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Gama spoke to Hannah Tovey, Head of London Wine Fair, ahead of the latest edition of the wine and spirits showcase.
What are your expectations for this edition of The London Wine Fair? Which features would you particularly recommend to visitors?
We are bringing spirits back to The Fair with a new feature area – “Signature Serve” – which will focus on premium spirits and mixer brands. More than 2,000 decision makers working in spirits attend The Fair, as crossover between wine and spirits buying roles increases year on year, so there is already demand. Exhibitors to date include BrewDog Distilling Co., Liana Collection, Renais Gin, Mahiki Group and Poetica Distillery.
Portugal will present Dao, Lisboa, Beira and Gouveia in a new regional pavilion. Sicily returns with a new pavilion, and we will host daily Pop Ups from South Africa, France and International Wine & Spirits Competition. Mentzendorff is back with a larger stand and series of tutored pop-up tastings.
Read more Tradeshow Look Aheads in the next issue of Gama News.
When it comes to choosing a type or brand of wine, what would you say are consumers’ primary considerations in the current environment?
Over the past three years, we have seen an increased focus on sustainability at the show, fuelled both by our hosted panel discussions and masterclasses as well as the ground-breaking Bottle Collection Initiative and International Reuse Ready Charter. Exhibitors are increasingly focused on products with green credentials at their core: organic, carbon neutral, regenerative or in alternative packaging, such as Canned Wine Company which has just signed a three-year deal to exhibit at London Wine Fair.
What other key trends do you expect to shape the wine sector in 2025?
As well as sustainability, which we have seen virtually every exhibitor embrace in recent years, No and Low is one of the fastest growing drinks trends, and we have seen that in the growth of our “Mindful Drinking Experience” section of the show since it launched in 2022. We have seen an uptick in exhibitors from emerging regions too, reflecting the maturity of the UK market and curiosity of the UK consumer. We have a large new pavilion from the Republic of Macedonia and separately Kosovo, a bigger presence from Romania and also a bigger showing from Georgia. Czech Republic is also bringing more producers this year.
About London Wine Fair
Join 10,000+ drinks trade professionals at the UK’s biggest drinks trade event.
Taking place at Olympia Events on 19th – 21st May 2025, this progressive fair is your direct route to innovative wines, strategic insights, and unparalleled networking.
