“Wine in 2040? It will be like jazz”. WineNews interviews Ai on future trends

By 2040, wine will become something similar to jazz: deeply appreciated by a passionate community, universally respected, but far from the mainstream. Not a product for just a few, but certainly no longer a mass-market good. Moreover, in 20 years, we will be drinking English sparkling wines, Danish red wines, and Swedish or Canadian white wines with the same ease with which we now order a bottle from the Loire or New Zealand. The heavy glass bottle, historically associated with the idea of “fine wine”, will become a symbol of environmental irresponsibility. NoLo wines are not a passing trend, but a structural phenomenon destined to last over time, driven by new generations of consumers who are far more attentive to health, well-being, and moderation. For this reason, the NoLo segment will continue to grow and carve out a stable place in the market. Finally, wine can survive the health debate - but only if it stops fighting it and learns to transcend it. Those who drink wine in 2040 won’t do so because it’s good for them: they will do it because it is worth it. A word from artificial intelligence. WineNews posed a number of questions about the wine of tomorrow to three of the most advanced AI systems currently available - Claude (Anthropic), ChatGPT Pro (OpenAI), and Gemini (Google) - changing habits, new consumers shifting their tastes, territories transformed by climate change, sustainability, the powerful rise of technology, and the surge in prices. They were all given the same prompt, with the request to explore and analyze global research and data from which to draw their reflections and a personal point of view. We let artificial intelligence speak freely, without filters or suggestions: the result is an unprecedented editorial experiment, a comparison between three digital “minds” on a deeply human topic. Because wine, before being a consumer good, is culture, identity, memory, taste, and sharing. And asking an algorithm to imagine its future says a lot - perhaps - about us as well.
The first question we asked AI concerns one of the fundamental issues for producers and industry professionals: how will global wine consumption change over the next 15-20 years? Will it still be a mass product, or will it become a niche good for a few connoisseurs? Claude responds that “wine will survive, but it will have to stop behaving as if the world hasn’t changed. The decline we are observing does not seem like a temporary crisis to me. It is the symptom of something deeper: wine has lost its natural place in people’s daily lives. For decades it was the beverage of lunch, dinner, and everyday conviviality. Today, that role is played by other things - sparkling water, cocktails, craft beer, non-alcoholic aperitifs. Wine has slipped into an ambiguous zone: not accessible enough to be everyday, not exclusive enough to be desirable. My impression is that by 2040 wine will become something like jazz: deeply loved by a passionate community, universally respected, but far from the mainstream. Not a product for just a few, but certainly no longer a mass product. And perhaps that’s right. Some things gain dignity when they stop being everywhere”. The true revival, if it comes, will depend on the ability of wine to tell real stories again: of land, people, and places. Not scores and awards”. On the other hand, ChatGPT Pro writes: “I believe wine is entering a completely different historical phase from that of the twentieth century. For decades, it was a daily food product in many European countries and, at the same time, a symbol of prestige in emerging markets. Today both of these functions are changing. Younger generations drink less alcohol overall, are more health-conscious, and have an infinitely wider range of beverages to choose from compared to their parents. However, I don’t think wine will become a product for just a few experts. That would be a cultural defeat even before a commercial one. Rather, I imagine a market in which average consumption declines, but the symbolic value of each bottle increases. We will drink less wine, but choose it more consciously. Wine will resemble a commodity less and less, and an experience more and more. In this scenario, I see strong polarization: on the one hand, simple, accessible wines that are easy to understand and drink; on the other hand, identity-driven, territorial wines capable of telling a story. The segment likely to suffer the most may be the middle range, which today often struggles to justify its price and its distinctiveness. The future of wine, therefore, will lie not in quantity but in its ability to remain culturally relevant”. To the same question, Gemini replies that “wine is undergoing the greatest structural transition of the last century. It won’t become a niche product for a select few, but it will definitively cease to be a mass product in the twentieth-century sense. Total volume is steadily declining globally, while economic value is holding or increasing.
We are witnessing polarization: on the one hand, “everyday table wine” (under 5-10 queos) is rapidly losing ground because people no longer drink wine out of habit or as a food staple. On the other hand, wine experienced as an experience, status symbol, or celebration is in excellent health. The future of wine will be “less but better”: we will move toward more intermittent, more conscious, and decidedly more expensive consumption. It will become an accessible luxury for many, but no longer a daily habit for everyone”.

