🍷 Is wine still culturally relevant? What makes someone become a collector? And how can the fine wine trade connect with the next generation?

In Episode 13 of Uncorked, Tom Gearing and Jonathan Stevenson welcome Pauline Vicard, Co-founder and Executive Director of Areni Global, for a wide-ranging discussion on the future of fine wine.

Drawing on Areni Global's landmark research into under-40 fine wine consumers, the conversation explores collecting, community, cultural relevance, wine events, changing consumer behaviour, and the challenges facing the industry today.

Pauline shares her views on what separates buyers from collectors, why community is essential to engagement, and how the wine trade can create more meaningful experiences around wine. Together, the panel discusses whether fine wine is still culturally relevant, how younger consumers discover the category, and what businesses need to do differently if they want to engage the next generation of collectors.

📌 Topics covered in this episode:

• Meet Pauline Vicard and Areni Global
• Is wine losing cultural relevance?
• Why the industry can no longer take culture for granted
• The difference between buyers and collectors
• How younger consumers discover fine wine
• Why community matters as much as education and access
• Rethinking wine events and hospitality
• Selling fine wine in a changing market
• Sustainability, education, China and the future of fine wine
• Fine wine as an investable asset
• Hype or Hold: separating long-term trends from short-term noise

One of the episode's central themes is that collecting is about far more than ownership. Pauline argues that collectors don't just need great bottles, they need great people to share them with. This sparks a fascinating discussion about wine friendships, community building, hospitality and why the industry's future may depend as much on connection as it does on product.

The conversation also explores Areni Global's research project, The New Fine Wine Consumer: How Under-40s Find Their Way into Fine Wine, which draws on interviews, surveys, focus groups and behavioural research conducted across London, Paris, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai.

📖 Interested in learning more?

As an Uncorked listener, you can receive 15% off Areni Global membership using code CULT15 at checkout (valid until 20 July 2026).

🔗 Areni Global: https://areni.global/

🔗 The New Fine Wine Consumer report:
https://areni.global/report/the-new-fine-wine-customer/

🔗 Become an Areni Insider:
https://areni.global/become-a-member/

Whether you're a collector, investor, wine professional or simply passionate about fine wine, this episode offers a thought-provoking look at where the industry goes next.

🍇 Explore more:

🔗 Cult Wines: https://www.wineinvestment.com/

🔗 CultX: https://www.cultx.com/

Follow Uncorked for more conversations on fine wine, collecting, investing, and the people shaping the future of the market.