Vinexpo is one of the largest exhibitions for

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

and spirits professionals from all over the world, held in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

in uneven years. The first event dates back to year 1981 gathering 524 exhibitors from 21 countries 11,000 professional visitors from 50 countries. In 2015 it grew to 2,350 exhibitors (2,400 in 2013) from 42 countries. Current Vinexpo

Chief Executive Officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

is Guillaume Deglise who was appointed in September, 2013 and left the Company after Vinexpo Hong Kong 2018.

History

Vinexpo was created in 1981 and since then has grown and established itself as the key event for major international operators in the wine and spirits sector. During the years its activities expanded beyond the actual exhibition and since 1989 Vinexpo has become a partner for spirits professionals to reflect on trends to anticipate new markets. Vinexpo also commissions studies on industry-specific issues, such as world market study with a 5-year outlook, reports on young people and wine. The findings are then presented in conferences around the world before each exhibition. To support the initiative of ''Responsible, balanced consumption of wine and spirits'', between 1993 and 2009, Vinexpo also served as venue for the event ''Savoir Boire, Savoir Vivre'' organized by professional committees and organizations in order to debate on the relationship between

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

and

health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

. In order to secure and extend its position as a leading benchmark, Vinexpo has set up a list of facilities and innovations: * 1987: Introduction of Club des Marques (transformed into Club du Lac in 2007), a facility for the largest wine and spirits sales companies. * 1991: Club Vinexpo opened exclusively for the 5,000 largest wine and spirits buyers worldwide, offering them privileged facilities and services. * 1999 - 2013: During the Vinexpo events all participants could relax and enjoy themselves in the Themed gardens. * 2007: A major innovation in the lay-out of Vinexpo 2007 was the introduction to the world's longest floating bridge, 430 meters (1,400 feet), linking two huge exhibition areas on opposite sides of the lake. * 2009 - 2013: To celebrate its 15th exhibition in 2009, Vinexpo combined Wine and Art introducing and displaying 40 contemporary works, (55 in 2011 and 80 in 2013) that were loaned by galleries and collectors. * 2013: Vinexpo sponsored and contributed to the building of La Cité des civilisations du vin
Centre for Wine Culture and Tourism
which will be inaugurated in

in 2016. The first stone was ceremoniously laid on 19 June during Vinexpo. Vinexpo has also launched Vinexpo Asia-Pacific in 1998, Vinexpo Americas held in 2002 (

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

), Vinexpo Nippon in 2014 (

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

) an
Vinexpo Hong Kong
is coming up in 2016.

References

{{Coord, 44.894, -0.573, display=title Exhibitions in France Wine-related events Food and drink festivals in France Wine festivals