Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/961311
{ SOMMjournal.com } 53 In a metropolis like New York, securing the proper venue is the easy part. The Javits Center complex is enormous, with a staff well-versed in addressing the set-up, check-in, and security needs that come with the territory of high-attendance events. Additional challenges arise, though, when wine is involved: Like most states, New York has its own quirky rules regard - ing alcoholic beverages. Bringing in wines unapproved for distribution and allowing the consumption of untaxed wine in a public place can bring out the bureaucrats in force. And when producers are told that any wine they bring into the venue cannot leave with them when the event wraps, it's not an easy conversation. There's also the need for secure, temper - ature-controlled storage space where there is none to spare. Fortunately, one of the event's organizers, Diversified Communica - tions, rose to the occasion as they set up 15 160-square-foot walk-in refrigerator to serve as temporary cooling spaces (need- less to say, bringing in and assembling pallets of pre-fabricated, insulated pieces with industrial cooling units is not an easy feat). Of course, glassware is another major concern, as clunky selections can taint an otherwise great tasting. Riedel's involve - ment as a Vinexpo sponsor ensured tasters would be equipped with glasses tailored specifically to their respective wines; attendees didn't carry their glasses from one booth to another, however, so each booth needed to be stocked with its own glassware and dump bucket. Consider the logistics of keeping pol - ished glassware on hand all day for more than 3,000 wine tasters: Vinexpo organiz- ers devised a clever system for moving about the expo, using black-skirted carts containing four racks each for clean and used glassware, as well as 30-gallon con - tainers to collect the dumped wine. So many other fine-tuned details made Vinexpo New York 2018 a success: the hundreds of bottles recycled, the master classes so expertly presented, and the dozens of elements executed so profes - sionally by the staff and sponsors. Planning the many facets of a wine tast- ing can certainly induce anxiety regardless of the event's scale. It does help, though, to keep things in perspective, so the next time you're organizing a tasting event and your head is swirling with details, just remind yourself how crazy things would be if 3,000 people walked through your door! Vinexpo also hosts annual events in Bordeaux, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, and will hold its touring Vinexpo Explorer event this September in Sonoma County. For more information, visit vinexpo.com. PLANNING AHEAD Dates for the next Vinexpo New York have already been announced: The event will return to the Javits Center March 4–5, 2019. Members of the wine community who wish to attend should make arrangements months in advance to secure the best hotel and travel rates. Roughly 3,000 members of the trade attended Vinexpo New York this year in the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. PHOTO: CARL CORSI PHOTO: MATT SHINAY