With guest Wine Wanker – Sarah Phillips

Wine Wankers, friends, ladies and gentlemen, stick a fork in it and call it done for Vinexpo 2015, the world’s largest wine show.  The final day of Vinexpo was a reflection of tired faces and battered bodies all round- with notably more exhibitors sitting through tastings. The spitting became more rare as the day progressed, as the crowd relaxed into the final hours of the spectacle.

Many thanks to the Vinexpo team for the hard yards, in particular the numerous staff on the front desks that were unfailingly helpful and accommodating. I hope you were rewarded with a bottomless glass of top shelf vino.

Without further delay, here are the final day highlights:

Best tradition: Rumour has it that all exhibitors worth their salt (or wine) should partake in the drinking of a full bottle before the final days end. Judging by the sea of half empty bottles, me thinks there were a few pretenders out there.

Product placement win: DropStop, the circular wine pouring aid, really went the extra mile with product placement. My sources inform me that the men’s urinal was most the sought out advertising space for these creative marketers.

Proof is in the pudding: Spinal surgeon Greg Lambrecht invented Coravin to enjoy and preserve wine in the bottle without having to remove the cork. Affectionately known as the ‘wine mosquito’, the Coravin needle punctures the cork, simultaneously letting out wine and pushing argan gas to provide a barrier between remaining wine and oxygen. Having tasted a delicate 2007 Volnay Fremiet Burgundy originally opened in February, I’m now sceptic turned convert. Just don’t mention the exploding bottles…

Toughest job: Gault & Milaut, France’s premier gourmet magazine, had the crowds lining up to experience their celebrity chef and sommelier workshops. Yours truly managed to snag a spot in the last class of the expo, enjoying team Smith Haut- Lafitte doing things to Sea Bass I never thought possible.

It felt a little sad traversing the football field size wine emporium for the last time this afternoon. As the expo drew to a close, teams of exhibitors sat relaxed and exhausted, enjoying a hard earned drink (often from the bottle) and thinking about all those emails that would need to be sent.

As for me, I’ll happily welcome suggestions for highly effective detoxing programs. Many thanks for indulging my love of wine and its characters throughout Vinexpo 2015, and please do keep in touch on Twitter via @sairsp.