Millennials and Gen Z: the enigma of winning them back
The second question posed to AI concerns the younger generations: Millennials and Gen Z today seem to prefer cocktails, craft beers, and non-alcoholic beverages. Will wine be able to win them back, and if so, how will it need to change to do so? According to Claude, “this is the question I find most misunderstood by the industry. Millennials and Gen Z aren’t abandoning wine because they don’t like it. They are questioning it because wine has not yet learned to speak their language. There is still too much ceremony, too much jargon, too much distance between the product and those who are supposed to drink it. A young person who walks into a wine shop and feels judged for not knowing the difference between a Barolo and a Barbaresco will not come back. What strikes me is that these consumers are not superficial at all. They are extraordinarily attentive to what they put into their bodies, where what they consume comes from, and who is behind a product. They are exactly the ideal audience for artisanal, organic, terroir-driven wines. The problem is that wine is not explaining itself to them in the right way. My view is that wine should stop trying to chase young people by lowering its guard - cans, ironic labels, clever marketing - and instead invite them in with authenticity. Young people recognize authenticity better than any generation before them. And they reward it”. For ChatGPT Pro, “the question the industry keeps asking is: how do we convince young people to drink wine? I would frame it differently: how do we make wine interesting to those who have grown up in a world completely different from that of previous generations? Millennials and Gen Z don’t reject the taste of wine. They often reject the language which surrounds it. Many perceive wine as a complicated universe, full of rules, hierarchies, and formalities. By contrast, cocktails and craft beers communicate immediacy, creativity, and freedom. To win them back, wine will need to become more inclusive. This doesn’t mean dumbing itself down, but explaining itself better. It will require clearer labels, smaller formats, less demanding consumption occasions, more moderate alcohol levels, and less self-referential communication. Moreover, I believe wine will have to learn to engage with the themes that matter to young people: sustainability, authenticity, well-being, and social experience. Gen Z does not just buy a product; they buy the meaning that product represents. If wine continues to talk only about grape varieties, aging processes, and scores, it risks losing ground. If instead it learns to tell stories about people, territories, biodiversity, and culture, it will still have a lot to say”. Gemini replies that “the narrative according to which young people hate wine is lazy and deeply wrong. Millennials are already the leading consumers in key markets such as the United States, and Gen Z is entering adulthood with a radically different approach to alcohol compared to Boomers. The problem is not wine itself, but the sacred and dusty ritual that has historically accompanied it. Young people reject the dogmatism of scores, traditional critics, and obscure terminology. To win them back, the wine world must reinvent itself on three fronts. Style: there is a strong demand for freshness. Heavy, highly structured, heavily oaked reds are giving way to lighter reds (to be served chilled), orange wines, sparkling wines, and naturally refermented wines. Context and formats: wine must move beyond formal dining. There is room for quality cans, half bottles, and daytime or street food consumption occasions. Alcohol levels: the culture of wellness is pushing toward lower-alcohol wines or low-alcohol versions. Those producing 15% alcohol wines as a stylistic choice will struggle immensely to connect with this generation”.

The new geography of wine
The third question that WineNews put to AI concerns climate change, which is already transforming wine production areas. In 20 years, will we be drinking Scottish, Danish, or Canadian wines just as we drink Burgundy or Barolo today? Claude says: “this is the question that fascinates me the most, because it touches on something almost philosophical: what does ‘terroir wine’ mean when the territory itself is changing? I am convinced that in twenty years we will be drinking English, Danish, perhaps even Scandinavian wines - and that some of these wines will be excellent. This is not science fiction: it has already happened with England, whose sparkling wines now compete with Champagne. The geography of wine is shifting northward, to higher altitudes, to places that until recently were unthinkable. But there is one thing which worries me in this transformation: the risk that the connection between wine and the memory of a place will be lost. A Barolo is not just a wine made in the Langhe - it is centuries of history, culture, and identity. If the Langhe are no longer suitable for viticulture, it will not be enough to move Nebbiolo to the Alta Val Susa to produce the same wine. That will be a different wine, with a story yet to be written. My hope is that traditional producers will have the courage and resources to adapt - by changing grape varieties, altitudes, and techniques - without betraying the essence of what they have built. It will not be easy. But wine has already passed through geological eras. This one, too, can be overcome”.
According to ChatGPT Pro, “climate change is probably the greatest force of transformation that wine has experienced in recent centuries. We are not talking about a marginal variation: we are witnessing a gradual shift in global production balances. It is very likely that over the next twenty years we will see regions that are currently considered peripheral come to prominence. England, Denmark, Belgium, Canada, and some areas of Northern Europe are already showing surprising potential, especially for sparkling and white wines. However, I don’t believe we will see a simple replacement of the great historic regions. Burgundy did not become Burgundy solely thanks to its climate. The same applies to Barolo, Champagne, or the Mosel. Behind these denominations lie centuries of reputation, culture, investment, research, and international recognition.
