The French Pavilion returns to Vinexpo America/ Drinks America in 2023 with 115 wine & spirits producers under the Taste France branding – the largest French presence to date. With 50% more producers than last year, the French Pavilion will represent over a quarter of the show. To highlight the exceptional caliber of the delegation, Business France has partnered with Christy Canterbury, MW for a unique tasting experience onsite.
Bigger and Better
The French Pavilion doubles in size Following a successful 2022 edition, Business France is once again assembling an exciting and dynamic French Pavilion under the Taste France brand featuring an impressive 115 exhibitors – almost double last year’s total. The Pavilion will include 10 major French wine regions, and in keeping with the show’s decision to provide a dedicated spirits area, will also include 8 spirit brands. As the biggest pavilion at Vinexpo America 2023, the French Pavilion will represent over one quarter of the show – speaking not only to the determination and interest of French producers for the American market, but also to the increased consumer demand for French wines and spirits.
Taste France: One Brand, Diverse Appellations
The 2023 Taste France pavilion will feature 50+ AOCs from the most prominent wine regions of France, making it a one-stop shop for sourcing the best France has to offer. To complete the French offer, several multi-region merchants will exhibit on the Pavilion, presenting wines from regional partners. Here is a breakdown of the regions by number of exhibitors:
Alsace – 4 producers
Bordeaux – 8 producers
Champagne – 11 producers
Corsica – 8 producers
Languedoc – 15 producers
Loire Valley – 10 producers
Provence – 5 producers
Rhône Valley – 20 producers
Roussillon – 4 producers
Southwest – 3 producers
Visitors may be particularly interested by a few rare finds on the Pavilion, such as the Petit Beret, which offers non-alcoholic wines, Domaine Sant’Armettu, which uses indigenous Corsican varietals, and Distillerie Combier, the creator of the original Triple Sec orange liqueur.
More information about the delegation is on our website or on the dedicated page on our Taste France wine & spirit digital platform. Moreover, the Corsican region is a new addition to the Pavilion since 2022- more information on their delegation can be found here.
The Christy Canterbury, MW Selection returns
After an extremely successful first selection in 2022, Business France is pleased to once again partner with celebrated wine expert, Christy Canterbury, Master of Wine, to put the spotlight on the outstanding quality and diversity of the Taste France brand. Ms. Canterbury, MW conducted a blind tasting of 205 wine references from the Pavilion, evaluating their quality and selecting the top wines and spirits in 50 categories
“The blind tastings were meticulously organized in Paris over the course of four days, with a variety of wines presented each day and even throughout the day to avoid palate fatigue,” explained Ms. Canterbury, MW. “Generally, I tasted sparkling then white, rose and red in the morning. I went through the same process in the afternoon then finished with spirits. I averaged about 45 selections a day, a very reasonable pace to be assured to take good notes to cross-compare the results across the days.”
Christy Canterbury, MW ‘s selection of 50 wines and spirits, accompanied by detailed tasting notes, will be available to sample at booth 602 at the Pavilion. Ms. Canterbury, MW, will be onsite to guide visitors through the selection, and will also be presenting a Vinexpo Buzz session on Wednesday, March 8th from 3:30 to 4pm titled “Master of Wine Christy Canterburry discusses Adapting French Vineyards to Climate Change”. This informal session will provide the opportunity for conversation and questions around the current environmental practices in light of the ever-changing climate events. Consult the full Christy Canterbury, MW selection here.