The organisers of The London Wine Fair have announced details of a brand new feature for the 2015 show. The View Tastings, in association with Octavian, the preeminent fine wine cellarers, will be a self-contained area within the Fair, specifically for companies which deal in premium and super-premium wines. The majority of exhibitors will be importers (either dealing purely in fine wine or with a fine wine portfolio) with a smaller number of individual producers too; all wines will have an R.R.S.P. of £30 and over. Access will be restricted to those with proven credentials in buying fine wine as well as key wine specialist media. Companies that have signed up to date include: Alliance Wine; Antinori; Astrum Wine Cellars; Flint Wines; Hatch Mansfield; Lea & Sandeman; Louis Latour Agencies; Penfolds (via Treasury Wine Estates); and Sogrape UK Ltd.
The View Tastings – which will have its own distinctive branding – will be located within The Gallery area of the Grand Hall, as a cordoned off area with 24 hour security. It will be restricted to 20-30 companies with tabletop format, fully serviced with premium glassware, spittoons, ice, staff and signage. The cost per table will be £1,500 (plus V.A.T.) and companies will be able to show up to 12 wines per table. It will be managed by The Wine Register, a fine wine broker and merchant which was set up in 2014 by Ashley Register, previously of Bordeaux Wine Investments and Quintessentially Wine. The Wine Register will be responsible for the overall running of the feature as well as ensuring only relevant and invited visitors are admitted. Adjacent to The View Tastings will be a feature area with related content which will change on a daily basis and include tastings from: The Unions des Grands Crus de Bordeaux.
Show director, Ross Carter, commented: “we have been keen to create a stand-alone fine wine feature into The Fair for a while now, and over the last couple of years have had encouraging feedback to support this from both visitors and exhibitors. The Fair’s scale has put-off some of this sector from exhibiting in the past, which is understandable when their target customer is relatively niche. The View Tastings will allow fine wine exhibitors to put their high end wines exclusively in front of decision makers from top merchants and restaurants from around the U.K. and internationally, in a secluded area, whilst benefitting from being part of the U.K.’s largest drinks trade event, and we are delighted that Octavian is supporting us in this new venture.”
Vincent O’Brien, managing director, Octavian Wine Services, commenting on the partnership, said: “as Octavian celebrates 25 years of storing wine in the optimum conditions, we are delighted to partner with The London Wine Fair to provide a special tasting area dedicated to the appreciation of fine wine, making sure that fine wine storage provenance is firmly in the minds of wine merchants and sommeliers. Together we can ensure that these remarkable wines reach the consumer in their intended state.”
For further information, please contact Robert Davidson, via [email protected] or +44 (0)20 7973 4668. The 2015 London Wine Fair – now in its 35th year – will take place at Olympia from Monday, 18th to Wednesday, 20th May. www.londonwinefair.com