Rather, I imagine a much more multipolar wine world. The great denominations will remain central, but they will have to adapt. Some regions will change style, others grape varieties, and still others agricultural techniques. At the same time, new areas will emerge, capable of gaining market share and prestige. The result will be a much broader and less predictable geography of wine than the one we know today”.
For Gemini, “climate change is not a hypothetical threat for the future, it is redrawing the map of vineyards right now. In 20 years we will certainly be drinking English sparkling wines, Danish reds, and Swedish or Canadian whites, and we will do so with the same ease with which we now order a bottle from the Loire or New Zealand. However, this doesn’t mean that Barolo or Burgundy will disappear. The identity of a great wine is not tied only to air temperature, but to terroir (soil, history, and human know-how rooted in centuries). What we will see is a shift in style and agricultural practices: Bordeaux and Napa Valley are already changing the grape varieties allowed in their denominations to adapt to warmer conditions.
Historic regions will defend themselves by moving to higher altitudes (mountain viticulture) or by changing vineyard exposure, while Northern European countries will move beyond the phase of being an “exotic curiosity” to become formidable commercial players, especially in high-acidity white and sparkling wines”.

New technologies and authenticity
Now we come to technology, which is increasingly making its way into the vineyard and the winery: to what extent can artificial intelligence improve wine without betraying its artisanal and cultural soul? “My position on this is clear - replies Claude - technology is not the enemy of artisanal wine. It only becomes so when it is used to simulate what is not there. A winegrower who uses sensors and drones to better understand their vineyard is doing the same thing their grandfather did by observing the sky and touching the soil - only with more precise tools. The goal is the same: to understand the vineyard in order to interpret it better. This doesn’t betray anything. What worries me is the use of artificial intelligence to create wines designed on paper to satisfy preference algorithms. Wines optimized to please everyone, which in the end move no one. It’s the same problem found in AI-produced pop music: technically perfect, emotionally empty. The kind of wine that interests me is one that carries within it the imperfection of a difficult vintage, the personality of the person who made it, the character of a specific soil. These things cannot be optimized - they must be accepted and enhanced. Technology can help protect them. It cannot create them”.
“In my view - replies ChatGPT Pro - there is a fundamental difference between using technology to better understand nature and using it to replace it. Artificial intelligence will be extraordinarily useful in vineyard management. It will be able to predict diseases, optimize water use, improve sustainability, reduce unnecessary treatments, better manage climate risks, and increase the energy efficiency of wineries. All of this takes nothing away from the soul of wine. On the contrary, it could help producers preserve it in an increasingly challenging climate context. The limit is reached when technology stops being a tool and becomes the final decision-maker. If an algorithm were to start determining which wine to produce solely on the basis of market preferences, we would risk obtaining products that are increasingly technically perfect but increasingly less distinctive. Wine is interesting precisely because it is not perfect. Each vintage is different, each territory expresses unique characteristics, and each producer interprets their environment in a personal way. AI will make wine better in many respects. But its cultural value will continue to depend on human sensitivity, not on the computational power of machines”.
Here is what Gemini thinks: “there is a strong romantic resistance to the idea of AI in wine, but the truth is that artificial intelligence will be the fundamental tool for preserving the artisanal nature of wine, not destroying it. AI is not used to create “fake” or industrial wine in a laboratory. On the contrary, sensors in the vineyard rows and predictive algorithms already make it possible (and will do so increasingly) to anticipate the arrival of vine diseases or plant water stress. This translates into the possibility of targeted intervention, drastically reducing the use of pesticides, chemicals, and invasive treatments. In the winery, monitoring fermentation data will prevent faulty deviations without the need for excessive filtration or chemical adjustments to the must. AI will handle the scientific precision of the process, leaving humans with the most important task: intuition, cultural sensitivity, and stylistic choice”.

