[EDITORIAL] Paris wakes from slumber

The Wine Paris exhibition is returning the City of Light to its former status as the world capital of wine

 

In the 19th century, Paris was the unwavering ambassador of good taste and the crowds would throng there at each World’s Fair. Hungry for culture and commerce, they would come from all over the world, enthusiastically drawn to the city’s natural sophistication, its party spirit and aptitude for dazzling the senses. The collective exhibition of wines offered visitors a comprehensive visual display of our wine regions and their value. Within its walls, a wine region’s reputation could either be built or broken. The seeds of the first classifications were sown and the top awards endorsed excellence. Over 150 years later, trophies proudly hung on walls in people’s homes can still be seen, epitomising history’s ultimate seal of approval.

Subsequently, Paris would rest on its laurels, leaving other cities to keep the torch of global wine heritage burning bright.

The sleeping beauty awoke from its slumber in 2019 to the gentle sound of friends sharing a bottle of wine. The first Wine Paris, the new international wine event, saw northern and southern French regions converge around their shared viticultural heritage, and enjoy inevitable success. Wine Paris is a cohesive event, allowing the wine industry to share ideas, debate and taste, at speed and at the right temperature, as people mill about freely in the world’s most beautiful city.

A celebration of the remarkable diversity of wine regions under one roof.

Due to a finely-woven tapestry of 20,000 cafés, bars, hotels and restaurants, both native Parisians and passing visitors have made the city the world’s leading consumer of wine with 700 million bottles uncorked every year. Unwittingly, this urban community spawns new consumption rituals, shaping future trends and honing people’s palates.

At last, the beating heart of Paris has become the international backdrop of wine, where tradition supports modernity and history lights the path to the future. It embodies the Liberty to taste, the Equality of wine regions and the Fraternity of engagement with others. Paris flexes its powers of persuasion, and entertainment.

And because France is the country of wine, Paris is quite naturally its capital.

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