Wine Expos: A Taste of Success

By Margo McCall -- Tradeshow Week, 6/12/2006

Organizers of wine expos are finding out what trade groups have known for years: Wine is more popular all the time.

According to the Wine Market Council, after lagging in the '80s and rebounding in the '90s, U.S. per-capita wine consumption is at an all-time high. Although not yet as popular here as in France and Italy, the wine business has enjoyed 11 straight years of growth.

Last year, for the first time, wine surpassed beer in the Gallup Poll as the most popular alcoholic beverage. The Wine Council notes that California vintages, in particular, are selling well, helped by more affordable and approachable wines, as well as the popularity of the 2004 movie "Sideways."

The trend has resulted in growth for two of the United States' oldest wine events: the Boston Wine Expo and the Washington, D.C. Intl. Wine & Food Festival, both produced by ResourcePlus & Event Management Intl. The Boston expo, now in its 16th year, drew 19,000 attendees and 440 exhibitors to the Seaport Hotel and Seaport World Trade Center Jan. 28–29. Its Washington counterpart, now in its seventh year, is expected to attract 12,000 attendees and 280 exhibitors to the Omni Shoreham Hotel later this month.

"Our events are definitely growing," said Ed Hurley, director of event marketing for ResourcePlus. "Sideways really contributed to people's desire to learn more about wine. Attendance really spiked during that year."

The opportunity to taste a great many vintages and varietals in one day is the biggest draw, followed by the chance to attend seminars and learn more about wine and gourmet food. Other typical features of such events are winemaker dinners, tastings of exclusive wines and live jazz.

Seminars designed both for amateurs and connoisseurs are a staple of the ResourcePlus events, as are celebrity chef demonstrations and vintner dinners. "We believe it's the interest in wine and the interest in food, and the pairing of wine and food," said Hurley. "Everybody is into the whole culinary scene now. Those three ideas together are what is driving people to come to our events."

But Boston and Washington, D.C., aren't the only locales raising a glass to America's favorite alcoholic beverage. Cities from coast to coast are uncorking their enthusiasm for wine.

Florida's 4-year-old South Beach Wine & Food Expo, produced by Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida and Florida Intl. University, drew 7,000 during its inaugural year. Within two years, attendance had increased to 20,000 for the three-day event. The South Beach festival distinguishes itself not only by being held on the beach, but by attracting big-name chefs such as Emeril Lagasse, Rachael Ray, Giada De Laurentiis and Bobby Flay.

Zinfandel Advocates & Producers' 15-year-old festival for one of California's heritage wines is billed as the world's largest dedicated to one varietal. This year's Jan. 28 Zinfandel Festival drew 8,000 attendees and 272 wineries, including 38 first-time exhibitors, to the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. Nearly 600 different zinfandels were available for tasting by consumers and wine writers.

Besides zinfandel, the festival featured more than 1,500 pounds of international cheese and 8,600 loaves of French baguettes. An afternoon of seated tastings and panel discussions was capped by a closing reception highlighting foods prepared by students in the City College of San Francisco's culinary arts and hospitality program. Forty-nine zinfandel producers teamed up with restaurants for the festival's Good Eats & Zinfandel, which offered various food and wine marriages, and a benefit evening with the winemakers featuring a multi-course dinner prepared by an executive chef.

It's no surprise that regions that produce wine grapes also produce their share of wine festivals. The central California community of Paso Robles — not too far from where Sideways was shot — hosted three shows this year: the March 17–19 Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival, May 11–13 Hospice du Rhone and the May 19–21 Paso Robles Wine Festival. Wine festivals are also held in the northern California wine-growing regions of Napa Valley, Sonoma County and the Mendocino Coast.

Wine events have also long been popular in Canada, where the beverage now makes an even bigger splash than beer. The Toronto Wine & Cheese Show has been going on for 23 years, and most recently drew 33,000 attendees to Intl. Centre, Toronto, March 24–26.

Produced by Premier Consumer Shows, the event features wine and beer contests, a kitchen theater, and seminars on Canadian cheese, Niagara region wines, wine tasting, and pairing food and wine.

The Montreal Wine & Spirit Show draws about 20,000 attendees and 70 exhibitors to the Palais des Congres de Montreal each March. Produced by L'Assn. Quebecoise des Agences de Vins, Bieres et Spiritueux, the biennial show is held during even-numbered years.

Meanwhile, each November, tens of thousands also turn out for the Gourmet Food & Wine Expo at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Produced by Town Media, the show offers tutored tastings, wine education seminars, chef demonstrations and a fine wine tasting lounge, as well as a VIP evening with top Toronto restaurateurs.

Show manager Jennifer Campbell said it has proven particularly effective to hold the show just before the holidays — when people are eyeing bottles of wine as gifts or accompaniments to celebratory dinners. This year's attendance of 35,000 was up 2,000 over the previous year.

"We've had really good growth for sure. We've had more word of mouth and repeat business, and we don't cut back on ads," she said.

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario, which regulates alcohol sales in the province, is a big part of the show. The board, which operates a wine division called Vintages, sets up a 2,000 square foot store and lends product consultants to help with the two dozen or so wine courses.

During the 90-minute courses separated by levels of experience, attendees can sample six to eight wines and hear from high-profile wine experts. Live entertainment, food from some of the city's best restaurants and exhibits of wine from all around the world round out the offerings.

"It's a great opportunity to see what the hottest trends are in food and wine," said Campbell, noting that Sofia Coppola wines got a lot of buzz last year. "We'll have someone visit the best of the best and buy a case of the wine for $8,000 right on-site. Other people might just buy a few bottles of wine."

Besides filling glasses, some festivals also fill the coffers of local charities. The Boston Wine Expo has raised more than $700,000 since its founding. And with its 2006 revenue up 22 percent over the previous year, the Miami Wine and Food Festival raised more than $1.1 million for the Baptist Health South Florida Foundation and United Way of Miami-Dade.

Attendees pay much higher entrance fees for wine expos than for an average public boat or home remodeling show. One-day tickets to the Washington expo are $61 in advance and $71 at the door; two-day are $82 in advance or $92 at the door. Tickets to the Boston event are similarly priced.

Even higher premiums are attached to tasting the premium wines. For example, those willing to shell out an additional $125 can gain access to Boston's Grand Cru Wine Lounge, which offers samples of more exclusive wines in a more casual, less crowded atmosphere.

Upon entering the Boston and Washington expos, attendees are given lists of tasting tips and souvenir wine-tasting glasses that they can carry with them as they peruse the booths, which are organized according to country. "It makes it easier for folks to navigate the showfloor," Hurley said.

Even though wine show attendees aren't usually a rowdy bunch, organizers have to make sure that they're not encouraging inebriation. ResourcePlus makes sure there's food on the showfloor to avoid tipsy sippers. Wineries are encouraged to offer modest-sized samples. And attendees are nudged to make liberal use of the spit buckets.

"We offer advice on how to go about tasting. We tell them not to swallow but to spit out. And there are spit buckets at each table. We try to educate folks as to how to sample properly," Hurley said.

No wine is sold at either the Boston or Washington show. Rather, attendees are expected to look for the wines they've sampled in their local wine stores. "It's all about promoting wine in general. We follow the three-tier distribution system for wine: the wineries, the distributors and the wine shops," Hurley said.