ARENI Global: In Conversation

What does a luxury boutique know about customer loyalty that most wineries, merchants, and retailers don't? Unsurprisingly, quite a lot. In this episode, Pauline sits down in Hong Kong with Charles de la Portbarré, a mathematician who has spent 15 years building customer data models and loyalty programs for major luxury houses. Together they unpack "clienteling" — the practice of segmenting your c...

What makes a wine event memorable? And why do some experiences succeed in turning people into long-term wine drinkers, while others leave no lasting impression at all? In this final episode of New Consumers, New Narratives , Pauline Vicard speaks with Loïc Lamy and Milena Berman, founders of Hautes Côtes and creators of the now cult Vin & Hip Hop events in Burgundy. Drawing on their experience...

Why - and how- did wine become collectible? Pauline Vicard speaks with Amayés Aouli, Global Head of Wine & Spirits at Bonhams, one of the world’s oldest auction houses. Together, they explore the often-misunderstood world of wine auctions, beyond the spectacle of paddles and hammer prices. The discussion reveals how auctions translate desire into value, navigating scarcity, logistics, trust, a...

As part of Women’s History Month, we are sharing a revisited edition of a conversation first recorded in June 2021 during the Bâtonnage Forum—an initiative dedicated to advancing women in the wine industry. In this episode, Pauline Vicard is joined by Jordan Sale, founder of 81cents, and Felicity Carter, now Editorial Director at Areni Global. Together, they explore a deceptively simple question:...

What makes an allocated wine offering work — and when does it fail? In this episode, Pauline Vicard sits down with Peter Yeung to unpack the mechanics behind scarcity in fine wine. From waitlists and wishlists to pricing strategy and sell-out psychology, they explore how allocation systems shape brand value and customer loyalty. Drawing on insights from ARENI Global’s upcoming New Fine Wine Consum...

Why is the world drinking less — and do they really drink less fine wine? For the first episode of 2026, Pauline and Felicity unpack one of the most pressing shifts reshaping the wine industry: global deconsumption. Far from being a simple generational story, they reveal how economics, demographics, social change, regulation and new health narratives are collectively transforming alcohol consumpti...

Does spirituality have a role in winemaking? Where else to have this conversation than in Burgundy, the region that claims 1,000 years of a wine history that began with monks. We sat down with Aubert de Villaine, co-owner of Domaine de la Romanée Conti, who is not just acknowledged as one of the greatest winemakers of all time, but also one of the most spiritual. We were joined by Ted Lemon, owner...

What does terroir mean today? How does it differ from the idea of sense of place? Is terroir a matter of nature or nurture? Do these questions even matter today? And if they do, how much does an understanding of terroir influence winemakers in their everyday work? For this fifth episode of the Areni Live Series, we take you inside one of the most unfiltered and thought-provoking conversations we h...

Behind the famous glazed roofs of Beaune lies a story where wine, care, and community are inseparable. Founded in the 15th century as a hospital for the poor, the Hospices de Beaune has evolved into one of the world’s most unique institutions — part working hospital, part wine estate, and a living expression of humanity, charity and hospitality. In this fourth episode of the Areni Live Series, we...

China has long been one of the most complex and fascinating markets for fine wine. Once driven by gifting and status, the market is now undergoing a dramatic reset — with consumers buying wine for themselves, new generations shaping demand, and logistics and e-commerce opening fresh possibilities. In this episode of Areni Live Sessions , Felicity Carter speaks with Don St Pierre Jr. , a pioneer of...

What does success really mean in today’s fine wine sector? In this episode, recorded live at Domaine des Lambrays in Burgundy in July 2025, host Pauline Vicard is joined by three leading voices: Mathieu Jullien, CEO of Vins d’Exception at LVMH, Steve Smith MW, Managing Director of AONZ Fine Wine in New Zealand, and Pierre Mansour, Head of Wine at The Wine Society in the UK. Together they explore h...

The situation around wine, alcohol and health is complex, and a lot of important conversations are happening within the realm of public affairs, an area that most of the wine world doesn’t think much about. What is the social context in which these changes to public health policy are happening? How serious is the threat to the wine industry? Does the medical and scientific evidence support the “no...

