‘There is no engine that is fuelling the wine business’ - Wine Paris organiser

The head of Vinexposium, the company behind the Wine Paris trade show, has warned that next year will be even more challenging than 2024 for the global wine industry.

At a press briefing in London earlier this week, Rodolphe Lameyse (below) shared his thoughts on the bleak environment for wine worldwide. His comments came just over a year after The International Organisation of Vine & Wine warned that 2023’s worldwide wine harvest was likely be at its lowest level since 1961.

“At this moment in time, there is no engine that is fuelling the wine business – but it won’t last forever,” Lameyse said at the briefing. “The businesses that aren’t going to survive are the ones that aren’t making the effort.

“Next year is going to be even more difficult,” he added, “although I am more optimistic about 2026.”

Asked for his view on the current state of affairs in the winemaking community, Lameyse, who has been Vinexposium’s CEO since 2019, noted what he called a “generational change”.

“They’re changing their approach and starting to understand that marketing and innovation are important, he said. “The current generation is challenging the dogma from our generation. For them, the fact that people are drinking less alcohol in general is one of many challenges they’ve had to go up against, along with sustainability and climate change.

Turning to the 2025 iteration of Wine Paris, which runs from 10 to 12 February, Lameyse forecast that the number of visitors should reach around 50,000. A 14% increase this year saw attendee numbers break the 40,000 barrier for the first time.