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| Source: imbibe.com |
The recent
Imbibe Live took the on-trade on yet another two-day sensory trip through
what’s trendy in the drinks business.
Comfortably
nested under the glass roof of Kensington Olympia, a spectacular venue with a lot
of natural light and space big enough to fit a commercial jet plane. Instead of
a plane, though, it featured a line-up of all imaginable drinks, alcoholic and
non-alcoholic, and bar snacks distributed in a maze of custom designed more or
less glamorous stands: vintage and modern, full of mirrors and decorative
artefacts, and in different sizes and colours.
The
exhibitors bend over backwards to lure thousands of potential clients and
journalists to their stands with exciting designs, labels, new or well known
brands, or stunning hostesses. It didn’t matter whether it was about peanuts,
olives, cider, cognac or wine, they all were there to sell, and being there was
a good enough proof that they are good and aim high.
Imbibe
showed again that the proverbial hill can come to Mahomet and it can do so in a
relaxed and entertaining way. It had it all, the producers, suppliers, the
middle men, and countless samples ready to be tasted and retasted. Apart from
that, the visitors could make dozens of new business connections, go to
different presentations or seminars on e.g. how to set up a bar, how to blend
your own wine or even take part in a quiz and win a bottle of champagne.
Some
conclusions and tips:
-
Instant
coffee is normally made from Robusta beans while the Arabica beans are more
sought for their fine flavours and aromas despite higher production cost.
-
Brand
names for energy drinks are getting more daring: Red Bull is still cool but Cannabis
and Pussy seem to be the new way to
go.
-
Wine
producers face a growing challenge in finding outlets to their produce among
ever-growing competence, which means more money being spent on marketing and
PR. Trying less known producers can really pay off sometimes.
-
The
spirits industry is doing well, which was clearly visible from the quality and
dimension of their stands and queues in front of them.
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Lebanese
wine is better than you may think.
-
When
giving a chat on generic products, a producer will usually set itself as a
benchmark, the competition will normally be presented as downhill from it.
-
Don’t
be overconfident with your knowledge of wine, sometimes you can mistake a
Santorini’s Assyrtiko for a white Burgundy, or a Poully Fume for a NZ Sauvignon Blanc.
-
British
cider is not always made from local apples, mainly for the reason that there
are not enough of them.
-
If
wine smells of horse sweat or stable it’s not okay, even though some people
don’t mind it. The fault is called bretanomyces (or brett) and your bottle
should be replaced.
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| Source: imbibe.com |
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| Source: imbibe.com |
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| Source: imbibe.com |
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