On Wednesday morning at Casino2000m in Mondorf-les-Bains, Match and Smatch supermarkets in Luxembourg presented the details of their upcoming Foire aux Vins which is taking place between 14 September and 11 October 2016.

Around four hundred wines have been chosen from all four courners of the world and five continents, both classic and traditional as well as new world, including medal-winning wines made with passion and love by wine-makers who have taken the best grapes that the earth has produced, often organic in nature.

Wines from France, Italy and Spain are joined by wines from the Luxembourg Moselle and much further afield, with wines to suit all pockets, from the very affordable at €1.99 upwards to €62.99. 45% of wines cost between €4 and €7 per bottle, with many on offer at discounts between 30% and 50%. Other offers include "buy two, get another free" or "buy two, get a third at half price".

Match operates a central purchasing philosophy for all of Europe. Last year, wine sales in Match supermarkets rose by 12%, and in Smatch supermarkets by 15%, with most growth in wines  from the Loire valley, Jura and Provence, as well as South Africa and Portugal. Sales of wines from the US and Argentina fell both by 33%.

The main focus of this year's fair is French rosé, as well as wines from Italy and Portugal, with 10 pages dedicated to Bordeaux wines and 3 for Luxembourg wines (covering seven wine producers). New World wines included in the catalogue are from chile, Lebanon, California, South Africa, Argentina, Australia, Tunisia and Bulgaria.

On Friday 16 September, a 10% discount is applied on all purchases of 6 bottles or more, with other 10% special discounts also available of Fridays and Saturdays regarding specific wines avaialble for in-store tasting.

Photo by Geoff Thompson