Held under strict hygiene and safety measures, the recent staging of ProWine China in Shanghai featured 400 wine producers and distributors from 17 countries and regions and attracted 22,542 trade visitors – an increase of 9.2% compared to the previous edition. The successful staging of the only international wines and spirits trade fair since the COVID-19 outbreak was made possible by the effective epidemic control in China, the implementation of a strict hygiene and safety concept as well as the support from the industry. Boutique wineries and premium wine producers from all over the world were present at ProWine China 2020 to get in contact with local producers, importers, distributors and key buyers. In addition to local trade visitors, many attendees also came from Beijing, Guangdong, Sichuan, Hainan, Shandong, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia and Macau“Organizing ProWine China 2020 on schedule amidst the epidemic was more challenging this year than ever. We are delighted that the event maintains its international character. We hope that the success will encourage the entire industry to believe in a successful future and to continue to drive business forward,” explained Michael Degen, Executive Director of Messe Düsseldorf.

Ian Roberts, Managing Director of Hospitality, Food and Beverage at Informa Markets, added: “We are very pleased with this year’s ProWine China. The various city promotion and publicity campaigns that we organized throughout the year to promote ProWine China have laid a very strong foundation – despite the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Highlights at ProWine China 2020 included the official country group exhibits from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, California, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain, jointly organized by Messe Düsseldorf and Informa Markets. Due to the entry restrictions, the organizers offered the “overseas organization, local support” program, so that overseas wineries were able to participate in ProWine China 2020 via their subsidiary or local importers in China. On the second day of the trade fair, the German Wine Institute announced that the official flagship store for German wines would be launched on T-Mall on November 11, 2020, opening up an important sales channel for online retail business and marketing of German wines in China.

This year, the largest number of Chinese exhibitors was recorded at ProWine China 2020. The most representative wine regions in China, such as Xinjiang, Ningxia, Huailai, Shanxi, Shandong, Qinhuangdao and Fangshan, were all present at the UCW UP-Chinese Wine booth. In addition to the multiplier WINE100 joint booth, the Yinchuan Wine Industry .

Development Service Center and the Yinchuan Helan Mountain Eastern Foothills Wine Industry Alliance took part in ProWine China 2020 for the first time with 16 wineries from the Alliance.

Ms. LI Muyang, Director of Media Relations of COFCO-Great Wall, stated: “Despite the devastating pandemic, we have made every effort to minimize its impact on us. We have offered digital activities such as our live streaming webinars on e-commerce as well as organizing real events such as our 5-star gala. We are consistently implementing our brand and quality strategy.

This is our third year exhibiting at ProWine China. In the one hand it serves as a bridge between Chinese wine and international sales markets and on the other hand enables international wine producers to gain access to Chinese specialist dealers and distributors.”

With a wide ranging ancillary program, ProWine China 2020 continued its commitment to offer first-class wine education. Masters of Wine including ZHU Jian, Fongyee Walker, Edward Ragg and Julien Boulard staged the “Master’s Secret Selection” masterclass. Professor LI Demei led a panel consisting of SONG Ping (Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite China Manager), ZHANG Yanzhi (Owner of Xige Estate), LV Yang MS (Wine Consultant of Shangri-La Hotel Group, Founder of Grapea & Co.), Miss Yuan (Founder of Miss Yuan’s WineShop) and WANG Jun (ASC Fine Wines Chief Operating Officer), addressing the “The Impact of the Epidemic on Wine Consumption – Opportunity and Reaction of the Industry”. The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) also organized several informative masterclasses and tastings on site. The Sake Blind Tasting Competition took place on the third day of ProWine China 2020.

Gus ZHU MW commented: “The trade visitors in my masterclasses really enjoyed the wines that were provided by the exhibitors. I think ProWine China is doing a fantastic job promoting wine education. Investment in this area does not bring immediate results but will have a far-reaching impact.”