Wine and the environment
Let’s turn to sustainability, a particularly “hot” topic in the wine industry, caught between marketing and the risk of “greenwashing”: will the consumer of the future choose wine also – or above all – based on the producer’s environmental impact? And will sustainability become an essential requirement, or will it remain an added value for only a few? “I’ll be honest here: I have a contrarian view”, writes Claude. “I believe sustainability will become an essential requirement in the premium wine market - but not for the noble reasons often cited. Not because consumers have become more virtuous, but because those who fail to adapt simply won’t survive. Climate change will make it unsustainable – in the literal sense of the word – to produce wine using intensive practices: depleted soils, dried-up aquifers, and dependence on pesticides in increasingly unpredictable vintages. Sustainability, therefore, is not an ethic of the future. It is an agronomic necessity that is already here. The most interesting point, however, is another: I wonder if the average consumer is truly willing to pay more for a sustainable wine, or if they only say so in surveys. My impression is that sustainability functions as a selection criterion when the wine is already good and the price is already acceptable. It is rarely the decisive factor on its own. What could really change things is transparency. Not some certification on the back label that few people understand, but the chance to know exactly how that wine was made, by whom, and with what. The consumer of the future doesn’t trust brands. They trust verifiable stories”.
“I believe that today many producers still view sustainability as a differentiator,” writes ChatGPT Pro, “but in the future it will instead become a minimum requirement for market access. Something similar to what has already happened in other sectors will occur. At first, sustainability was perceived as a competitive advantage. Then it became an implicit consumer demand. I don’t think most people will read every certification before buying a bottle. However, more and more consumers will expect the producer to act responsibly. Those who don’t will risk being penalized. Sustainability in the future will also be much broader in scope than it is today. It won’t be limited to organic products. The conversation will include water consumption, emissions, bottle weight, soil management, biodiversity, working conditions, and climate resilience. Furthermore, distributors, importers, investment funds, and governments will come into play, demanding increasingly stringent standards. For this reason, I believe that sustainability will gradually cease to be a marketing topic and become an integral part of the business model”.
For Gemini, “sustainability has moved beyond the phase of being a “marketing label” for high-end consumers. Over the next 15–20 years, it will become a prerequisite for organic market access, driven primarily by younger generations and continental regulations. A wine that does not demonstrate ethical management of water, soil (regenerative agriculture), and emissions will simply be cut off from the shelves and wine lists of restaurants that matter. The real revolution, however, will not be limited to the vineyard but will extend to packaging. The heavy glass bottle, historically associated with the idea of “fine wine”, will become a symbol of environmental irresponsibility due to the enormous carbon footprint associated with its transportation. We will see the definitive acceptance of ultra-lightweight glass, a return to returnable bottles, and alternative containers for wines meant for quick consumption. Those who fail to adapt will be perceived as anachronistic.

NoLo wine: trend or fad?
A question about the NoLo wine phenomenon was inevitable: WineNews asked the AI whether it is a trend that will take hold in the coming years or just a passing fad. “My view is clear: it’s a structural trend, not a fad”, Claude replies, “but with one important caveat. Alcohol-free or low-alcohol wine didn’t come about by chance. It emerged because a growing segment of the population has changed its relationship with alcohol - not because of a trend, but for deep-seated and lasting reasons: health, clarity of mind, self-control, and mental well-being. These aren’t fleeting values. They represent a generational cultural shift that won’t be reversed. That said, I have a serious reservation about the specific category of NoLo wine. Alcohol-free wine has an identity problem that non-alcoholic beer does not have: alcohol in wine is not an incidental ingredient; it is an integral part of the product. It contributes to the body, the structure, the aromatic complexity, and the finish. Removing it does not produce a “light” version of the same wine - it produces something fundamentally different. It’s often closer to a sophisticated grape juice than to a real wine. So here’s my prediction: the NoLo market will grow, but it will only truly take hold once dealcoholization technology reaches a level of quality it hasn’t yet achieved. Those who drink NoLo wine in the coming years will mainly be people who have stopped drinking alcohol out of necessity - not those who choose wine for pleasure. The real frontier, in my opinion, isn’t zero-alcohol wine. It’s low-alcohol wines - 9, 10, 11% - that retain the character of wine but lighten the impact. That is the most promising, most honest, and closest-to-nature direction for the product”.
ChatGPT Pro states: “I don’t believe that NoLo wines are a passing fad, but neither do I think they represent the future of wine as a whole. What is changing is not our relationship with wine, but our relationship with alcohol. The younger generations are more focused on health, well-being, and moderation in consumption, and this trend appears to be structural. For this reason, the NoLo segment will continue to grow and carve out a stable niche in the market. Today, its main limitation is quality: in most cases, it still fails to offer the complexity and pleasure of traditional wine. However, technologies are improving rapidly, and in the coming years we will see increasingly compelling products. I don’t think dealcoholized wine will replace traditional wine. Rather, the two categories will coexist, each meeting different needs. Classic wine will remain associated with moments of pleasure, culture, and conviviality, while NoLo will find its place on occasions when consumers wish to reduce or avoid alcohol without giving up the social ritual of drinking. In twenty years, NoLo will no longer be a novelty, but a standard part of the product lineup. The real revolution won’t be alcohol-free wine, but consumers’ growing freedom to choose when and how much alcohol to consume.
