Wine Paris / Vinexpo Paris is THE event for wine and spirits professionals across the globe. Hosted annually in mid-February — a key time of year — it connects and informs industry players about wine and spirits producer regions around the world. Tastings, masterclasses, round tables, panels, business meetings… there’s really something for everyone in the industry here. This year marked the 5th anniversary of the salon. And my first time working at a stand with a producer, rather than as buyer!
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Wine Paris 2024
Champagne Jarry Héritage
My Experience
Wine Paris 2024
Wine Paris 2024 solidified its growing influence and commitment to business development. Taking place between February 12-14, in Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, 4,074 exhibitors, representing 48 producer countries, were in attendance. 41,253 visitors (a 14% increase from last year) made their way to the salon, representing 137 countries. There was a significant rise in main buyers from key markets, including France, Italy, Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany. More numbers and information can be found here.
This year’s theme is #More. More representation from international winemakers, more deep-dives into important issues through programming, and more business opportunities.
Champagne Jarry Héritage
This year, I worked with Champagne Jarry Héritage. Based in Bethon, in the Côte de Sézanne just south of the Côte des Blanc, they are a grower champagne house with three generations of history. They specialize in Blanc de Blancs champagnes that express their calcareous flinty terroirs. With vines in Charly-sur-Marne and Essoyes (painter Renoir’s village), they also produce round and crowd-pleasing assemblages.
My personal favourites from their range are Spirituelle Extra-Brut and Douvelle Brut, both 100% Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs.
Spirituelle is deliciously saline, citrusy, and crisp; a perfect accompaniment to raw oysters with lemon. Mono-year 2020, dosed at 2g/L using liqueur de dosage aged in oak barrels, it is a very precise wine with delightful tension.
Douvelle is on the other side of the spectrum. Think gourmand, round, complex. Mono-year 2015, using a selection of their best plots of Chardonnays. Half is vinified in stainless steel, and the other half in oak barrels. Dried flowers and toasted vanilla aromas, this seductive bubbly is powerful enough to pair with red meats and cheeses.
My Experience
I absolutely loved being behind a stand, doing what I love most: talking about champagne! Next to the winemaker himself, Johan Jarry, and the son of another champagne winemaker, we presented the Maison and its champagnes to potential buyers. This includes distributors, importers, cavistes, restauranteurs, etc. I thought it was fascinating to be on this side of the business and learning more about prices, logistics, and more in different countries and sectors.
To prepare, I learned everything there was to know about the Maison and its wines. I studied the terroirs, including the soil types, the vinification methods, dosages, and all sorts of technical notes. It really helped that I did my WSET and Champagne MOOC. As an aside, it was an incredible opportunity for me to discuss directly with a winemaker about his strategy and to learn the thought process behind his wines. Some buyers (and other winemakers) asked very specific and occasionally technical questions that made great learning moments for me.
We tasted each wine before serving to make sure they were still at their best. We even offered cheese pairings for select cuvées. I also suggested different food pairings based on the product information.
Highlights
A few highlights for me:
- We were featured on regional news France3! Together with an export partner, Johan touched on exports and the domestic markets for Champagne. You can watch the clip here.
- A sense of community. Other winemakers and important players in the wine industry would often stop by the stand. I had the chance to try their Champagnes while offering tastings of Champagne Jarry Heritage. This was much more convivial and relaxed than the buyer experience on the other side. These moments were about sharing good wines without the pressure to sell.
- Networking opportunities! Even though I had great experiences last year, I found that being behind a stall and having a champion really made a big difference. Typically, winemakers at salons are trying to find buyers and don’t appreciate people trying to sell their services to them. But this experience was different: winemakers heard about me through word of mouth and sought me out.
Overall, this was the perfect Wine Paris experience. While I did not explore the Halls as much as last year (I did have some down-time to wander around this year, not to worry!), I found this was a much more rewarding experience with real connections. A big “thank you” to Johan Jerry for believing in me and for welcoming me into his team! Definitely send him a message if you are interested in his champagne.
Et merci au syndicat d’avoir offert à toutes les femmes de Champagne de belles roses pour célébrer la Saint-Valentin !