From AI monitoring in the vineyard to personalized sales advice at the point of purchase: staying competitive doesn’t mean embracing every trend-– but it does mean understanding where technology adds real value. These five developments show where technology is heading.
1. Winemaking: Smarter and more sustainable
A unique project by Cornell University and NASA uses aerial imagery to detect early signs of drought and disease in vineyards. The AVIRIS-NG infrared imaging spectrometer collects precise surface data from the air. In California’s Lodi region, researchers used this tech to identify the grapevine leafroll virus, before any visible symptoms appeared. This allows growers to act early, target treatments precisely, and even reduce environmental impact.
“We want to provide farmers-– who may not afford high-end drones or aerial cameras-– access to NASA’s freely available data,” says Fernando E. Romero Galvan, who works for the project.
This is only one of many such projects marrying satellite and other imaging with data analysis, to give viticulturalists the ability to truly understand their terroir.
2. Taming the bullwhip effect: AI in supply chains
NASA in the vineyard may be headline-grabbing, compared to something ordinary like logistics, which normally doesn’t elicit such a “wow” effect. Yet, the balance between supply and demand throughout the value chain, from production to distribution, is critical in the wine industry, where demand fluctuates seasonally and regionally. Think rosé during the summer holidays, Champagne at New Year’s Eve parties, or mulled wine at the Christmas markets. Making sure the right volumes arrive at the right time and place is notoriously difficult.
Misjudging demand can quickly spiral into losses. Economists call this the bullwhip effect, where small variations in consumer behaviour ripple back through the supply chain, creating major inventory problems.
Austrian company Circly uses AI to account for factors like weather, holidays, and economic indicators to produce automated sales forecasts. The result? Lower warehouse costs, less waste, and shelves that stay stocked. Founder Eric Weisz claims this can cut product losses by up to 25%.
3. Taste meets tech: Who drinks what – and why?
Wine producers face a timeless question: Will customers like my wine? Traditionally, the answer comes only after the sale. But what if you could predict that – before the first sip?
Chemist Katerina Axelsson tackled exactly this challenge with her company Tastry. Her system combines a detailed chemical wine analysis with thousands of blind tastings and customer data, to learn what types of wine appeal to which types of consumers — and where those wines are most likely to sell.
“You can’t invite 200 million Americans to a tasting,” says Axelsson. Instead, her team taught a machine to “taste” wine, by analysing over a million data points per sample, including volatile and non-volatile compounds.
“With the help of AI, we can predict which type of wine a specific consumer is likely to prefer.” According to Axelsson, the AI can now match a wine to a person’s palate with this data with up to 93% accuracy. Even better they can take a wine, analyse it, and work out where in the country it’s most likely to sell.
4. Loyalty 2.0: Rethinking customer retention
When it comes to loyalty, most people think of wine clubs. But according to Ben Gibson, founder of Winehub Commerce, wine clubs account for just 4.5% of all customer records – and mostly appeal to Baby Boomers.
Instead, Gibson promotes flexible loyalty systems built around real buying behaviour, rather than rigid memberships. “We segment customers based on actual spend or bottle count,” he says. The system automatically detects cancellation signals and responds by sending the customer a special offer, or the change to upgrade to higher-tier benefits.
Everything is fully automated, from welcome emails to re-engagement campaigns. And the payoff? “Know your customers,” says Gibson, “repeat purchases don’t happen by chance. On average, we’re seeing over 12% growth — and some clients are hitting 40% or more.”
5. AI-powered wine advice: The Sommelier of tomorrow?
The idea that AI can already assess a guest’s taste might make some sommeliers uneasy. After all, it’s their job to recommend and serve wine.
But what if a robot took over? The G1 prototype from Chinese company Unitree is being trained with wine data from Philipp Mann, the German entrepreneur behind WineWizard. The system offers wine recommendations based on personal taste profiles. In theory, G1 – nicknamed WilliWein by Philipp – could identify a guest’s preferences, recommend a wine, and even serve it.
Whether this can truly be scaled, and whether the robot can deliver it with enough personality and charm, remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: digital wine advice is already here – and not just on screen.
What’s next?
Many of these developments may sound like science fiction, but they’re already part of today’s wine world: in the vineyard, in the cellar, and at the point of sale.
Understandably, some may view this with scepticism. But these technologies aren’t going away. Used wisely, they can improve quality, increase efficiency, and build customer loyalty. And those who understand them early can reduce costs and drive growth. Now’s the time to get informed and actively shape how the business operates.
We’re continuing the conversation: Meininger’s International will curate the session Innovation Meets Wine at Vinexpo Asia on Thursday, May 29, from 12:00 to 13:00 — featuring Anja Zimmer, Philipp Mann & WilliWein (TailorWine), Nimmi Malhotra, and more to be announced.
This article was also published in 'Voice of the Industry', Vinexpo's new magazine for wine and spirits professionals, just in time for Vinexpo Asia.