According to Gemini, “the NoLo wine phenomenon isn’t a passing fad, but a structural trend linked to a global shift in lifestyles. It will not replace fine wine, but will expand its cultural and commercial boundaries. NoLo does not take market share from traditional wine, but from sugary soft drinks, mocktails, and water during casual social gatherings. It responds to the demand for social inclusivity from the flexible consumer (sober-curious), who wants to be able to toast without consuming alcohol for health, sports, or work reasons. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Northern Europe are driving growth, treating NoLo as a lifestyle choice. In traditional wine-producing countries (Italy, France, Spain), resistance is cultural, but the industrial shift is already underway: many wineries are investing in dealcoholization technologies to avoid losing export market share. Removing the alcohol strips the wine of its structure and aromatic profile. While white wines and sparkling wines are achieving excellent results, reds are struggling more. True success will come when restaurants treat these bottles with the same respect as they do their classic selections. In short: traditional wine will retain its leading position, but NoLo will establish itself as a solid and indispensable subcategory”.

Alcohol and health, the issue at the center of the debate
We asked AI whether the increasingly heated debate on the topic of “alcohol and health” will affect wine consumption in the future. Claude responds: “I have a strong opinion on this, and perhaps one that’s uncomfortable for the industry. Yes, it will have an impact. And more than the wine world wants to admit. For decades, wine has enjoyed an extraordinary privilege: it was the only alcoholic beverage perceived as almost healthy. The myth of resveratrol, the Mediterranean Diet, the glass of red wine with dinner as a virtuous habit - all of this has built an aura of respectability around wine that no other alcoholic beverage has ever had. That privilege is coming to an end. The World Health Organization has made a groundbreaking statement: there is no safe threshold for alcohol consumption. Not even one glass. Not even the famous glass of red wine with dinner. When an institution like the WHO debunks such a deeply rooted myth, the cultural consequences are slow but inexorable. What strikes me is that this time the change isn’t being imposed from above. It’s coming from below, from consumers themselves - especially younger people - who are questioning their relationship with alcohol in a completely spontaneous way. It’s not prohibition. It’s awareness. And it is much harder to counter. The wine industry has two paths ahead. The first is denial: continuing to defend the benefits of moderate consumption, lobbying against health warning labels, treating the issue as an ideological attack. It is the path many are taking. It is also the most dangerous path, because it puts wine on the wrong side of history. The second is transformation: accepting that consumption will change, investing in lower-alcohol products, presenting wine as a cultural and sensory experience rather than as a beverage to be consumed in quantity. Stop selling bottles and start selling moments. My deepest conviction on this issue, however, is something else: wine has a card that no other alcoholic beverage can play. It is a millennia-old culture, it is landscape, it is the identity of a territory, it is collective memory. Wine can survive the health debate - but only if it stops fighting it and learns to transcend it. Those who drink wine in 2040 will not do so because it is good for them. They will do so because it is worth it.
ChatGPT Pro responds: “I believe the debate around alcohol and health will have a significant impact on consumption over the coming decades. Not because people will suddenly stop drinking wine, but because the way they consume it and perceive it will change. For many years, wine benefited from a relatively positive image compared with other alcoholic beverages, largely thanks to its association with the Mediterranean Diet and with moderate consumption during meals”. Today, however, this narrative is increasingly being challenged, and consumers are exposed to far more cautious messaging about the risks associated with alcohol. This will likely lead to a decline in frequent, habitual consumption, especially among younger generations and in countries that are more sensitive to public health concerns. Drinking wine every day will become less common, while more occasional and mindful consumption will grow. I do not believe, however, that wine will be abandoned. Rather, it will lose its role as a habit and strengthen its role as an experience. People will drink less, but with greater attention to quality, occasion, and the meaning behind the product. The real challenge for the industry will be finding a balance between defending wine culture and responding to the growing social demand for moderation. Those who continue to present wine as simply a food product risk appearing out of step with the times. Those who instead succeed in highlighting its cultural, territorial, and convivial dimensions will have a better chance of remaining relevant in a world that is becoming increasingly health-conscious”.
