London Wine Fair June 4: What is happening

By Helen Arnold

Published: 04 June, 2014

Here we pick out some of the key goings on at today's London Wine Fair at Olympia including a run down of key debates, seminars and masterclases.

10am-10.30am Introducing new cork technology

David Taylor and Justin Howard-Sneyd MW ? Gallery Theatre

Cork is the wine closure of choice for 60% of the world's wine despite problems such as taints, bottle variation, premature oxidation and reduction. CorkGuard has overcome these issues, and this session introduces the new technology which could change the fortunes of the cork industry.

10.30am-11am Pork crackling and pig poetry

Speakers Corner Speakers Corner LWF

Rupert Ponsoby ? Speakers' Corner

Ponsoby (pictured above) will be reciting pig poetry from Hillair Belloc to Oscar Wilde and attendees will be able to sample his Mr Trotter's Pork Cracklings, washed down with Taittinger Champagne, Tio Pepe Sherry and Virginian Viognier.

11am-11.30am Optimising your website for better results

Tom Head ? Gallery Theatre

Head will help you to better understand your users, and their buying/conversion phases. How to improve your calls to action and to create clear value propositions. Where the future of digital experience is going and the power of personalisation. Examples of brands doing optimisation well and not so well.

11.15am-12 noon Sherry renaissance

Beltrán Domecq and Graham Hines ? Masterclass Theatre

The sherry renaissance is here to stay, and this masterclass explores six different styles of sherry and the history of sherry production.

12.15pm-1.15pm Port: on the edge?

Paul Symington, Symington Family Estates Paul Symington

Paul Symington ? Industry Briefings

Symington will be talking about what changes are necessary in the uniquely beautiful Douro valley, - where an entire population and its social fabric depends almost exclusively on wine, to make it compatible with the modern retail environment?

2pm-2.45pm Cool Wines by the glass, Austrian wine

Jason Turner ? Austrian Wine stand H50

Turner will give an overview of Austria's winegrowing regions, wine styles and signature grape varieties, and advise on serving suggestions and recommended drinking temperatures.

3.30pm-4pm From Plumpton to Andalucía

Harry Hunt, Tierra Hermosa ? Speakers' Corner

How a marketing exec from London gave it all up to establish a collaborative wine venture in Spain. Hunt of Bodegas Tierra Hermosa will be talking about how he threw in a successful PR career to pursue his dream of becoming a winemaker.