Photo: Austrian area at Wine Paris 2026
© Austrian Wine / Guillaume Grandin
With a major presence at Wine Paris from 9 to 11 February, the Austrian Wine Marketing Board (Austrian Wine) set the first strong international marker of the year for Austrian wine. The trade fair has meanwhile established itself as one of the world’s most important wine exhibitions, attracting more than 63,000 visitors from around the globe to Paris this year.
Austria was represented in Hall 4 with a collective stand organised by Austrian Wine and the Austrian Economic Chamber. Across 900 square metres, 143 Austrian wineries showcased around 1,300 wines – a significant increase compared to last year, when 89 Austrian producers took part. A particular focus this year was on the new 2025 vintage, which presented itself as fresh, fruit-driven and easy-drinking in style, perfectly matching the currently strong global demand for lighter wine styles.
Masterclass, pop-up seminars and tasting area draw strong interest
Austrian Wine was present with its own booth and delivered an extensive supporting programme. One of the highlights was the fully booked masterclass “The Thousand and One Faces of Austrian Whites” with renowned French sommelier Pascaline Lepeltier, who vividly showcased the diversity of Austrian white wines.
The newly introduced “pop-up seminars” also attracted great interest. In eight compact tasting sessions, international experts such as Master Sommelier Stefan Neumann, Master of Wine Romana Echensperger and ASI Best Sommelier of the World Raimonds Tomsons explored key themes of Austrian wine. The innovative format proved to be a crowd-puller, as it offered the opportunity to gain in-depth insights and market-relevant knowledge about Austrian wine in a short space of time, as well as to taste icons, newcomers and insider tips. The programme was rounded off by a dedicated tasting area at the Austrian Wine stand, featuring daily rotating tasting themes.
Austrian Wine campaigns in the spotlight
Two Austrian Wine campaigns also attracted considerable attention at Wine Paris. The communication campaign “Environmental Consciousness in Austrian Viticulture” was shortlisted for the “V d’Or” industry award organised by the trade fair organiser Vinexposium. In addition, the current issue of Vinexposium’s magazine “Voice of the Industry” features a five-page article on the world first rot weiss rosé initiative, which specifically targets consumers aged 20 to 35.
Building momentum towards VieVinum 2026
“With Wine Paris, the first major international appearance of Austrian wine in 2026 has been a great success,” summarises Austrian Wine CEO Chris Yorke. “In March, ProWein in Düsseldorf will mark the next important step. Together, these two fairs build momentum towards VieVinum in May in Vienna, which will once again be the highlight of the Austrian wine year.”
Wine Paris once again underlined Austria’s strong international positioning as a first-class, environmentally conscious and innovative wine country, as well as the high relevance of Austrian wines in the global market.
Voices from Austrian winemakers
Georg Prieler, Leithaberg: “The fair was very well organised and easy to access. This was also reflected in the steadily growing number of visitors. In addition, there was a palpable sense of confidence and a strong willingness to try new things. That is the best a trade fair can offer us.”
Johanna Markowitsch, Carnuntum: “There were many overseas importers at the fair, and we saw significantly higher footfall at our stand than last year. This opened up numerous opportunities for contacts and conversations which may develop into concrete business opportunities.”
Johannes Fritz, Wagram: “The atmosphere at the fair was excellent. You could clearly feel the strong organisation and the added value that Paris as a host city provides. It was also encouraging to see many young buyers attending the fair.”
Hannes Sabathi, Südsteiermark: “This was my third time at Wine Paris. The fair attracts the most important international buyers, and all of my trading partners from Asia, Northern Europe and South America were present. For me, Wine Paris remains a fixed date in my calendar.”
