The profile of Lebanese wines "one of the wine world's great secrets," according to one Master of Wine is set to be boosted by its debut appearance at the London International Wine Fair.

Generic body, Wines of Lebanon, will be attending LIWF for the first time next month as part of an ongoing campaign to raise the profile of Lebanese wines in the UK. Very few wines from the region are currently sold in multiple retailers in the UK although Chateau Musar, which is stocked by Waitrose and Majestic (rsp: £17.99) is relatively well known.

The Wines of Lebanon stand will host eight wineries including Chateau Ka, Chateau Ksara and Domaine Wardy, as well as masterclasses run by Tim Atkin MW and Lebanese wine expert Michael Karam.

"Lebanon is one of the wine world's great secrets," said Atkin. "I'm delighted to have the chance to talk about some of my favourites."

Other generic wine groups will also be making their first appearance at LIWF, which is being held from 17-19 May at London's ExCel. Russia will exhibit for the first time with a generic pavilion hosting eight wineries from Krasnodar, the country's largest wine-producing region, while Eastern Europe will be represented by generic pavilions from Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary and Slovenia.

The Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux will also be at the show for the first time with a standalone feature dedicated to a tasting of 2007 Bordeaux from 100 châteaux. The invitation-only event is set to be attended by sommeliers, independent retailers and importers. Sicily is making the largest increase in investment this year with a 400% hike in stand space.

"LIWF continues to act as a launch platform for generic bodies looking to gain share in the UK and key global markets such as Europe and the US," said LIWF exhibitor director James Murray.l Speakers at the London International Wine Fair Conference on 16 May will include Tesco BWS head Dan Jago, who will examine the opportunity offered to an established retailer by online wine sales.

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