Compared to other industries the wine trade has been a little slow on the uptake when it comes to recommendation algorithms. Such technology emerged commercially in the late ’90s, alongside the beginnings of ecommerce, and was popularised by platforms such as Amazon (source: A Brief History of Recommender Systems). As a tool for the wine industry, the rise of these programmes has been a little more recent – but their potential is great, according to those already working with them. Those Harpers spoke to agreed the reasons for this slow adoption are tied up with both the structure of the industry and the nuances of the product itself.
Read more...
|
Published: 22 April, 2026
Pernod Ricard-owned Cognac house Martell has launched an AI-powered ‘virtual bartender’, claiming to be the first brand in the category to do so.
Read more...
Published: 26 March, 2026
Leading direct-to-consumer online wine retailer Virgin Wines has announced the full launch of its mobile app, after a soft launch around a month ago.
Read more...
Published: 13 March, 2026
For the media – both trade and mainstream – the hype related to artificial intelligence’s disruptive potential has filled column inches. Despite huge claims from Silicon Valley’s tech leaders often not materialising, there are early signs the technology may be having an appreciable impact on productivity. An assessment of whether AI-induced progress has been made (or not) within the drinks trade is sorely needed. Harpers charts the lie of the land and speaks to a leading wine business about how AI’s integration – from vineyard to boardroom – has advanced.
Read more...
Published: 11 December, 2025
Online wine retailer Virgin Wines and US-based software company Preferabli have announced a fresh partnership. The deal will see Preferabli’s wine recommendation software integrated into the Virgin shopping experience.
Read more...
Published: 17 November, 2025
Global commerce and distribution platform Komerz Ltd has announced its acquisition of Great Wines Direct (GWD), the UK online wine retailer.
Read more...
Published: 17 September, 2025
As businesses increasingly embrace elements of AI to enhance their efficiency and performance, the Harpers team invited our trade readership to take a survey to help build a picture of uptake in the drinks world.
Read more...
Published: 12 August, 2025
When I was a lad I used to hear adults arguing about something one of them had read in the newspapers. The reader would announce the item with astonishment or relish – “you’d never have thought it” or “I told you they were the problem” – while the responder would retort “you shouldn’t believe everything you read in the papers.”
Read more...
As Coterie Holdings powers onwards, Andrew Catchpole asks Michael Saunders what lies ahead.
Read more...
Published: 21 March, 2025
Picking a wine can be difficult; it can depend on everything from mood to the weather. But what if there was a way around this internal battle?
Read more...
Published: 06 March, 2025
AI fear is a very real phenomenon and an ongoing concern for many as we head deeper into 2025. From governments folding AI into their models for economic growth, to the launch of Chat GPT in 2022 putting generative AI into the hands of people everywhere, the question of what exactly humans will bring to the table in the next 10, 20 or even 100 years, seems an increasingly urgent question.
Read more...
Published: 22 January, 2025
As Australia’s first AI-curated wine makes its way to the UK, Jo Gilbert asks, is this the future of wine?
Read more...
Published: 18 December, 2024
Jo Gilbert rifles back through a year filled with digital breakthroughs in drinks, dominated by the march of AI, while looking forward to what 2025 may bring.
Read more...
Published: 14 October, 2024
Jo Gilbert reflects on a new Prowein business report and online discussion looking at digitalisation in the wine sector.
Read more...
From NPD to vineyard management, Jo Gilbert asks how AI can benefit the alcohol industry – and when it’s time to stop.
Read more...
VineView has introduced the PinPoint RTK, a GPS receiver designed to provide vineyard operators with highly accurate data collection capabilities. The PinPoint RTK uses Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) technology to offer accuracy within 2-5cm, significantly more precise than traditional GPS receivers, which typically have an accuracy of 2-4 metres.
Read more...
Published: 20 March, 2024
The first blockchain-backed fine wine retailer to join the metaverse is opening a window into the future of virtual fine wine collecting, writes Jo Gilbert.
Read more...
Published: 12 March, 2024
Economic sustainability is the big topic at Prowein this year, as the global cost of living crisis chafes against the challenges of decreasing consumption rates and an overabundance of supply.
Read more...
Published: 12 March, 2024
The controversial world of advanced technology has taken a new direction this week, as Wine of Moldova launches two new cuvées produced by AI at the 2024 edition of Prowein.
Read more...
Published: 26 January, 2024
Innovative tech, such as artificial intelligence (AI), is sometimes reserved only for large corporations with massive budgets. However, more and more SMEs are coming to the party, James Bayley finds.
Read more...
