The Miami International Wine Fair 2009: Conversation with Co-founder David Bernard

The Miami International Wine Fair drew more than 6,700 attendees and showcased over 1,500 wines from 20 countries — a remarkable achievement in a year of economic downturn. Premier Guide Miami sat down to find out what that means — and what comes next.

The Miami International Wine Fair is owned and managed by VINTRADE LLC, a South Florida-based corporation established by David Bernard in partnership with Madrid-based Emporio Ferial S.A., an international event planning and production company that organizes dozens of wine shows year-round, including Iberwine, which benefits Educate Tomorrow.

Over the past seven years, Miami has been home to the country's leading wine trade show and Florida's largest wine tasting event. The fair has attracted more than 6,700 attendees and presented more than 1,500 wines from 20 countries. No wonder Florida is ranked second in the nation for wine consumption. Although cutbacks were made this year, organizers considered it a booming success. Wines exhibited and sampled by guests were moderately priced and can be found at your neighborhood grocer or local wine retailer.

Organizers are very optimistic for the future as they plan to reintroduce the Collectors Club (VIP area), expand exhibit space, and present up to 2,000 wines. We caught up with David Bernard, who explained the increase in attendance and what's next.

Isn't it fairly remarkable that in these harsh economic times you have shown such a large increase in attendance and interest in the 2009 Wine Fair? Can you attribute a reason to this increase?

Even though we are aware of the economic downturn, alcohol and alcohol sales — similar to entertainment — have actually seemed to defy the rest of the sectors and tend to do well during a recession. Within the industry, the companies that do suffer are the restaurants. Restaurant sales are actually down by over 10 percent, but sales in supermarkets, food stores, and other retail outlets are actually up by a greater percentage in terms of volume. Total wine consumption in the U.S. has actually gone up by almost 1 percent, which is remarkable — not only because of the current crisis, but because in many developed countries consumption is actually going down for a number of other reasons. So it is a good market and a good sector to be in.

Why did you choose Miami initially as your city to showcase the International Wine Fair?

There are quite a few reasons. First of all, Florida was growing significantly — when we started the wine fair — in terms of wine consumption and would soon overtake New York as the largest market on the East Coast and second in the country. Just as we predicted, in 2004 Florida took over New York. Florida is now the second largest market, right behind California — somewhere between 55 and 65 million gallons of wine consumed every year, accounting for about 8 percent of total consumption in the country. When you think of Florida, you think Miami and Miami Beach — a wonderful destination that attracts millions of people every year. In addition to that, we look at Miami not just in the wine business but in many other sectors as the point that connects different countries worldwide. It tends to be a great connecting point for Europe and Latin America, both of which happen to be great wine-producing regions.

Are you saying there are a lot of drinkers here in Miami?

Yes, there are. It's not only the per capita consumption — it's the growing consumption in Florida as a whole. Population has increased dramatically in the last 10 years. It comes down to two things: people are moving to Miami and Florida, and Florida has 80 million tourists per year. Tourists do tend to drink more when they are on vacation than in their daily life. The interesting thing about Florida is that it is a huge market but really spread out. When we started the wine fair we wanted everybody to come down to Miami from across the state — Orlando, Tampa, Palm Beach, Naples — and we accomplished that. In the last two years we have been focusing on making this a nationwide event, and we have already accomplished that. This year we had importers, retailers, distributors, and restaurant chains from every single state in the country, as well as from Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Do you foresee expanding the fair to other cities or venues throughout the U.S., or do you feel the success of the Miami event is sufficient for the industry?

We see a market opportunity that we are attacking aggressively — to host another event of similar size in Southern California. It will take us a while to get it to this size, but we are already working to make this happen for April 2011.

On a personal note, what is your favorite — red or white?

At the end of the day I end up drinking more red. I got into this because of a passion of mine. The truth is I enjoy white wine with the right dish and at the right moment. If I am having seafood or stone crabs at Joe's in South Beach, I will not be having a glass of red — I would have a glass of Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.

Do you have any recommendations for someone who is unfamiliar with wines as to what their initial purchase should be?

You have to go out and taste as many wines as you can. It doesn't mean get drunk or drink more than you can handle — it just means taste as much as you can. Go to trade shows, go to tastings, go to your local retailer. It is the only way to learn. You can study it, you can read, but at the end of the day if you don't expose your palate to as many wines as possible you will never be able to appreciate them. Develop a relationship with your local wine retailer — someone who guides you in the right direction. Find something you like, say Pinot Noir, understand that category, then open your palate to as many different varietals as possible. You don't need to spend a lot of money. Get together with a friend or two and chip in to buy a slightly more expensive bottle. Also go to local retail tastings — every single retailer here has daily tastings with easily five, six, seven bottles open. It ends up being a very affordable way of learning. A good resource is www.localwineevents.com.

What do you envision for future events in addition to what you have already exhibited at the Miami Wine Fair?

We are bringing the Collectors Club back. The Collectors Club was our VIP section where we had only high-end wines available for the public to taste. We eliminated it this year because we did not see significant demand for $50 and $60 bottles, but we do feel that in 2010 we are definitely coming out of the crisis — the U.S. economy has just posted its first quarterly growth, which is certainly a good sign. So the Collectors Club will come back, and that's an amazing component of the fair. We will also have a larger show — about 80,000 square feet — with closer to 2,000 wines from 20 different countries. At the end of the day, a fair is a fair: huge tastings, great seminar programs, the Collectors Club, and various events, celebrations, and networking opportunities.

Premier Guide Miami thanks Mr. Bernard for taking the time to talk with us. For more information on the Miami International Wine Fair, visit www.miamiwinefair.com.

For more upcoming events across South Florida, visit the Premier Guide Miami Events Calendar.