Discover The Newcomer Seeking To Redefine The Wine Fair Experience

Real Italian Wine & Food Experience (Wines Experience London) has the usual hallmarks of an Italy-focused event: renowned producers, expert discussion and food pairings. Yet its structure – shaped by in-depth discussions with the trade – sets it apart from the crowd. Where do you begin in creating a wine fair? For some, it will be the producer list, scouting out the most commercially important names. For others, it might be a headline speaker who will anchor the event. For Wines Experience, it was a more intimate start, but no less essential. Instead of bursting out of the traps with a headline stunt, its organisers hosted a number of salons and roundtables in London, alongside ongoing conversations with the trade. Their question was simple, but vital: what do you need from a wine fair? The feedback helped craft Wines Experience, a newcomer to the UK scene taking place 26–27 April at London’s ExCel Centre. Registrations are now open – the UK trade can apply for a complimentary ticket here – and attendees can expect to discover a show that departs from well-established norms. “A fair works best when it creates the conditions for meaningful relationships,” explains Maurizio Muzzetta, founder of United Experience, the organisation behind the show. “Through our discussions with the trade, it became clear that this process has become fragmented, time-intensive and costly. Our focus is to bring it back into a more coherent and intuitive format aligned with how the trade operates, enabling more valuable moments of exchange.”

Led by the trade

Across those initial sessions, several themes emerged. The UK trade wants focus and clarity, with meetings and events tied strongly to products and commercial opportunities. The organisers also found an appetite for dialogue, discussion and collaboration rather than passively receiving information. These results have fed directly into the show’s structure. Instead of the usual stands and free-pour tables, Wines Experience is organising settings and sessions that help visitors make the right connections. Its producer lounges are central to that: dedicated spaces that foster thoughtful conversations in a focused environment. Rather than perching on a crowded stand, the setup offers space to taste meaningfully, bringing in considerations of positioning, price and portfolio fit. Such meetings will be supported by a smart matchmaking app, helping visitors to make the most of their time at the show. For the more structured events, the pre-show research has likewise informed a new way of doing business. Wines Experience will, as part of its content programme, be running Dialogue in Motion sessions. These will put expertise into conversation, with expert speakers moving through table rotations in the room. This will allow conversations to develop through the session, with collective discussion shaping ideas and wines anchoring the dialogue. There is even consideration for the trade in the event’s logistics. Taking place on Sunday and Monday, Wines Experience is positioned to allow all sides of the wine trade – including hospitality – the opportunity to attend. On the Sunday, there will even be a dedicated children’s area with childcare, opening up the show to those with caring responsibilities and maximising its access. “A lot of our work has been about removing friction and making participation intuitive and easy to navigate, while also creating a space that encourages creativity and collaboration,” says Silvia Raffa, managing director of Wines Experience London. “When people feel less stressed and more energized by the environment and activities, it naturally leads to more meaningful conversations, stronger connections and ultimately stronger business outcomes that go well beyond the fair.”

Brand new data

As well as responding to feedback and data, Wines Experience will gather its own. While most tasting at trade events is conducted in transparent knowledge of the product, the April event will see an extensive blind tasting element. That begins on 25 April with a consumer session. The cohort of restaurant customers and wine students that Wines Experience has curated will have the chance to speak with producers, but they will also taste wines blind. Their comments will feed into a data set assembled over the course of the weekend. That set will be augmented by the trade visitors on 26 and 27 April. Wines Experience will capture their feedback live on the day, with continually updated results displayed as buyers, distributors and importers give their opinions. Not only will this provide feedback on individual wines to their respective producers, it will also create an aggregated data set that puts quality, value and stylistic positioning under the microscope. For the producers, the benefits of feedback are clear. The results, however, go beyond that. Participating consumers will receive a personalised digital cellar of the wines they like best, including information on where to buy them in the UK. For those in the trade, meanwhile, the digital cellar will show both their personal preferences and the collective feedback, tying the data to broader trends.

A packed schedule

The two days are set to provide plenty for visitors to explore. The exhibitor list – which is still being added to – runs from famous names like Pio Cesare and Zonin to smaller producers and regional bodies. The full list can be seen here. There will also be themed sections to explore wine’s place alongside key talking points for the industry. As you might expect for a country as gastronomically rich as Italy, food will have a key role to play. Chef-led sessions will highlight regional specialities, while events that see chefs and sommeliers collaborate will put wine at the heart of the meal. Across attendees will discover how pairing and perceptions can improve hospitality and retail outcomes. An area dedicated to tech, meanwhile, will examine how technological advancements are fundamentally reshaping the industry, from AI in the vineyard to environment-monitoring tools to digital platforms for sales, data and customer engagement. Then, of course, there is the programme of events. Alongside the aforementioned food-focused sessions and a selection of networking events, Wines Experience will bring in experts to discuss the industry’s hottest topics. A Dialogue in Motion session titled NextGen Sparkling, for instance, will examine how the next generation is shaping the hugely successful sector. Another event, Market Pulse: The UK Wine Market, will use data and commentary from NielsenIQ as well as leading buyers, importers and MWs to assess the current state of the market. Even in those events that look more familiar, the thrust is clear: bringing together the expertise and insights that are most useful for the UK trade. With its evolutionary and responsive approach, not to mention sister shows planned in Mexico City and Ho Chi Minh City, Wines Experience is seeking to be a useful partner for years to come. In fact, as Antonio Bruzzone, CEO of BolognaFiere explains, that future-facing approach is key to the proposition. “As international markets continue to change, the need for more agile trade platforms becomes increasingly critical,” he says. “Our investment in this project responds to a clear shift in how the trade engages and reflects a broader international effort, where we are committed to evolving alongside the specific needs of each market.” Apply for your complimentary ticket to Wines Experience London here.