The Drinks Business Podcast

Panellists include Danny Cooper, chief information and digital officer at Virgin Wines; Rachel Wilson, general manager of Napa Valley Marriott; and Patrick Comiskey, Master of Fine Arts, wine writer and critic.As AI capabilities evolve at speed – enabling increasingly sophisticated product recommendations, targeted communications and data-driven insights – drinks businesses face a particular challenge: applying these tools in a category defined by complexity and deeply subjective consumer preferences.This session examines how AI-powered personalisation can be deployed effectively across retail, e-commerce and hospitality, and what a specialist, drinks-focused approach looks like in practice.Hosted in partnership with Preferabli, which provides recommendation solutions tailored specifically to the drinks sector, the webinar will bring together voices from across the trade — spanning digital retail, hospitality and wine criticism — to assess both the opportunities and practical realities of AI implementation.

Château Galoupet managing director Nadine Fau tells Patrick Schmitt MW about the steps needed to produce wine sustainably in Provence and why premium rosé packaging doesn’t have to come at the expense of the environment.

According to CellarTracker founder Eric LeVine, “Dry January does not exist” – at least among his audience – though drinkers are exploring far more wine regions than in the past. He tells Patrick Schmitt MW about the trends from his 'Year in Review'.

Patrick Schmitt MW hears from David Furnish why he and his husband decided to enter the drinks sector with an alcohol-free alternative to Champagne called Elton John Zero Blanc de Blancs

A look at the state of the UK drinks market and where the wines of the Centre Loire could fit in, as well as why, and with what. As an umbrella region, the Centre Loire encompasses eight appellations, most famously Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, as well as gems such as Quincy and Menetou Salon, along with two IGPs – one of them the wonderfully named Côtes de la Charité.

Patrick Schmitt MW speaks with Julian Braithwaite, chief executive of the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD), to find out whether scientific research really supports the idea that a month without beer, wine or spirits is good for our health.