Stobi Gets a Great Reaction at ProWein 2014
Posted on Sun 13th Jul 2014 at 13:48
Signature Wines was excited to support the Stobi Winery, for the very first time at ProWein, in Dusseldorf - the bustling Rhine metropolis in the heart of Europe.
ignature's Business Development Manager attended the event to represent Signature Wines and to support Stobi in Europe. Here's an account of his first ProWein event. "I was very lucky to get a last minute flight from London Heathrow, flying direct to Dusseldorf, and secure one of the few remaining accommodation spaces close to the city. I felt it was important for Signature Wines to be present at ProWein and to support Stobi in Europe.” My hotel was located west of the city, across the river Rhine, only 10mins from the venue and 15mins from the centre. Speaking to fellow exhibitors on arrival I realised how fortunate I had been, as thousands of people travelled in from across the globe and some people had to seek accommodation miles outside of the city, or in the next city…… Cologne! Dusseldorf , a city which appeared to be built for trade fairs, and was literately overflowing with wine buyers and enthusiasts.. “
Day 1. Arrived very early on Sunday morning. “I made good use of my basic German language skills which I learnt at School with the occasional sneak peeks’ into my “even older” German phrase book. Arriving at the venue on a free bus from the airport, disembarking south terminal full of excitement for this two day event. As I walked through the doors, I realised this was - without a doubt – the largest wine event I had ever witnessed, and arguably the largest in the world. "I was amazed by the sheer scale of it. The place was huge. 4,500 exhibitors, spanning across 8 halls, showing thousands of different wines from across the globe. In fact it was the largest concentration of Eastern European wines and 5-6 times the size of the IWF, (international wine fair) in London. From the south entrance to the north where Stobi was located, it took a staggering 45 minutes to navigate the venue on foot. I finally arrived at the stand and was pleased to be reunited with the Stobi team. Ten of the top Macedonian wineries had come together, united under one roof and presented by the “Wines of Macedonia”. After a quick update on UK business, I was introduced to the different wineries before sampling the selection of Indigenous varieties available for the tasting over the next 3 full on days. Among the different styles of Vranec varietal was the gold medal of the year award winner of Decanter, for best red wine in Central and Eastern Europe , from Kamnik Winery, in R. Macedonia. Later that morning we were joined by one of the Signature Wines experts - Master of Wine Jo Ahearne. The Stand was busy all day and was under the safe hands of Dane Jovanov, the wine maker himself in addition to Lidija, Nikola, and Jadranka, all part of the Stobi team from Macedonia. We met with various different buyers, that were all looking for something new. The event ended at 6pm, and I had to wait a long while to get the bus home, as the queue for the taxi stand was ridiculously busy! In the evening, I joined the Stobi Winery, along with the Kamnik Winery, for a 7 course meal and wine tasting experience with some of the best wine makers from R. Macedonia.”
Day 2. Monday “This was expected to be the busiest day, with more influential buyers flying in from across the globe. Another early start. I had slept well, and joined a host of trade visitors and exhibitors for breakfast, before tagging along in their transport to the venue. The arrival of Justin Howerd-Sneyd; another Signature Wine expert, provided me with a great opportunity to introduce him to the whole Stobi team, who had arrived that day. After my pre-arranged meetings with prospective clients in the UK, I was free to escape, explore and taste wines from the surrounding regions. It was impossible to taste them all. So I preselected wines from Bulgaria, Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, Czech Republic, as well as meeting with friends I have met along the way. [nggallery id=28] I attended a master class with Master of Wine Caroline Gilby, the last of Signature wines experts, on Moldovan wine, with the Dane, the wine maker from Stobi, and a team of wine makers from the other Macedonian wineries…….before sneaking out early enough to miss the rush of the event closing! All in all, another great day!”
My closing thoughts. “Overall, I would say that ProWein was an impressive event. It was a long and tiring couple of days, but an amazing experience I will never forget. Definitely worthwhile and provided the perfect opportunity to try wines and spirits from across the globe, meet the wine makers themselves, whilst bring the UK and Macedonian team one step closer together. The reaction was the same as in the UK, very positive and very interesting. Stobi Wines are proving to be a success. I would like to add my special thanks to everyone one that stopped at the stand, along with the new connections I have made, to our experts, Jo, Justin, and Caroline, for their support; and of course, to my friends and partners at Stobi Winery for a wonderful experience. Thank you” .
