Rodolphe Lameyse, CEO of Wine Paris, has said that the trade show will increase its focus on low & no products with the launch of Be No Paris, an area designed solely for the no-alcohol section of the industry. 

At a UK press briefing today (4 December), Lameyse said: “I’m seeing a rising demand from buyers in the wine and spirits business who are looking to supplement their production categories with no-alcohol products.” 

He commented that an increasing number of producers were also taking part in the trend, with more wineries investing in facilities to de-alcoholise their products. 

At present, the trade show only showcases 63 exhibitors offering purely low & no products. However, Lameyse said the offering is much larger in actuality, considering the number of wineries offering low & no products as part of a wider range. 

Alongside keeping up with current market demands, the focus on Be No is also forward-thinking, said the CEO, aiming to connect with traditionally non-alcohol-consuming areas of the world, where legislation may be changing. 

The Middle East is one example of this, following the recent shift in Saudi Arabia, in which alcohol restrictions continue to ease for non-Muslims above a certain income bracket. 

On this, Lameyse said: “It’s interesting to address new geographies that we are not covering in the wine and spirits industry. We can think of the Middle East, which may at some point be more accessible.” 

“For me, I think of whatever I do in Paris as strategic positioning to ramp up and deploy later,” he said. 

Spirits 

Elsewhere, Lameyse said that the trade show will continue its focus on spirits, with Be Spirits Paris becoming a fully stand-alone exhibition within the event. 

Looking at turnout, Wine Paris said that 40 countries now take part in Be Spirits with 19 National Pavilions. 50% of spirits exhibitors are returning and 50% are new. 

“It’s really developing. We could have done more if we had more space,” the CEO said, “and we have all sorts of products on the show floor, from tequila, vodka, rum, whisky, Armagnac, Cognac.” 

At present, Lameyse conceded, there are not many large international spirits brands at the exhibition. “They don’t need us to develop their distribution network,” he said. 

He added that he believes this will change, both as the exhibition grows and as global spirits continue to experience a general decline. 

Education 

Finally, Wine Paris has announced a renewed emphasis on education, with a particular focus on geopolitical challenges. 

One example is the upcoming talk featuring Miles Beale, CEO of the WSTA, to be held on Tuesday 10 February: Tariffs: The Spirits Industry Under Pressure. 

“Sometimes in the industry, everyone is talking about it but nobody knows what it means,” Lameyse said of political change. The idea of these educational panels is to rectify that.