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The London Wine Fair organisers have reported on the 2024 show, which took place at Olympia from 20th to 22nd May this week. The goal for 2024 was to build on the success of last year’s show, investing heavily in improving visitor quality as a key objective. Total (net) visitors for 2024 were 9,243, which is 8% down on 2023. The breakdown of the visitor audience was almost identical to 2023, with 31% from the on-trade (31% in 2023) and 22% from off-trade (21% in 2023).

London Wine Fair’s Judgement of London took place yesterday, and the results are now in. 32 wines were tasted over a period of four hours by 21 judges, a selection of the UK’s best palates, two-thirds of which were either Masters of Wine or Master Sommeliers. The wines – all of which were decanted and served in Jancis Robinson X Richard Brendon glasses – were tasted in pairs under exam conditions: eight pairs of white wines, followed by eight pairs of red wines; each pairing comprised a European wine with their Rest of World counterpart, matched in terms of style. The judges scored each wine out of ten, which resulted in a grand total for each wine, and a final overall score for European vs. Rest of World.

The judges have been revealed for London Wine Fair’s Judgement of London, which takes place on the first day of the show next week. Judgement of London pays homage to the late Steven Spurrier’s landmark Judgement of Paris, but with an updated format; judges will taste pairs of European icon wines with their non-European equivalents; eight pairs of white wines, followed by eight pairs of red wines.

In the aftermath of the floods in Rio Grande do Sul, our hearts go out to all those affected by this devastating event, the worst our region has ever seen. Despite the challenges we face, our community is coming together with determination to rebuild. Every act of kindness, no matter how small, brings hope in these tough times. We're still struggling, but every donation counts, even if it's just the price of a glass of wine at the pub. We look forward to seeing our region beautiful and thriving again. Together, we'll overcome this, standing strong and supporting each other every step of the way.

As Fairtrade turns 30, what better way to celebrate than with a glass of Fairtrade wine.

Do you remember your first time? Mine – pre-dating that brief sojourn to Excel – was in 1996, in very different times. Many stands, no masterclasses, and clouds of cigarette smoke pushing on Olympia’s vaulted glass. Trade Fairs are like people, and following a small mid-life crisis, and having met a fabulous woman (event director Hannah Tovey), London is having a come-back, reinvented as a rich and unique space for wine learning, business inspiration, and cultural innovation. Masterclasses are one of the most exciting aspects of the fair, as leading experts and producers come to Olympia to present the latest wines and trends from classic and emerging regions.

Our winemaking philosophy is to produce the highest quality wines with the least intervention possible. We are zealous about growing without irrigation, commercial herbicides, or fertilizers and we select only the best grapes from our Estate, Certified Organic vineyard. We hand-harvest in the cool of the night, ferment using native yeasts, and age the wine in French oak barrels longer than typical, for more complexity. The wines are not fined or filtered.

Get ready to visit stand L40, where the National Tax Agency of Japan presents the Japan Pavilion. Experience a fusion of Japanese culture and craftsmanship as you explore their Pavilion, featuring 15 co-exhibitors showcasing an exquisite array of unique Japanese alcoholic beverages. And there's more! Don't miss out on the opportunity to indulge in Japanese cocktails crafted by their professional bartender at their exclusive bar.

Is that a statement of fact or a question? A bit of both. There can be no doubt the increase in the quality of English sparkling wine over the last 20 years has helped transform an industry that had long been making wine, but little of it was renown, or even known, around the world. Now English sparkling wines sit side by side with some of the most famous and glamorous Champagne brands on wine lists in some of the most prestigious restaurants around the globe. Their success has helped not only give the English wine sector a new found confidence it has also brought huge levels of investment with vineyards being planted in every grape growing region of the British Isles. Even famous Champagne houses are buying up chunks of the English countryside to cash in on the English wine revolution.