – 24th May 2017 Kensington Olympia

 

 

 

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