Metropolitan Pavilion sits in a relatively quiet street in Manhattan, with nothing to suggest it’s a hotbed of wine and spirits. But for three days in late March, it was a meeting place for the industry, with 180 wine, beer, and spirits producers putting up banners and laying out tables, as the inaugural USA Trade Tasting opened for business.

It`s been a long time coming.

Although the US is the world’s most lucrative market for a wine brand, it’s also one of the most complex. Not only does it have a unique, three-tier distribution system, but each state has its own system as well. This complexity has made it difficult to create a significant trade fair. Enter Beverage Trade Network (BTN), an online and business-to-business networking company. Seeing the gap in the market, founder and owner Sid Patel decided to create an event in New York, the city which most deserves the title of gateway to the US.

Read More Source at | Meininger