This post is also available in: 
English 
Français 
Deutsch
Sponsored Content.
The Millésime BIO World Fair, which takes place every year in Montpellier, will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year. On the 30th and 31st of January and the 1st of February 2023, this trade fair will open its doors to organic winegrowers and buyers from all over the world – an opportunity for professionals to discover new organic wines and other alcoholic beverages. A 30-year history
The creation of this fair started with a simple observation by the organic winegrowers: the lack of communication and interaction with distributors. To overcome this, SudVinBio, the interprofessional association of organic winegrowers in Occitania, organised a 100% organic wine fair in 1993 with a dozen exhibitors… and as many buyers! The Millésime BIO trade fair thus began its adventure.
Over the years, more and more professionals from the wine-buying industry (merchants, brokers, sommeliers, etc.) have been coming to Montpellier. Especially with the development of organic wine, the number of exhibitors grows, and opens to the international market. “The main goal of this fair is to facilitate meetings, exchanges and above all to do business, so opening up to EU countries and then to the whole world was a logical next step,” explains Nicolas Richarme president of the fair. Indeed, importers from Europe, Japan and the United States visit the South of France every year.
An international exhibition
Today the fair features 1,500 exhibitors, all of whom are certified, organic producers. The idea is to keep the number of exhibitors constant so that their visibility to visitors does not decrease. “But this 30th year will see quite a lot of wine for sale, given the boom in the organic sector with more and more winegrowers converting to organic”, Nicolas Richarme is pleased to say.
The fair also counts producers of beer, cider and spirits. “A large number of visitors are wine merchants and restaurant owners, so it made sense to help them find organic products to strengthen their range, beyond wine”, says the exhibition’s president. It is worth noting the presence of Ramborn Cider, an organic producer from Luxembourg, as an exhibitor at this year’s fair.
To celebrate the 30 years of existence, a corner of 30 young winemakers will be set up in the heart of the fair! “This corner is offered at a lower cost to these winegrowers to facilitate their entry into the organic market”, explains the president of the exhibition.
In parallel with the exhibition, the 16th Millésime BIO challenge will reward organic winegrowers and brewers for the quality of their products. “The winners will be given a special label to put on their bottles, to boost their visibility”.
For more information: www.millesime-bio.com