At both Vinexpo Paris and ProWein, the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) captured the industry’s attention. With AI’s presence in marketing, packaging design and even winemaking becoming evident, the consensus seems to be clear: there is no escaping the ‘ghost in the machine’. But professionals would be wise to read the manual on how to tame it.
At Vinexpo Paris 2024, three sessions focused on the subject of AI. Thomas Fournier, chief digital officer at Hopscotch Sopexa, talked about BarGPT, an app that uses AI to create visuals and recipes for new cocktails. Does this supplant creativity? Fournier suggested ‘no’. When used correctly, AI augments human creativity.
Its arrival also seems particularly timely. “The pandemic accelerated the use of digitally enhanced communication,” says local award-winning wine writer Tšepang Molisana. She cites the clever communication tactics wineries deployed to connect with wine enthusiasts during a time dominated by ‘virtual tastings’. Today, those virtual tastings, with the help of AI and its adaptive learning algorithms, can be optimised to offer personalised recommendations.
AI has shown its value between the vines and in the cellar, too. Kara Maraden, director of viticulture at the large US wine firm, Foley Family Farms, uses AI technology to help her manage more than 2000 hectares of vineyard. AI is used to track their irrigation needs instead of solely relying on human judgement and calculation.
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An AI sommelier
Wine of Moldova launched its first “AI vintage” at ProWein 2024, introducing a “new era of winemaking where tradition fuses with advanced technology.” Wines were made by the ‘metahuman’ winemaker Chelaris, illustrating the convergence of AI with conventional winemaking. Wine of Moldova debuted two novel cuvées, one red and one white, with Chelaris supervising the production processes from harvest to vinification, blending, and labelling. Diana Lazăr, the project lead for the initiative, depicted this endeavour as a preview of the possible future of oenology, where human insight merges with AI’s precision.
Chelaris, the AI winemaker for Wine of Moldova.
The session provided attendees with an opportunity to compare these AI-conceived wines against their human-crafted counterparts in a masterclass hosted by the esteemed wine critic and author Robert Joseph. The results from this tasting further underscored the complexity of the AI-human debate: 65% of the audience enjoyed the white blend made by the metahuman.
Creative opportunities
Brenden Schwartz, owner and Creative Director of BRAVO Design Studio in Cape Town, a packaging design studio known for some of the top wine and spirit brands in the Winelands, says AI has rapidly evolved from an obscure concept to a technology that is increasingly integrated into a variety of applications.
This was perfectly illustrated during the ProWein exhibition of the Make a Mark world tour, an initiative showcasing how the world’s top creative design agencies are adapting to upcoming packaging trends in the wine and spirits sector. BRAVO’s ‘Karoo Mermaid’ design, which prototypes packaging for a blue agave spirit created through an AI-assisted design process, drew particular attention. “This design provides a nuanced commentary on the intersection of AI and human creativity,” Brenden says. “AI is certainly a transformative impact on the creative industries. It’s a far way off from replacing creativity, but the fact that it is a useful optimisation tool cannot be debated.”
Bravo used AI tools ChatGPT and Midjourney to generate stories, patterns and textures inspired by the Karoo Mermaid folktale and the agave plant.
AI is reshaping the creative process, enabling designers and artists to venture into new realms of style. “This evolution is not about machines replacing creativity but about augmenting it, facilitating the discovery of new artistic landscapes,” Brenden says. “The ‘Karoo Mermaid’ project utilised platforms like ChatGPT and Midjourney to develop and refine visual concepts, demonstrating AI’s potential to enhance design methodologies with the help of human prompts.”
Stay connected
Why is it important to take note of AI’s potential impact on the wine industry? Wine – from vine to bottle – embodies creative and cultural expression, and indiscriminate use of AI threatens to remove this critically important component. “Wine is important because when it is at its very best, it creates awe. It used to be that wine connected the ancients with their gods, but even in the ancient cellars of origin, wine has always connected across oceans, across tables, across tastes, across terroirs and beyond,” says Tšepang.
For the creative identity of wine to remain intact, the balance of technology and tradition needs to be maintained. “I believe AI can connect audiences with a story, but this must be supported by the time and talent that it takes to craft an earnest wine story,” she adds.
“AI is introducing an age of rapid innovation, where brands are empowered to forge deeper connections with consumers,” Brenden says. “As AI progresses, its influence on the wine and spirit industry will expand, bringing with it new and exciting developments, artistic expression, and potentially, a fresh perspective on the essence of wine – but this will mean nothing if not supported by the human connection.”