Vinalia reposted this
Mary Regan Collineau and I had the immense pleasure of attending Vinexposium-Wine Paris last month in which we were able to reconnect with industry colleagues, taste new vintages from several of our winery partners, as well as meet new and exciting global winegrowers helping to bring the category forward. As we’ve had a few weeks to digest all that we experienced while on-site, here are some key takeaways from our time on the ground in Paris: 1. There is so much exceptional wine out there worth exploring that has not even reached American shores. This is where Vinalia comes in, and there remains so much white space to explore. 🌎 2. Just one example is Swiss wine, 99% of which is consumed within Switzerland itself. The country is home to an abundance of unique varieties and styles with an overall focus on quality. We got to taste a vertical of the country’s signature white Chasselas going back to 1986 and demonstrating the grape’s profound, if not downright surprising, aging potential. There’s also a fascinating tradition of making white wines from Merlot in the Swiss Italian region of Ticino.🇨🇭 3. Some of the mightiest wines come from the smallest of countries. Luxembourg, for example, makes a wonderful Riesling. And I got to try my first Liechtenstein wine—an exceptional Pinot Noir made by the country’s crown princess. Who knew? 🇱🇺 🇱🇮 4. Even within France alone, there is still left to be discovered. Corsica, Savoie, and Southwest France are just three areas where the US market has barely scratched the surface. 🇫🇷 5. Globally, producers continue to be reining it in stylistically in terms of alcohol and oak. On a similar note, there was a strong low alc and non-alc contingency at the fair. 🥂 Excited to bring some of the best bottles we tasted to the US later in 2024! Stay tuned 🍷 🍇