The Wine Fairy

“Mind-blowing.” “Insane.” That’s how Wine Paris was described to me before I went–and now that I’m back home, I’ve got to say that I agree.

As a new-to-the-industry person, I’ve wasted no time jumping straight into the deep end. (If not now, then when?) The opportunity came to go to Paris. So I cashed in my travel points and hopped on a red-eye flight for three days of wine tasting and networking.

The official numbers from Wine Paris are in, and they are truly astounding: 63,541 trade visitors from 169 countries. A total of 6,537 exhibitors also attended, their booths spread across six large exhibition halls at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles convention center.

Over three days, visitors to Wine Paris can meet with producers and distributors, taste nearly every type of wine that exists, and attend classes led by Masters of Wine and other word-class experts.

I had kept my schedule loose in order to take advantage of Wine Paris’s Academy sessions. Geared toward wine pros, many cover specialized topics such as botrytis Semillon and the effects of bottle age on Austrian wines. There are also guided tastings that are overviews of a country or region–like wines of Uruguay, Sicily, and Spain. I attended at least a dozen regionally-focused tastings over the three days, and even participated in an academic research study conducted by the Burgundy School of Business.

When not seated in a classroom or meeting, visitors to Wine Paris can choose to do their own research from the open-access wine stations. These booths are sponsored by wine regions or producers’ associations. They feature curated bottles of self-serve wines with information on how and where to obtain them.

It may look like the world’s largest (and coolest) bar. But the mood here is strictly business, as wine buyers from around the world look to refine their lists and discover new product opportunities.

The scale and scope of Wine Paris is vast, and despite a lot of planning and note-taking, it’s hard not to be overwhelmed. I cherished the opportunity to rest my feet during the seated masterclasses, and to perk up my brain with an afternoon espresso from one of Wine Paris’s many cafe stalls.

Wine Paris 2026: Best Moments

Later this week, I’ll be posting some wine-business takeaways and trend observations from my time at Wine Paris. But for now, here’s a more personal look at a few of my favorite moments from the convention (with pictures)!

• Peeping a rare bottle of 1973 Chardonnay at the Chateau Montelena booth. (No tasting notes, alas–this bottle was destined for a VIP occasion later that day.)

• Tasting Jamón Ibérico from a master cortador, courtesy of Junta de Castilla y León.

• Running into wine educator Jimmy Smith (Wine with Jimmy)–and getting to thank him in person for the excellent WSET online study materials.

• Getting humbled (along with most of the other tasters in the room) by a wine-identification challenge featuring four mystery reds.

• Showing up daily at the Australian Wine classroom for tastings led by Emma Symington MW.

• Sneaking in a quick #MerlotThursday tasting (at the Swiss Wine booth) with an uncommon Ticino white Merlot.

• Wrapping up the day with Champagne and white Burgundy in “wine heaven,” a.k.a. the France building’s top floor.

All in all, a fantastic and worthwhile trip! I’m sure the learning and connections from Paris will stay with me for years to come. For more trade-focused observations from the expo, check out Six takeaways from Wine Paris 2026.

Wine Paris will return from February 15 to 17 in 2027.

Further reading:

Vinetur: Wine Paris 2026 Draws Record International Crowd as Global Beverage Industry Converges in Paris

Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.