Companies from 19 different countries will be attending the 7th World Bulk Wine Exhibition, the biggest trade fair worldwide regarding business transactions. Given the fact that registration deadline is still open, Germany, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Chile, China, the United States, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Malaysia, Moldavia, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Spain are the countries that will be participating in the WBWE for the time being.

Taking into account the number of registered exhibitors at present, the WBWE shows an increase of 15% in the number of participants compared to last year, in addition to a growth of 20% in the exhibition space.

These are important figures for a fair which brings together most of the bulk wine producing and exporting countries. The 20 exhibiting countries represent more than 85% of the international offer for this wine sector, which continues to grow in quality and quantity every year. The WBWE displays an ample range of bulk and bag-in-box wines, from appellation wines with a protected geographical indication to those with a varietal appellation, as well as generic wines intended for either mixing, or making sparkling wine or flavored wine such as vermouth. This diverse offer and the potential for multiple sales contracts, as well as origin to destination packaging agreements, make this international gathering a very exclusive one indeed.

Regarding bulk wine, we must highlight that its international growth has increased competitiveness and commercialization, with a rise in the volume of exports and an ever-growing variety to choose from.

Recent data provided by the OEMV (Spanish Observatory for the Wine Market) confirms the huge evolution undergone by the bulk wine sector since the year 2000. Back then, global sales rose up to 20.34 million hectoliters, with a value of 1,231 million Euros, each liter selling for an average price of 0.60 Euros. This is especially significant if we compare it to the number of exports in 2014, which reached up to 37.83 million hectoliters -with an increase of 85%- valued in 2,715 million Euros, each liter having sold for an average price of 0.72 Euros.

The weight of bulk wine in exports has grown in volume from 34% up to 37.7% and in value from 9% up to 10.5%, in spite of the overall price drop, from the year 2000 to 2014.

The data currently available for the 2015 crops indicates that Italy, France and Spain are set to be the biggest wine producing countries, in that order. Production in Italy is estimated in 48 million hectoliters, followed by France with 46 million hectoliters and Spain with 37 million hectoliters (plus another 5.5 million in must wine).

The greatest commitment of the World Bulk Wine Exhibition is to ensure that all exhibitors taking part with their different high-quality bulk wines can enjoy the best international showcase for their products. This is possible thanks to a great job attracting buyers from all over the world. The World Bulk Wine Exhibition is a key strategic event not only due to the timing, the location, or the summoning power it has, but also because of its 360-degree view on the bulk wine business.

October, 22nd 2015