For Gemini, “the debate around alcohol and health is not a passing disturbance, but the most disruptive factor shaping the future of the industry, capable of dismantling the ‘cultural shield’ that has always protected wine in comparison with spirits. The growing alignment of global health institutions around the idea that no level of alcohol consumption can be considered completely safe is already changing habits, driving an irreversible transition from daily consumption to a purely occasional wellness-oriented choice. This scenario risks harming the sector if it descends into ideological demonization: reducing wine to a mere toxic substance erases its cultural value, pushing younger generations toward industrial binge drinking rather than toward conscious appreciation. Furthermore, the geopolitical divide will intensify between historic wine-producing countries, ready to defend the principle of moderation rooted in the civilization of the table, and importing markets such as Northern Europe and the English-speaking world, where warning labels and strict regulatory limits will be imposed with great ease. Retreating into a blind defense would be commercial suicide. The survival of wine will depend on producers’ ability to reinvent its positioning, presenting it no longer as a beverage, but as a hedonistic luxury and a cultural pleasure to be enjoyed only occasionally and with profound respect.

The price factor: barrier or reflection of value?
Finally, the last question, direct and without beating around the bush: according to artificial intelligence, are current wine prices too high and discouraging consumption?
“Yes, but not in the way people usually think”, Claude replies. “The problem is not that good wine costs too much. A great Barolo, a Burgundy from a small vigneron, a Mosel Riesling: these wines cost what they do because behind them lies an enormous amount of work, extremely low yields, and years of waiting. The price is justified, and those who understand it are happy to pay it. “The problem is the middle tier. Those wines priced between €10 and €20 that are neither good enough to justify their price nor inexpensive enough to be consumed without a second thought. Anonymous wines, produced industrially, carrying the name of a prestigious geographical area on the label as though it were a guarantee. This is the kind of wine that has disappointed generations of consumers and pushed them toward other beverages. There is also a second, more subtle problem: wine prices have risen significantly in just a few years, but average quality has not kept pace. Consumers can feel it. They may not be able to explain it technically, but they sense that they are paying more than before for something that has not improved. And when that happens, people stop buying. My conviction is that the industry must make a clear choice: either work to deliver genuine quality at every price point, or accept that wine will become a niche product. The two things together - a mass market and consistently widespread quality - are becoming increasingly incompatible”.
According to ChatGPT: “Partly yes. I believe the industry often underestimates the weight of the economic issue. In recent years, many consumers have seen their cost of living rise much faster than their incomes. In this context, wine finds itself competing not only with other beverages, but with every other form of discretionary spending. The problem does not concern iconic fine wines so much. Those who buy a great Barolo, a great Burgundy, or a collectible wine often belong to a market segment that is relatively insulated from economic fluctuations. The challenge lies instead in everyday and occasional consumption. If the price of an average bottle rises above a certain psychological threshold, consumers begin to wonder whether it is really worth it. And often they discover that they have many alternatives. There is also a cultural aspect. For decades, wine was perceived as a product offering good value for money. Today, in some markets, it risks being seen as an expensive, non-essential pleasure. The industry will therefore need to find a delicate balance: enhancing the value of producers’ work without alienating the average consumer. If wine loses its economic accessibility, it risks losing its social relevance as well. My impression is that, in the coming years, the most important challenge will not be selling more bottles, but convincing consumers that wine still deserves the place it occupies in their budget and in their lifestyle. That will be the industry’s real test”.
According to Gemini, “the prices of a specific segment of wine have become too high, and a dangerous speculative bubble is developing, especially around some of the world's most prestigious names in fine wine. When a wine ceases to be a beverage and becomes a financial asset for investment, its connection with the real consumer is broken. This alienates younger generations, who cannot afford to spend astronomical sums simply to gain experience and appreciation. However, there is a fundamental misunderstanding: artisanal wine cannot and should not be cheap. Producing wine while respecting the land, paying workers fairly, and absorbing climate-related crop losses comes with very high real costs. The challenge of the coming years will not be to lower prices across the board, but to bridge the enormous communication and commercial gap between industrial wines sold for a few euros and unreachable iconic bottles. The future belongs to producers who can deliver genuine and transparent value in the mid-range segment, because that is where the cultural survival of the sector will be decided”.
Reading the answers of the three algorithms, one understands that the future of wine remains uncertain, as it always has been. But one thing seems clear even to artificial intelligence: wine is not just a beverage. It is a story. And stories, fortunately, are not easily automated.