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: how much is enough?

The discussion examines gender pay gaps, negotiation behaviours, and what happens when an industry that has traditionally avoided conversations about money begins to engage with them more openly.

This conversation also had a lasting impact on Areni Global’s work. It contributed to a broader reflection on the structural challenges facing the wine trade—particularly its persistent lack of profitability—and the role that education may play in addressing them. These questions were later explored in our report: Rethinking Education: Shaping the Future of the Trade, available on our website.

For more information on Areni Global: https://areni.global/

For more information on the Batonnage Forum: https://www.batonnageforum.com/

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 Consumers study, they also examine why younger collectors approach wine like a video game: they don’t just want access — they want to understand the rules.

Because in fine wine, it’s not just about getting the bottle. It’s about playing the game — and belonging to the community.

For more information on Peter's course Allocated Wine Offerings, visit: https://www.xchateau.com/store/

Areni's study The New Fine Wine Consumer: How Under 40 Find Their Way Into Fine Wine launches on February 19. More info here: https://areni.global/new-consumers-new-narratives/

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 consumption across every age group.

Drawing on Areni Global’s upcoming research on new fine wine consumers (launching Feb. 2026), they explore how economics, demographics, social change, regulation and new health narratives are transforming alcohol consumption across every age group, and how the fine wine sector must adapt to stay relevant.

This podcast series is part of a larger Areni Global research project. Subscribe to our newsletter to get access to our articles and publications: https://bit.ly/AreniNewsletter

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 of Littorai in Sonoma, a deep thinker, who articulated his vision for winemaking.

The conversation ranged across what spirituality means in the context of fine wine today, but also how it influenced the historic growth and development of wine.

It was the most unconventional discussion that Areni Global has ever hosted, but also one of the most meaningful.

For more articles, reports and insights on the future of fine wine, visit www.areni.global and subscribe to our newsletter.

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 had during our 2025 think tank.

Gathered around Jacques Devauges, manager of the iconic Domaine des Lambrays in Burgundy, and Samantha O’Keefe, owner and winemaker of Lismore Wines in South Africa, a small group of fine minds from all around the world explore one of the geekiest, yet most fundamental, topics in fine wine today.

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 sat down with Guillaume Koch, Director of the Beaune Civil Hospitals, and Ludivine Griveau, Winemaker and Estate Manager, to explore how the wines of the Hospices sustain local healthcare, preserve Burgundian heritage, and reflect deep human values.

Together, they explore:

• How a centuries-old hospital came to own — and still run — one of Burgundy’s most celebrated wine estates.
• The delicate balance between charity, healthcare, and fine wine.
• What Humanity, Charity, and Hospitality mean in practice for those who care for both people and vines.
• How the annual wine auction sustains local healthcare while shaping the global perception of Burgundy.
• Why understanding the Hospices de Beaune offers a deeper understanding of terroir itself.

Recorded live in the King’s Chamber of the Hospices, this conversation reveals how a centuries-old model continues to unite purpose, place, and people.

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 the Chinese wine trade and co-founder of ASC Fine Wines, about his surprising return to the market. Together, they explore:

• Why the old gifting culture collapsed — and what’s replacing it
• How consumer tastes are shifting, including the rise of white wine
• The role of storytelling in connecting producers with Chinese drinkers
• The impact of logistics and e-commerce on market access
• What international producers need to know about pricing, brand integrity, and regulation
• Why Don believes the Chinese fine wine market is poised for long-term growth

Whether you’re already exporting to China or just curious about its future, this episode offers valuable insight into the opportunities — and the challenges — shaping the next chapter of fine wine in China.

About the Series:

From impactful panels and roundtables to winery visits centred around case studies, this podcast gives listeners the opportunity to engage with the high level conversations recorded live at Areni Live 2025 Burgundy Edition that took place between July 1st and July 3rd 2025.

About Areni:

Areni Global is a research organisation dedicated to the future of fine wine. Areni Global helps wineries, distributors and retailers to understand how the world is changing, and how that creates risks to be managed and opportunities to be seized.

To subscribe to our newsletter: https://bit.ly/AreniNewsletter

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 how success can no longer be measured by profit and growth alone, but by the ability to create value, build reputation, and ensure wines are truly enjoyed. The conversation moves through five central themes: redefining what success looks like, reshaping fine wine strategies to meet changing demographics, the role of acquisitions in preserving heritage, how to create emotional connections with the next generation of wine lovers, the urgent need for sustainability, and the evolving challenges of distribution in Bordeaux and beyond.

This episode offers rare insight from three senior leaders with very different perspectives—cooperative, corporate, and entrepreneurial. Their reflections reveal both the challenges and opportunities that will define the fine wine sector in the years ahead.

An unmissable conversation for anyone who wants to understand where the future of fine wine is heading.

About the Series:

From impactful panels and roundtables to winery visits centred around case studies, this podcast gives listeners the opportunity to engage with the high level conversations recorded live at Areni Live 2025 Burgundy Edition that took place between July 1st and July 3rd 2025.

About Areni:

Areni Global is a research organisation dedicated to the future of fine wine. Areni Global helps wineries, distributors and retailers to understand how the world is changing, and how that creates risks to be managed and opportunities to be seized.

To subscribe to our newsletter: https://bit.ly/AreniNewsletter

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 safe level” claim?

We asked three key personalities to help us understand what is happening, and what is at stake.

With Felicity Carter, founder of Drinks Insider, Julian Braithwaite, CEO of the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) and Dr Laura Catena, founder of In Defense of Wine and managing director, Catena Zapata.

About the Series:

From impactful panels and roundtables to winery visits centred around case studies, this podcast gives listeners the opportunity to engage with the high level conversations recorded live at Areni Live 2025 Burgundy Edition that took place between July 1st and July 3rd 2025.

About Areni:

Areni Global is a research organisation dedicated to the future of fine wine. Areni Global helps wineries, distributors and retailers to understand how the world is changing, and how that creates risks to be managed and opportunities to be seized.

To subscribe to our newsletter: https://bit.ly/AreniNewsletter

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 it hasn’t ended there either.

In this unusually frank conversation, Charles Lachaux joins Pauline Vicard to explain the sweeping changes he’s made to viticulture at his family estate in Vosne-Romanée: no tilling, no trimming, organic and biodynamic practices, and a firm belief in letting the vine “be.” He details how becoming a father clarified his approach to stewardship, why he uses ceramics instead of oak, and how his commitment to regenerative agriculture meant choosing quality over yield — even in the face of disastrous vintages.

We also go deep on the commercial fallout of success: why he pulled his wines from retail and changed his route to private clients, how NFTs are being used to track and reward consumption, and why he no longer submits his wines to wine critics.

An unfiltered look at the price of integrity in Burgundy — and what it means to build a legacy in a region that’s both tradition-bound and in flux.

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