ProWein delegates warned to prepare for "chaos"

There are thousands of wine exporters from around the world - including many from Australia - ready to descend on the German city of Düsseldorf for one of the most important events on the wine calendar: Pro Wein.

The event starts on Sunday and runs until Tuesday, but unfortunately coincides with a Düsseldorf bus and metro strike.

"Public transport in Düsseldorf and the region will be the subject of a strike by the Verdi union on Monday and Tuesday, March 20 and 21, 2023," event organiser Messe Düsseldorf announced.

"The strike will start at 3 am and will last 48 hours."

Unfortunately, the Düsseldorf exhibition centre is located well away from the city centre in the direction of the airport.  

The hunt for taxis promises to be a competitive sport but organisers have announcd that shuttles will run every 30 minutes to the exhibition center from the airport and Düsseldorf Central Station.

Queues for the Düsseldorf metro and bus can already be substantial in normal times, wine website Vitisphere reports, adding "these exceptional conditions raise fears of some form of chaos."

The 2023 edition of ProWein is expected to welcome 6,000 exhibitors and over 50,000 visitors.