VinExpo overview
Well, I took the train back from VinExpo onThursday and it took me a few days to recover. So much to see and do in so little time. I ran into a friend with a stand at 9am on Wednesday morning and his eyes were bearing a remarkable resemblance to his Chateauneufs - apparently the combination of dinner parties until 2am with Vinexpo’s 9am opening takes its toll on twenty-eight year-old vignerons. I assume some people actually go to VinExpo to taste and discover new wines to sell but the vast majority of people I spoke to were there to “press the flesh”. VinExpo is not actually about the wine it’s all about the people.
Although a little older and hopefully a little wiser, attending VinExpo again reminded me of my first impression from 2003. Simply - the conference is enormous. The main hall is 1km long, and then there are two smaller halls adjacent as well as the “Marketers” salon on the other side of the pontoon bridge.
Oh plus the little two story lake-side bungalows constructed by companies like Tattinger and Dourthe to wine and dine their high rolling customers.
In the end I did very little tasting on the main conference room floor, but rather in the smaller special events or off-campus tastings. It’s overwhelming to look at a kilometre of booths, trying to figure out which 1% merit your time. The off-events that I attended such as the Sapros (botrytized and sweet wines of terroir), Pomerol, and biodynamic tasting were more manageable and personal. I will present highlights of these various events over the next few days.