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Only 94 of the 200 or so members of the Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates (VDP) will be presenting their wines at ProWein in March. This continues the downward trend of recent years: ten years ago, 141 VDP wineries took part, 132 came in 2017 and 129 were registered for the wine fair in 2020. In a ten-year comparison, this is a continuous decline of one third.
The trend is similar for the wineries from Austria: while 228 were still present in 2023, this year only 198 are taking part in the joint stand of Österreich Wein Marketing (ÖWM). This is 38 per cent fewer than the 320 Austrian wineries in 2014.
In conversation with wein.plus, several Austrian winegrowers confirmed that, in addition to the hotel prices, which were perceived as significantly overpriced, the bus and train strikes that paralysed traffic in Düsseldorf and neighbouring cities on two days of the trade fair last year were the impetus for a reorientation. Some are considering exhibiting at Vinexpo Paris in future. Hotel rooms there are significantly cheaper than in Düsseldorf during the trade fair in the middle of February. Prices there are usually over 300 euros per night, while in Paris many rooms are easily available for between 80 and 120 euros. This year, 46 German and 52 Austrian companies will be exhibiting at Vinexpo Paris.
(al / Source: VDP, ÖWM, editorial office)