Spanish wines out in force this summer in Japan

In June and July Spanish wines will showcase before an audience of more than 50 importers from 6 cities

06/14/2012

The fairs are targeted at importers and trade professionals

ICEX and the Spanish Foreign Trade Agency at the Spanish Embassy in Tokyo have organised a total of 6 Spanish wine exhibition-fairs as part of an international marketing plan which will be carried out in various Japanese cities in the months of June and July.

The meetings will boast the participation of Japan-based Spanish wine importers and are targeted at trade professionals from the hospitality sector, restaurants, specialist stores, and medium-to-high quality wine pundits. In total, more than 50 importers and around 2,200 trade professionals are expected to attend the event.

After the fairs held in Tokyo, on 5^th June, and in Osaka, on 12^th June, further dates are set for the cities of Nagoya (18^th June), Fukoka (2^nd June) and Sapporo (9^th June).

A series of seminars, which will boast Japanese speakers, have also been planned to coincide with the fairs. In addition, three of the exhibitions will also include masters-class seminars on DOC Rioja, as was the case in Tokyo on 5^th June at the New Otani Hotel, in which Takayuki Kikuchi, sommelier at prestigious Tokyo restaurant Sant Pau and former student of the ICEX Culinary Scholarship 2007 edition, led a seminar on the appellation. More than 700 trade professionals attended the event.

Spanish wine imports in Japan reached record figures in 2011 by exceeding 24 million litres, representing a 9 per cent increase over 2010 with a turnover of more than €67 million, the second highest figure since 2008.