Vinexpo chief Robert Beynat is planning a return to the United States for the trade fair, after more than six years away. The last time Vinexpo was in America was Chicago in 2004, an event which attracted 25% less than the New York Vinexpo two years before. At the time, France’s standing in the US was at an all-time low because of its opposition to the 2003 war with Iraq. It was not an auspicious time for Vinexpo to mount a trade fair in the US, Beynat said.