If a rising tide lifts all boats, what happens when the tide goes out?
For more than a generation, DTC wine marketers enjoyed the luxury of managing their craft buoyed by a rising tide of consumer spending.
Today, we’re faced with a different reality that we’re all grappling with. No one knows all the answers, but all wine marketers are feeling the same pressure: DO MORE WITH LESS.
Your New Secret Weapon: AI Wine Marketing Agents
In one way, we’re lucky because if today’s market conditions had happened a decade ago, what would our options have been? More energy drinks??
But now with the rapid adoption of GenAI, fortune has gifted us an affordable (often free) wine marketing technology that actually allows any brand to do more with less.
Today’s crop of AI Wine Marketing Agents – available from WineSpeak.ai, WineSpot.ai, and VinterActive – is all highly capable of extending reach and multiplying productivity for small marketing teams 24/7.
And, here’s the amazing part: training one AI Agent to answer customer questions about your brand can cover all the DTC channels you use.
Key Ingredient: Training Your Bot to Represent Your Brand
In a perfect world, perhaps we’d all have the budgets and time hire and train as much staff as we need to help our businesses thrive.
But we do have two ingredients – our human expertise in effective wine marketing + trainable AI agents – that, when combined, can help us sell more wine using the staff we have.
In other words, AI Agents fully trained on our brands allow us to finally do more with less.
3 Easy Steps to Train Your Wine Marketing Bot(s)
If you want AI to act like a helpful concierge instead of a confused intern, it needs the same thing every new employee needs:
Clear training
Real answers
Documented knowledge
In our work building AI Wine Marketing Agents, we’ve learned a simple truth:
If you can train an employee, you can train an AI assistant.
And it only takes three easy steps:
Document your brand knowledge to create a Brand Knowledge Base useful for both humans and AI assistants
Post your brand knowledge on a simple web page that your AI Agents can access (AI consumer shopping agents will also see your information, so posting AI-accessible brand knowledge performs two functions at once.)
Point your AI Agents to your knowledge base and instruct them to use this knowledge when engaging customers
But unlike a person, your AI won’t forget its instructions – which means one good round of training continues to pay dividends across customer service, tasting room operations, website chat, and marketing tools.
38 AI Training Questions Every Winery Should Answer Before Using AI
Below is a practical checklist of 38 foundational questions every AI concierge should be trained to answer confidently. Chances are, if you already work at a winery, you’ll know the answer to every question.
But your AI Agents know nothing unless you tell them. Same with new human employees.
So think of this as both your AI and human training curriculum.
🏷 General Information
What are your hours of operation?
Do I need a reservation, or do you accept walk-ins?
Are you family-friendly or pet-friendly?
What’s the best way to get to your winery? (Directions, transportation options)
Do you have parking available? Is it free?
🍷 Tasting Room & Experiences
What types of wine tastings do you offer? (e.g., seated, standing, private, group)
How much do tastings cost? Are there discounts for wine club members?
Can I book a private tour or tasting experience?
What food pairings or snacks are available during tastings?
Are there any upcoming events or special experiences?
🛒 Wine & Purchases
Can I buy your wines online or ship them to my location?
Do you offer discounts for bulk purchases or wine club members?
What’s the best way to store your wines?
Can you recommend wines based on my preferences? (e.g., sweet, dry, bold)
Do you have any limited-edition or exclusive wines?
🌄 Local Recommendations
What other wineries or attractions are nearby?
Can you recommend restaurants, hotels, or transportation services in the area?
Are there any scenic spots or activities to enjoy around the winery?
🌿 Sustainability Practices
Is the winery eco-friendly or sustainable? What initiatives do you have in place?
Are the wines vegan or organic?
Do you use renewable energy or water-saving techniques?
♿ Accessibility
Are your facilities wheelchair accessible?
Do you accommodate dietary restrictions or allergies in pairings or snacks?
Is there assistance available for visually or hearing-impaired visitors?
☀️ Weather & Seasonal Tips
What’s the best time of year to visit your winery?
Are tastings held indoors or outdoors, and are there contingency plans for bad weather?
🎁 Membership & Loyalty Programs
What benefits do wine club members receive?
Can I sign up for updates or newsletters?
Do you offer exclusive events or content for loyal customers?
🔍 Wine Education
How do I taste wine like a pro? (Tips for identifying aromas, flavors, etc.)
What’s the difference between varietals like Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon?
Can you explain wine terminology (e.g., tannins, terroir, vintage)?
👨👩👧 Family Activities
Are there kid-friendly activities or options at your winery?
Do you have non-alcoholic beverages for designated drivers or minors?
✨ Miscellaneous & Special Experiences
Do you host weddings, corporate events, or private parties?
Are there any restrictions or guidelines for visitors? (e.g., dress code, age limits)
What’s the history or story behind your winery?
Do you offer virtual tastings or online events?
Why do these questions matter?
AI doesn’t magically “know your winery.” It only knows:
what you say
what you document
what you intentionally make accessible
These 38 questions represent the things your guests already ask every day. Training AI on them means:
✅ fewer repetitive emails
✅ faster customer service
✅ more confident tasting room teams
✅ more bookings and conversions
✅ a better guest experience – online and onsite
And most importantly: your AI will extend your human intelligence – not replace it.
How to put this list to work
Here’s a simple process any wine brand can follow:
1️⃣ Pick 10 questions causing friction today
2️⃣ Write clear, accurate answers
3️⃣ Store them on AI-accessible pages (FAQ, policy pages, help docs)
4️⃣ Update them as reality changes
Then repeat… Over time, you’ll build a living knowledge base – one that serves customers, staff, inside AI agents, and outside agents equally well.
One Final thought…
AI is not “magic.” It reflects the quality, clarity, and consistency of the knowledge you feed it.
Start with questions like these, build good habits, and your AI tools will stop feeling unpredictable – and start feeling like dependable members of the team.
Happy Selling!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bryan St. Amant is the founder and CEO of VinterActive, Editor of AI Wine Marketing News, and holds an MS in Business Management from M.I.T. and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from U.C. Berkeley. He’s built expert systems for governments, tech giants, and wine marketers. His award-winning work has been featured in books, magazines, and seminars, including CFO Magazine, Inc., CNN Money, eMarketing Magazine, Integrated Direct Marketing, Direct Marketing Association, Grapevine Magazine, Wine Marketing Report, Wine Business, and the Wine Industry Network.