The New Wine Europe Emerges in the East

The CEE Wine Fair is becoming one of the most important meeting points between regional producers and the British wine trade.

Plaisterers' Hall, London, UK | Plaisterershall.com ©

While much of the wine world continues to revolve around familiar names such as Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tuscany and Rioja, another map of Europe has been attracting increasing attention from merchants, sommeliers and wine writers.

Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe are no longer unknown territories. Yet they remain perhaps the last great frontier of wine discovery on the European continent.

That is why, on 16 June, London will once again host The Ultimate CEE Wine Fair, a trade event dedicated exclusively to the wines of Central and Eastern Europe. The fair will take place at Plaisterers' Hall, one of the most prestigious historic venues in the City of London, a place whose origins stretch back nearly five centuries.

At first glance, it may appear to be just another wine fair.

In reality, it is something much more significant.

Unlike consumer-focused wine events, the CEE Wine Fair brings together the people who decide which wines will ultimately find their way onto retail shelves, restaurant wine lists and importer portfolios. Buyers, distributors, sommeliers, wine journalists and merchants attend with a clear purpose: to discover new regions, new grape varieties and new stories for one of the world's most influential wine markets.

For producers from the region, the opportunity extends far beyond a single day of tasting.

One conversation can open the door to a new market.

One sample can lead to a new distribution agreement.

One wine story can become part of a London restaurant's wine programme.

A key strength of the event is its educational programme. Through a series of masterclasses, wine professionals are offered a deeper understanding of the region's diversity, indigenous grape varieties and historic wine landscapes. Over the years, these sessions have become an important platform for introducing emerging wine regions to the international trade.

At the centre of this educational effort stands a name that has become almost inseparable from the international recognition of the wines of Central and Eastern Europe.

If the wines of Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe enjoy greater visibility today than they did twenty or thirty years ago, Caroline Gilby MW is undoubtedly one of the people most responsible for that transformation.

Through decades of writing, teaching, judging and travelling across the region, she has tirelessly explored, documented and promoted wine regions that for many years remained outside the focus of the Western European wine establishment. Many producers from across the region first gained international exposure through her work.

Her involvement in the CEE Wine Fair is therefore more than the presence of a respected Master of Wine.

It represents the continuation of an idea.

The idea that Europe does not end where the traditional wine maps stop.

On the contrary.

Some of the most exciting wine stories begin precisely where most people have not yet looked.

This year's edition of the fair will bring together producers from across Central and Eastern Europe, including North Macedonia. The Macedonian delegation will be led by the Wines of Macedonia, while Tikveš Châteaux & Domaines, Châteaux Kamnik and Imako Vino will showcase the country's wines to the British trade.

Their presence is significant for reasons that go beyond the promotion of individual labels.

It reflects the growing recognition of the region as a serious contributor to the international wine landscape. At a time when British buyers are actively seeking authenticity, origin, indigenous grape varieties and new wine stories, countries such as Macedonia have a unique opportunity to demonstrate what makes them different.

From the City of London to the vineyards of the SEE-Wine Peninsula, the Carpathians, the Caucasus and the Black Sea, the story of Central and Eastern European wine is no longer a story of potential.

It is a story of recognition.

The Ultimate CEE Wine Fair 2026
16 June 2026 | Plaisterers' Hall, London
Further information, exhibitor list and registration details are available at:
winecom.co.uk/cee-wine-fair-2026