The WBWE bulk wine fair in Amsterdam has long been seen by wine professionals as an invaluable annual snapshot of the state of the wine world after the northern hemisphere harvest. With none of the presentational glitz associated with ProWein, Vinexpo or Vinitaly, the event and the unlabelled samples on offer from the exhibitors, represents the reality of the market. Visitors can quickly get the answers to three essential questions. What is quality of the latest vintage of any particular style. What is the availability? And how much will it cost?
This year will be a particularly interesting year at the fair. According to estimates from the French Ministry of Agriculture, France’s vineyards will have harvested only 39.3m hl, 18% below last year's figure and 11% below the five-year average. Earlier in the year, a crop as large as 43m hl had been expected.
According to a survey of cooperative cellars in Languedoc, the heatwave and dry conditions of late August in the west of the Hérault region and in the Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales have further reduced expectations, but there are large variations from one vineyard to another. Elsewhere, smaller crops are expected in Beaujolais-Burgundy and the Loire. Chardonnay from the Mâconnais region may be pricier than usual.
Pricier Pinot Grigio
In Italy, where picking began unusually early, dry conditions earlier in the year reduced volumes in Puglia, while hailstorms, high temperatures and uneven ripening caused problems for producers in the Veneto. According to reports from leading brokers, Ciatti, prices for Pinot Grigio are already rising by as much as 10%.
When Italy and France have these kinds of problems, WBWE visitors often turn to Hungary, Romania or Moldova, all of which produce varietal Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc that can satisfy the requirements at the lower end of the price scale. This year, however, the same heatwaves have hit Eastern Europe, causing the same problems. According to Reuters, Hungary began harvesting a month earlier than usual, as producers worries about their ability to go on making their traditional styles of white wine. Ironically, there is talk of switching to more heat-resistant red varieties at precisely the time when falling red wine sales are driving wineries in other countries to consider producing white wine from black grapes.
In June, the Spanish wine news website Vinetur.com Spanish predicted that drought conditions would cut production by as much as 20-25% compared to 2023 and the five-year average. More recent estimates place the likely volume at around 43m hl, however, making Spain a potentially interesting source of wine at the WBWE.
While much of the talk in Amsterdam is always about the most recent northern hemisphere vintage, there is, of course, plenty of wine on offer from the other side of the world.
Hello New Zealand
One of the characteristics of the fair is the rare presence of New Zealand, a country that can usually find buyers for its wine without needing to attend bulk wine fairs. This year, however, there are no fewer than six exhibitors, including the Marlborough Grape Growers Cooperative. Will these southern hemisphere producers benefit from the shortage and/or high prices of Loire Sauvignon Blanc?
Given the amount of excess wine known to be sitting in its cellars, and the low prices being quoted by some producers looking for big orders, visitors to last year’s event were surprised not to see more producers from Australia. This year, again, professionals seeking inexpensive Shiraz and Cabernet may be disappointed; there are only three exhibitors, compared to seven from South Africa.
Of course, whatever is on offer at WBWE will have to be set against falling demand in most markets and concerns about possible imposition of tariffs by China on European wine. This threat, however, will be of limited concern if the US elections, just under three weeks before the fair opens its doors, prove to favour Donald Trump. European producers are still counting the costs of the tariffs the Republican candidate imposed when he was president, and he has made no secret of his intention to use the same weapons again if he gets the chance.
For most European producers, however, those questions take the back seat to the immediate concerns of harvesting grapes and fermenting them. The success many of them will have had will be on show to anybody who takes the time and trouble to make their way to the Netherlands at the end of November.
