What were some of the key spirits trends on show at this year’s Wine Paris? In this week’s episode, we feature several exhibitors who shared their thoughts on some of the industry’s hottest categories.
In February, The Spirits Business’ editor-in-chief and host of The Spirits Business Podcast, Melita Kiely, headed to France for the annual Wine Paris trade fair, which took place from 10-12 February.
The Be Spirits Hall took up its residency in the bigger Hall 5 this year, spanning a 2,000-square-metre space. Shared with a smattering of non-alcoholic wine brands, the hall hosted nearly 300 exhibitors from 34 countries – 76% of whom were new to the show.
The breadth of spirits on offer was vast – and one of the evident upticks on this year’s show was the rise in Asian exhibitors. From Chinese baijiu brands to a plethora of Korean spirits, there was plenty to discover.
Julia Mellor is the founder of The Sool Company, which is dedicated to preserving and promoting Korean traditional alcohol (sool) worldwide.
“The reason I fell in love with [Korean spirits], is it’s a very complex, product that is actually easy to make at home,” Mellor said.
She continued: “The industry domestically in Korea has experienced rapid growth, actually since Covid. In the last five years also, we’ve seen exponential growth in terms of new breweries, new distilleries and new products, and especially innovation of style, and also in terms of packaging design and interpreting ‘what is soju?’”
The episode also features insights from Romain Le Mouëllic, founder of Parisian bar Le Syndicat and ready-to-drink brand Féfé Cocktails, Thomas Soret, communications manager at Cognac Frapin, and Kevin Bensoussan, the CEO of Adiccion Tequila.
Episode 16 of The Spirits Business Podcast featuring interviews from Wine Paris 2025 is now available to listen to on all major streaming platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon.
Alternatively, click the link below to listen to the latest episode.
Recent episodes have included exploring the benefits of digitising the spirits industry with the CEO of Proof 8. Past guests have also included Becky Paskin, founder of the OurWhisky Foundation, Fawn Weaver, CEO and founder of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, which is also available on YouTube, and last week’s guest Lasse Öznek, master distiller at Copenhagen Distillery.
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Author: Melita Kiely
