What Should You Know About the Wine Fair?

Here’s the story of one of France's most famous commercial events.

Breton Origins

Today, the Wine Fair is a significant event for online retailers, but it cannot be credited to hypermarkets alone. Its origins date back to 1973 in the Breton town of Landerneau, the birthplace of the first E.Leclerc hypermarket. The fair was created by François-Paul Bordais, the president of the Scarmor purchasing group and a wine enthusiast. At that time, wine was scarcely sold in hypermarkets, with mostly table wine available. Determined to change this image and make quality bottles accessible to everyone, François-Paul Bordais began reaching out to major wine merchants to offer their best wines at affordable prices. Most were hesitant to participate, except for two: Moueix and Ginestet. This marked the beginning of the first Wine Fairs. The very first Wine Fair was held from November 4th to 6th in the town of Saint-Pol-de-Léon (Finistère).

The Wine Fair Over 40 Years Later

Where do we stand today? The Wine Fair has become a commercial phenomenon, generating over 400 million euros in annual sales and attracting nearly 70% of the French population (source: AFP). The online Wine Fair is also thriving. A survey conducted by the Toluna polling institute with 2,000 participants revealed that 25% of French adults actively seek out wine deals online during the Wine Fair.