Wine is never static. It evolves, like a vineyard from winter dormancy to the peak of harvest. In 2024, the world of wine is embracing technology and creativity in ways that even a decade ago would have seemed fanciful. Yet, at its core, wine remains about pleasure, discovery, and connection. Here are the trends that are defining the way we taste this year, with stories and details that capture the spirit of the moment.
I remember walking through the limestone soils of Burgundy and thinking — how could one ever translate this to someone sitting thousands of miles away?
Enter VIVANT, a platform that takes you into Bordeaux châteaux or Alsatian vineyards without boarding a plane. Their winemakers talk directly to you as you swirl and taste at home.
Penfolds in Australia has offered VR journeys through its legendary cellars, and Napa Valley Vintners are exploring how to share vineyard tours with curious drinkers abroad.
It’s not a replacement for feeling the sun on your face among the vines, but it’s a bridge that keeps wine close, even from a distance.
Pick up some brains from this recent article that talks about best practices out there.
Wine lovers have always relied on trusted merchants, sommeliers, or critics to guide them. Now, algorithms are stepping into that role.
Apps like Vivino and Wine Ring don’t just recommend a wine — they learn your palate, your history, even your mood.
It reminds me of a dinner in New York when a friend pulled out her phone, scanned a label, and confidently poured a wine she’d never tried. It was spot-on with the meal, thanks to AI.
Retailers like Wine.com are also using machine learning to fine-tune their suggestions, effectively giving every shopper a personal sommelier in their pocket.
AI is becoming an important advisor that is available right here, right there. Ask ChatGPT for the wine similar in style to your favorite – and receive 10 top notch recommentations on spot.
Wine is serious, yes, but it can also be playful. I’ve seen groups in Madrid and Bangkok laughing their way through blind tastings with THE WINE CASINO, turning education into competition. Who can guess the varietal? Which wine has the higher price tag? It breaks down the intimidation of wine and turns tasting into entertainment.
But The Wine Casino is just one example. In France, several châteaux now host wine escape rooms, where players solve puzzles to unlock hidden bottles. Blind wine flights at urban wine bars are another form of gamification — guests score points for correctly identifying grape, region, or vintage, often with prizes at the end.
Even platforms like Wine Folly are pushing this forward with tasting kits designed to sharpen your palate through structured play.
These experiences show that games are more than gimmicks. They make wine approachable, encourage curiosity, and foster lively discussion — exactly what wine should do around the table.
Label Scanning for Instant Info
The first time I scanned a 19 Crimes label and watched a 19th-century convict spring to life on my phone, I knew wine had entered a new era. Labels are no longer static; they’re windows into history, terroir, and storytelling.
Living Wine Labels has expanded the concept, letting producers share tasting notes, food pairings, and even short films through a simple scan. Suddenly, the backstory of a bottle is as accessible as its aroma.
When I started in wine, community meant cellar visits, tastings, and late-night dinners. Today, communities stretch across continents.
Vivino’s 60 million users are exchanging opinions as if in one global tasting room.
On CellarTracker, collectors log their bottles with meticulous notes, building the largest cellar in the digital world. And voices like Jancis Robinson MW or Eric Asimov of the New York Times set the tone for discussions that ripple across online forums and social media.
These online communities are often built over a shared language as well as a love for wine. As such, Vitis Academy hosts weekly meetings, where Russian-speaking community from all over the world can share their experience about a chosen wine topic.
These communities are where young enthusiasts and seasoned connoisseurs meet, exchange, and grow together.
The tools of wine are becoming as advanced as the wines themselves.
like the Aveine Smart Aerator are already popular with collectors, instantly calibrating aeration for everything from tight young Barolos to structured Bordeaux.
Meanwhile, Coravin has revolutionized how we enjoy bottles, allowing drinkers to pour a single glass without ever pulling the cork — preserving fine wines for months or even years.
At the same time, glassmakers are pushing boundaries: companies like Zalto and Gabriel-Glas are refining ultra-light stemware that enhances aroma precision and mouthfeel. These glasses aren’t about gimmicks — they’re about amplifying what’s already in the bottle, giving drinkers the chance to experience wine with more clarity, purity, and finesse than ever before.
In 2025, wine is as much about innovation as it is about tradition. We may not all be in Alsace or Haw’s Bay this week, but with VR tours, AI recommendations, and playful tastings, the world of wine is closer than ever. These tools don’t replace the romance of walking a vineyard or sharing a bottle among friends, but they extend the experience, enrich it, and make it more inclusive. And that, after all, is what wine has always been about: connection, discovery, and joy in the glass.
