The role of AI in wine sales

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been one of the most discussed topics in business over the past few years. But when it comes to wine sales, what does it actually mean in practice? Can AI really help wine professionals sell more, or is it just another buzzword?

The truth lies somewhere in between: AI won’t replace the work of wine reps, but it can automate repetitive tasks, surface hidden insights, and free up time for what matters most - building client relationships and growing sales.

Why AI matters for wine sales

The wine sales process has unique challenges compared to other industries: multiple markets, complex price lists, diverse customer types (from restaurants to retailers to private collectors), and inventories that change constantly. Managing all this manually is not only slow, but also prone to error.

AI comes into play by helping sales reps:

• Save time on admin by automating routine tasks.
• Better understand clients through data-driven insights.
• Predict trends in orders and stock availability.
• Personalize offers at scale without losing the human touch.

Practical applications of AI for wine professionals

AI isn’t science fiction for the wine trade - it’s already being used in very practical ways:

• Order automation: recognizing patterns in client orders and pre-filling the next ones.
• Inventory prediction: forecasting when certain wines will run out, based on past sales and seasonality.
• CRM intelligence: suggesting the right time to follow up with a client, or highlighting which customers are most likely to reorder.
• Personalized recommendations: analyzing buying habits to propose wines that fit a client’s taste and budget.
• Language support: instantly generating professional emails or translations for international customers.

The human factor remains essential

Wine sales has always been - and will remain - a people business. AI can help crunch data, but it can’t replace a shared glass at a tasting, the story of a vineyard, or the trust built over years between rep and client.

Instead of replacing the rep, AI acts like an assistant: handling the repetitive, invisible work so that sales professionals can focus on relationships and storytelling.

AI tools built for wine sales

Generic AI solutions don’t always fit the wine trade’s complexity. That’s why platforms designed for wine professionals are so valuable: they combine AI features with an understanding of the sector’s specifics (multiple price lists, vintage changes, distribution rules).

At Dolia, we strongly believe in the power of AI to improve sales reps’ productivity. As a first step, an AI-powered order automation feature, allowing our users to create new orders from a customer text or just by describing the order details. A lot more is coming, so stay tuned!