Some observations of ProWein 20 March 2008

A comment from an old Grape friend in Germany

From Peter Gebler [Cape Wine Master resident in Germany]:
The annual ProWein wine trade fair in Düsseldorf has just ended, and your correspondent had the pleasure of presenting Meerlust and Neil Ellis wines – a great pleasure, as practically only positive comments were heard.

Overall, the WOSA generic stand has become a small gathering place for producers seeking an importer, while all the more established producers are spread around the show at their importers' stands. The impression was there were slightly fewer visitors than last year, but possibly as a result of stricter controls, resulting in a better quality of visitors. Certainly interest in South Africa remains quite strong, with California and Australia facing more of an uphill battle.

German wines have been receiving increasing interest from consumers for a few years now, and this trend continues, and it also appears there is renewed interest in wines from the classical areas of France and Italy, after many years of declining attention.