Paris (AFP)

More than 2,000 winemakers or traders and 30,000 buyers, restaurateurs or wine merchants from around the world are expected until Wednesday at the Wine Paris-Vinexpo show, in the hope of boosting exports of European wines and alcohols affected by Trump taxes and Chinese uncertainties related to the coronavirus.

The wines and alcohols, of which the three main world producers and exporters are European (Italy, France and Spain), are particularly exposed to the vagaries which weigh on the international trade of goods these recent weeks.

Thus in November in the United States, exports of French wines collapsed by 44% compared to October, hit hard by the 25% taxes imposed by the Trump administration from October 18 on "still" wines ( non-sparkling) of less than 14 degrees, French, German and Spanish.

On the Chinese side, the slowdown in economic growth is weighing on wine consumption in this country, as well as the growing competition from bulk Chilean wines, exempt from customs duties, underlines the International Organization of Vine and wine (OIV).

But the health crisis caused by the new coronavirus could also destabilize the world wine market, organized around major international fairs that allow meetings and the marketing of vintages from the previous year.

- Chengdu postponed sine die -

The most important wine and spirits fair in mainland China, scheduled for Chengdu from March 26 to 28, has been purely and simply postponed sine die by the Chinese authorities, reports the specialized professional site Vitisphere.

The Vinexpo Hong Kong show could also be shifted. "Nobody knows when there will be the peak of the epidemic, here we are talking about April. We have concerns. For the moment the Hong Kong fair is maintained in May, but if things were to last j 'I may have planned a downturn scenario in July, "said Rodophe Lameyse, general manager of Vinexpo, to the specialized blog Côté châteaux.

"We have known about SARS, but here we are immersed in the heart of the reactor," he added.

At the Wine Paris-Vinexpo fair, inaugurated by the Minister of Agriculture Didier Guillaume on Monday morning, all the French inter-professional winegrowers (Loire wines, Côtes du Rhône, Bordeaux, Alsace ...) are brought together for the first time in one same place, alongside the great classified growths, champagnes or cognacs belonging to luxury groups.

The organizers' stated objective is to compete with the first European wine fair, ProWein, which will take place in one month in Düsseldorf, Germany.

The vineyards of 20 countries and 60 wine regions of the world are also represented: from South Africa to Turkey via Germany, Argentina, Austria, Spain, the United States, Greece, Italy, or even the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

Surfing on organic fashion, an entire pavilion of the show, called Wow, brings together nearly 110 producers of certified organic or biodynamic wines, from France and different countries such as Lebanon, South Africa or Chile.

The attractiveness of Paris, which, although far from the vineyards, puts small dishes in the big ones with multiple animations in restaurants and wine bars, is put forward to attract international buyers.

Successful bet for Angelena Battaglia, whose family from Sicily is an importer and distributor of food and alcohol in Illinois near Chicago (United States). She arrived on Friday to participate in World Wine Meetings, private professional meetings, organized by Wine Paris in a large hotel in the capital during the weekend.

"I have already met two French producers, two Italians and a Portuguese, a great experience," she told AFP on Saturday, "and to see the Louvre was a dream."

© 2020 AFP