Following a rejuvenated 2014 show, the London Wine Fair organisers are reporting a swathe of support for next year’s event. The priority booking period for U.K. based agents, importers, brand owners and distributors who attended the 2014 event has now come to a close with 83 percent of those who took part in 2014 already signed up, six months out from the show. Bookings for new exhibitors, and those returning after an absence, opened in mid-October with an impressive collection of names subsequently joining the floor-plan.

Those companies who will be returning following a successful 2014 show, include: Armit Wines; Australian Vintage; Bancroft Wines; The Bibendum PLB Group; Connoisseur Estates; CyT UK; Gonzales Byass UK; Hatch Mansfield; John E. Fells; Louis Latour Agencies; Mentzendorff & Co; Negociants UK; Oakley Wine Agencies; Paul Mas; Seckford Agencies; Stevens Garnier; and Winery Exchange. And those exhibiting for the first time, or returning after a break, include: North South Wines – the newly-formed agency which is representing 19 wineries, including former independent exhibitor de Bortoli; McKinley Vintners; Berkmann Wine Cellars; The Wine Fusion; Continental Wines; Fortyfive10; and Guy Anderson Wines.

Katherine Wilson, marketing and brand manager at McKinley Vintners, which is returning after a decade, comments: “It’s been several years since we last exhibited at the LWF but we feel that the new, fresh look and a greater focus on the UK means the LWF is now the key event in the Wine Trade calendar and simply unmissable for companies such as ourselves. We’re excited at the opportunity to directly target customers from all areas of the trade who may not be aware of the brands and products we can offer and we’re looking forward to working with the teams behind the Fair to best maximise the opportunities for our suppliers from Champagne to Port.”

Christopher Smith, managing director at The Wine Fusion adds: “The Wine Fusion has never exhibited at LWF before, however one of our key Australian suppliers WD Wines, owner of the Parker Estate in Coonawarra, and St John\'s Road in the Barossa exhibited in 2014 at the new look Fair in Olympia and we were very impressed with the quality of the visitors, as well as the business that we generated. We felt we had to have our own stand for 2015 as The Wine Fusion for both WD Wines and our New Zealand partners, te Pā Family Wines. Additionally we want to showcase our exclusive label offer and new joint venture brands in development in South Africa and California which will be launched in the early part of 2015. We were also impressed that the cost to exhibit has returned to sensible rather than silly money for exhibitors such as ourselves.”
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2015 will see the London Wine Fair move into Olympia’s Grand Hall, offering an additional 10 percent of available space within which the Fair can grow. Show director, Ross Carter, commented however “our priority is not to dramatically expand the show, and we remain committed to restrictions on stand size. Having said that, there is scope to increase organically and also to take advantage of a better space which is easier to navigate.”

For more information about the 2015 London Wine Fair, which runs from 18th to 20th May, email wine@hgluk.com