(Jacqueline Dolati in Paris / Manfred Klimek, Editor / animated image: Runwayml)
Ask the winemaker? We’ve done just that. Martin Tesch talks about his and Hanspeter Ziereisen’s evening at a bistro in the French capital, the importance of Scandinavian customers – and ProWein and its challenge of now having to compete against Wine Paris:
WP: Martin, during Wine Paris, you spent an evening in a bistro with Hanspeter Ziereisen, presenting your wines there. What was that like for you?
Martin Tesch: It was the first time we’d done it that way. And of course, you’re just glad at first if anyone turns up at all. Paris isn’t Düsseldorf, after all. There’s a huge range of evening events on offer there. You’re at the trade fair during the day – and in the evening you’re competing with countless other events.
So was it a bit of a gamble?
To a certain extent, yes. In Düsseldorf, as a German winery, you have home advantage. Many visitors come to the German hall simply out of politeness. You know what you’re getting: a wide range of German wines. You might discover a wine in a restaurant in the evening and find it again at the fair the next day. That connection is missing in Paris.
It wasn’t your first time there, was it?
No, I was in Paris for the first time two years ago, and I really enjoyed it. Last year, I wanted to organise an evening like that myself – in other words, not spend three days at the fair, but specifically organise an evening for existing customers and leave again the next day. That didn’t work out logistically. Then the Ziereisens approached me. They’d done it successfully the year before and said: ‘If you’re planning something like that, why not tag along with us?’ That was ideal.
Who came to your bistro?
There were a few Germans there, but mainly Northern Europeans: Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium. Exactly the markets that are important to us.
Why there in particular?
Because the cuisines are quite similar. The foundations are comparable: butter, onions, bacon, wine, winter vegetables. The aromas of our wines fit in there. It’s not a Mediterranean setting, but Northern European DNA.
If you compare Wine Paris and ProWein – which trade fair is closer to your heart?
Paris has now become a must for many of our customers. After all, France is the world’s leading wine-producing country. The Italian presence in Paris is enormous. Customers have a packed three-day programme there.
And Düsseldorf?
ProWein is clearly suffering in the shadow of Paris. You can see that from the announcements they’ve made about reforms. Düsseldorf is certainly strong internationally – if you take France out of the equation, there are several large halls dedicated to international exhibitors.
But in recent years, some halls have looked alarmingly empty. This was particularly noticeable last year. Why is that?
It depends very much on who’s walking through the halls. When buyers from the US or the UK are on the move with large budgets, it doesn’t take many visitors to make it worthwhile. The sheer number of visitors isn’t everything. What matters is who turns up – and what their purchasing power is.
