Wine Paris 2025 sees a 74% surge in Italian exhibitors, surpassing 1,000 participants. The shift from Prowein reflects high expectations for buyer attendance, particularly from North America and Asia. However, the growing number of exhibitors raises concerns about meeting business goals. Success hinges on exhibitors’ proactive engagement rather than relying solely on the fair’s organization.
Today, Wine Paris 2025 opens its doors, already establishing itself before even starting as the world’s most significant wine event, with 4,600 exhibitors from 50 wine-producing nations.
If in the 2024 edition there was already a clear shift of exhibiting companies from Düsseldorf to Paris, this year has confirmed that many global wine producers strongly believe in the Parisian fair.
Among them, Italians are the ones who see Wine Paris as the most attractive international event for their business.
There are indeed 1,050 Italian exhibitors (the fair’s data refers to exhibition areas, but when collective spaces are included, the number of Italian exhibitors rises to almost 1,200), making them the most numerous after the French. Considering that last year they were about 600, Italian participation has almost doubled (+74%).
The reasons for such a strong Italian presence at Wine Paris can be attributed mainly to two factors: the disappointment with the latest editions of Prowein in Düsseldorf—which, according to many exhibitors, no longer provides the same guarantees as before in terms of buyer attendance and city logistics (including skyrocketing costs)—and the hope that Paris has a much greater appeal for international buyers, particularly from North America and Asia.
While the first reason is understandable, given Düsseldorf’s recent difficulties in managing and accommodating so many exhibitors (it reached almost 7,000), the expectations surrounding Wine Paris remain, in my opinion, a bet.
Of course, we all hope that the Parisian fair will truly become a capital of wine, capable of attracting the highest number of buyers and professionals from around the world. However, it would be naive to think this will happen quickly and with absolute certainty.
The history of wine fairs has taught us that the more exhibitors there are, the harder it becomes for the organizers to ensure a sufficient number of visitors (importers above all) to fully satisfy such a large business audience.
The evolution of Prowein is a perfect example: when exhibitors—especially Italian ones—were fewer, everyone left satisfied, considering it an unmissable event. But as the numbers grew (two editions ago, there were almost 1,700 Italian exhibitors), complaints increased from companies that barely made any meaningful connections.
Looking at the numbers of professional visitors at the three major B2B wine events worldwide (Paris, Düsseldorf, Verona), it’s clear that beyond a certain exhibitor threshold, it becomes difficult for any organizer to provide enough buyers to satisfy everyone—there’s no need to sugarcoat it.
For this reason, our Italian exhibitors should keep their expectations realistic and, above all, not rely entirely on what the fair can do for them but on how well they can leverage it with a well-planned schedule of pre-arranged meetings.
In short, whether you choose Paris, Düsseldorf, or Verona, the rules for maximizing trade fair participation remain the same.
I sincerely hope that the many Italian companies attending Wine Paris 2025 have chosen this event based on solid evaluations rather than simply following the “everyone is going, so we should too” mentality.
However, Wine Paris is also an excellent opportunity to take the temperature of the wine markets. In recent months, much has been said about crises, market shifts, and an uncertain future for wine consumption. Paris might provide some concrete answers—and hopefully, a dose of optimism.
We will be here to tell you what emerges from the stands of Italian producers, as well as those of our competitor countries.
Key points
- Italian exhibitors at Wine Paris 2025 increased by 74%, reaching over 1,000.
- Many shifted from Prowein due to concerns over logistics and buyer attendance.
- Paris is seen as a strong alternative but remains a bet for many.
- More exhibitors don’t always mean more business opportunities for all.
- Success depends on strategic preparation and pre-arranged meetings.