In 2021, 30y old Burgundian winemaker Charles Lachaux was crowned Best Rising Star at the inaugural Golden Vines Awards, and the wine world lost its mind. Prices for his bottles skyrocketed on the secondary market, he was endorsed by President Macron, and suddenly this sixth-generation Burgundian was being hailed as the successor to Lalou Bize-Leroy. But Lachaux’s rise didn’t begin with fame — and...

Pauline spent a few days in the Florida capital and sat down with key players. Here is what we learned about the incredibly dynamic, passionate, hungry and growing wine scene of a city that might change a thing or two for the future of fine wine.

Based in London, Laurence Whyatt is Head of European Beverages Research for Barclays Investment Bank, meaning that his job is to predict the future of alcohol consumption globally, so that companies can invest accordingly. Drawing from his latest multi-year analysis, How Demographics and Economics Shape Global Alcohol Consumption , we answer some of the world of wine's burning questions on Gen Z,...

How should leaders prepare to succeed in an impossible-to-predict world? Elizabeth (Lizzy) Rudd is the Chair of Berry Bros. & Rudd, Britain’s oldest wine merchant. Founded in 1698 at number 3 St James street in London, the company still occupies the same address 327 years later. But today, it offers more than 1,500 SKUs and stores more than 1.5 million cases of wine in a state-of-the-art wareh...

What does the wine trade need to become more profitable? At the very moment that everything is changing, it is important to take some time to evaluate professional wine education. Is it fit for purpose? How could a revised professional wine education answer some of our industry’s crucial issues? Pauline Vicard and Felicity Carter present Areni's latest whitepaper key findings, based on 18 months o...

How do you create a new generation of life-long wine collectors and enthusiasts? Hamish Greening knows how to find them and nurture them. Hamish is Private Client Specialist of Chelsea Vintners in London. And he’s built a clientele of under-40 wine drinkers who are happy to spend £400+ on a single bottle of wine.  In this fourth episode of New Consumers, New Narratives, Hamish reveals: What turns...

What do zillenials want? What do they seek? How do they think about wine and what can the industry do about this? In this third episode of New Consumers, New Narratives, we meet Honore Comfort, the vice president of international marketing at the Wine institute, the collective body representing the Californian wine trade. In 2024, the wine institute commissioned a big study aiming to understand th...

Western societies are currently re-examining their relationship with wine and alcohol. For the last couple of years, the “no-safe level of alcohol” narrative has come to the forefront, with headlines highlighting new studies leading to the conclusion that there is no alcohol consumption without health risks, deeply challenging our established understanding of moderation.   So, has the science real...

What does 2025 have in store for the fine wine world? How are key players planning for this new year and where will they invest their time, and money? Felicity and Pauline caught up with six major wine personalities, to ask them what they see ahead in 2025. Here is what they discussed: · China: The impact of the country’s slow recovery and how the wine market has drastically changed in five years...

He's one of the advertising world's living legends, the man behind some of the most iconic campaigns ever devised. But Sir John Hegarty also owns a vineyard and is passionate about wine. What would it take for wine companies to come up with some really compelling ideas that would inspire a whole new generation of consumers to think about wine in a new, more attractive way? New Consumers, New Narra...

How do successful luxury brands engage with the young(er) consumers? In this first episode of our latest series New Consumers, New Narratives host Pauline Vicard delves into the topic of Luxury strategies with Jean-Noël Kapferer a world-renowned expert in luxury brand strategy. They discuss the levers of success for luxury and premium brands and explore how they manage to stay relevant and attrac...

What does successful distribution mean for fine wine? And what does it take to be -and remain- successful in fine wine distribution? Are the keys and measure of success different whether you are releasing your wine en primeur, or en livrables (as deliverables), through exclusive importers, or direct to consumers? And what are the main advantages and limitations of each system?  Listen in as host P...

How is the secondary market organized in Norway? And why are Fine Wines so much cheaper there? And how long do people have to queue to buy a bottle of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti?   In this episode, host Pauline Vicard sits down with Arnt Egil Nordlien , Product Manager of Fine Wine & Auctions at Vinmonopolet in Norway. Together they discuss the in’s and out’s of a very unique distribution sys...