May 10-11 "Litexpo", the largest wine exhibition in the Baltic States "Wine Days 2024" has announced a new slogan for this year. "Vote for wine!" - invite the organizers, drawing attention not only to the exhibition, but also to the presidential elections that will be held in Lithuania on the same weekend, May 12.
This election weekend is the most important of the year
"Every year, the motto of the exhibition reflects what is relevant, what the wine market lives by, and it becomes the essence of the event program. Last year we invited visitors to "get to know your wine" with the world's best sommelier Raymond Thomson, wine journalists Felicity Carter, Michal Bardel and a host of wine experts.
This year is an election year. The gastronomy industry lives with elections: the 30 best restaurants, the announcement of the stars of the Michelin guide, the Baltic Wine & Drinks Awards, the announcement of the best wine list "Star Wine List" and more are coming. Lithuania will also collect votes on May 11. in the upcoming "Eurovision", and the next day they will vote for the candidates for the European Parliament. However, the most important election, which we will be talking about for a long time, is the presidential election. They will take place immediately after the "Wine Days" - on May 12.
"When electing the president, people vote not only for a person, but also for values, ideas, history, and the future. Same with wine. Exhibition visitors come together to get to know, understand, listen to stories, choose drinks, tastings, winemakers that match their attitude, taste, and understanding of quality," said Arūnas Starkus, one of the initiators of the exhibition, co-owner of the Wine Club.
Choosing wine is becoming more and more interesting, the number of non-alcoholic producers is increasing
The last decade has seen a lot of changes in the world of wine. Opaque, sulphite-free natural wines, orange wine, the old-fashioned way (method ancestral) produced sparkling wine petnat, more and more low-alcohol wine is being produced, and the number of producers of de-alcoholized wine is increasing.
A warming climate has widened the geography of the wine world: in the United Kingdom, in Poland, in Latvia, in Sweden, Denmark, and Lithuania today, not only cider, fruit, berry, plant wine is made, but also wine grapes are grown. The quality of wine from countries such as Armenia, Sakartvel, Hungary, Slovakia, and other Eastern and Central European countries is also changing rapidly. As choice has grown, so has the need for knowledge.
"Unlike in the presidential elections, wine does not give its voters to another candidate. When choosing a wine, there are no undecided voters and no gray zone of values - each consumer chooses only what he genuinely likes. Wine has no electoral program, but it has taste.
Therefore, at the "Wine Days" held at the "Litexpo" exhibition and conference center this year, four tasting rooms will be equipped, where seminars, sessions, and tastings will be held by presenters. And in the exhibition hall, you will be able to taste thousands of wines, meet winemakers, experts, sommeliers and choose what you like," said Ernesta Palubinskienė, coordinator of "Vyno dini".
The most important thing is moderation
"Vyno dienos" is the largest wine exhibition in Northern Europe in terms of both participants and visitors. Last year, it was visited by about 6000 wine lovers and professionals. This year's ticket sales are already ahead of last year's. However, the organizer is more pleased not with the abundance of wine, but with the fact that since 2005 the working exhibition contributes to changes in the culture of wine consumption.
"We are part of the global Wine in Moderation movement. It unites the world's largest exhibitions, the most important educational institutions, the wine press, national associations of winemakers and consumers, which, through education, the ability to recognize better quality, and through the consumer's desire to choose, aim to form a culture of moderate wine consumption.
On the most important election weekend of this year, we will perform our civic, public duty in the political elections. But don't forget your personal life choices. We will talk about them during the exhibition", its organizers invite one month before the exhibition.
