Uncorked: A Cult Wines Podcast

🍷 What can the wine industry learn from Taylor Swift? Is fine wine really an investment? And why might France's most protected traditions be its biggest weakness?

In Episode 15 of Uncorked, Tom Gearing and Jonathan Stevenson welcome Sinéad O'Sullivan, aerospace engineer turned Harvard Business School strategist and author of "Good Ideas and Power Moves", for a wide-ranging conversation on what wine can learn from the world's most powerful pop strategist.

This episode takes an unexpected route into fine wine. Drawing on Sinéad's work on Taylor Swift as a business case study, the conversation moves from owning your distribution and building a devoted fan base to anti-fragility, community, and whether the wine trade is keeping pace with a generation that wants meaning as much as product.

Sinéad shares why she has always felt like a wine outsider, what the industry's insider culture costs it, and how the smartest brands turn a bottle into an experience rather than a product. Together, the panel debates whether fine wine really behaves like an investment, why France's AOC system may be the opposite of anti-fragile, and where the next generation of rebel winemakers fits in.

📌 Topics covered in this episode:
Meet Sinéad O'Sullivan: from NASA to Harvard to Taylor Swift
Why the least powerful person in the room can reshape an industry
The fan base as the real asset: what wine gets wrong about value
Anti-fragility, and why France's AOCs may be its weakness
Wine's insider problem and the missing route from outside to in
Selling experience over product: what music learned first
Wine as merch, lifestyle and experience
Why wine can't be consumed digitally, and why that matters
The rise of the rebel winemakers
Is fine wine really an investable asset?
Eras Collection or Eras Cellar: the closing game

One of the episode's central ideas is that wine keeps mispricing its own value. As Sinéad argues, the fan base, not the catalogue, was Taylor Swift's real asset, and it was portable. The panel asks what the equivalent is in wine, and whether an industry built on scarcity can grow without giving up the very exclusivity that makes it desirable.
The conversation also makes room for the romance of the bottle. Tom pushes back with one of wine's defining differences: it is the only product that isn't at its peak the moment it's made, and it cannot be consumed digitally. The group lands on the idea that wine needs both the physical magic of a great bottle and the modern tools that help more people find their way in.

🔗 Sinéad O'Sullivan: https://www.sinead.co/
🔗 Good Ideas and Power Moves: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/464767/good-ideas-and-power-moves-by-osullivan-sinead/9781529146882

Whether you're a collector, investor, wine professional or simply curious about the business ideas shaping the future of wine, this episode offers a sharp, surprising and genuinely different take on where the category 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.

🍷 Is English wine finally having its moment? Can the UK sell as much wine as it can now make? And why is vineyard tourism booming right on our doorstep?
In Episode 14 of Uncorked, Tom Gearing and Jonathan Stevenson welcome Alice Griffiths, wine writer, columnist and passionate advocate for English and Welsh wine, for a lively deep dive into one of the UK's most exciting wine categories.
This episode heads much closer to home. Drawing on Alice's two decades in agriculture and her full-time career championing homegrown wine, the conversation explores cellar doors, vineyard trails, still wines, Welsh producers, social media, supermarkets and even a Guinness World Record attempt involving 80 vineyards in seven days.
Alice shares where to start if you want to visit English vineyards, why tourism is becoming a genuine hospitality opportunity rather than a novelty, and what the next stage of the industry really depends on. Together, the panel discusses the English wine boom, the challenge of selling enough of it, and how supermarkets, cellar doors and vineyard visits can each become a doorway into the category.

📌 Topics covered in this episode:
Meet Alice Griffiths and her journey into wine communication
English wine tourism takes the lead: cellar doors and vineyard trails
Why a wine trip is about more than just the tasting room
The English wine boom, consolidation and the "Pac-Man effect"
Sparkling, still and experimental wines
Vines, onions and the changing British landscape
Social media, accessibility and getting people started
Why Welsh wine deserves its moment
Uncorked: the UK's first lifestyle magazine for English and Welsh wine
The Michelin Guide to Wine controversy and what it means for collectors

One of the episode's central themes is that English wine is growing up. The 2018 harvest helped fuel a wave of new planting, and those vines are now coming into effect, creating both excitement and pressure. As Alice puts it, the question is no longer whether the UK can make good wine, but whether it can sell enough of it. From regions like Kent, Sussex, Norfolk and Essex to the Crouch Valley, the panel maps out where the category is heading next.
The conversation also makes room for Welsh wine, alternative styles like pét-nats and orange wines, and a wider debate about the recent Michelin Guide to Wine, starting in Burgundy, and whether wine really needs another layer of ranking.

📖 Interested in learning more?
As an Uncorked listener, use code CULTUNCORKED to save £2 on your first edition of Uncorked magazine (now £6, reduced from £8).

🔗 Alice Griffiths: https://alicegriffithswine.com🔗 Alice on Instagram: @alicegriffithswine🔗 Uncorked Magazine: https://www.uncorkedmagazine.com🔗 Uncorked Magazine on Instagram: @uncorkedmagazineuk

Whether you're a collector, investor, wine professional or simply curious about what's growing right on your doorstep, this episode offers a warm, practical and thought-provoking tour of English and Welsh wine.

🍇 Explore more:
🔗 Cult Wines: https://www.wineinvestment.com/🔗 CultX: https://www.cultx.com
👉 Subscribe for more Uncorked episodes and fine wine insights every month.

🍷 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.

Welcome to Episode 12 of Uncorked, the Cult Wines podcast. Tom Gearing, our Co-founder and CEO, is joined as always by Jonathan Stevenson, EVP of Cult Wines North America, with special guest Aarash Ghatineh, Cult Wines’ CRO. Aarash returns for what Tom calls the ‘big guns’ episode, because we have reached that point in the year where the market story matters. We are already at the end of Q1, and with Bordeaux En Primeur about to dominate the calendar, this is the moment to take stock of what has changed, what has not, and where collectors are actually putting money to work.
The conversation starts with a straight read on the tone of trading so far this year, then pulls apart the themes sitting underneath it: stability returning to parts of the market, buyers focusing more on fundamentals, and renewed activity in the vintages and regions that offer both stature and opportunity. From there, attention turns to the questions everyone asks at this time of year. What needs to happen for En Primeur 2025 to land well? How should buyers think about value once carrying costs are considered? How has easier trading changed the old buy-and-hold logic? As ever, it is not all spreadsheets and seriousness; there is room for a bit of fun between the numbers.
📌 What’s covered in Episode 12:
End of Q1: Steadier Market ToneQ1 shows greater price stability, with less speculation and more disciplined buying. After recent volatility, there are signs the market is finding support.

Prime Bordeaux Value & the ‘Holy Trinity’Mature Bordeaux is back in focus, particularly the 2005, 2009 and 2010 vintages. Wines such as Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild illustrate renewed demand and trading depth.

Why Burgundy Remains in DemandBurgundy trading value continues to rise, supported by limited supply and shifting buyer behaviour. Collectors are increasingly favouring back vintages over expensive new releases.

The Most Traded WinesPontet-Canet stands out as the most traded red wine globally, reflecting consistency and accessibility. The team also builds a ‘five-a-side’ of top traded wines across regions.

White Wines on the RiseWhite wines are seeing increased activity across regions, with notable growth in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Italy, Rhône and the US, highlighting growing collectability.

Momentum Wines & Premium BuyingTop-tier wines such as DRC Echezeaux demonstrate strong trading momentum, with buyers prioritising provenance and quality over price.

Bordeaux En Primeur 2025: Pressure & PossibilityWith En Primeur approaching, the discussion turns to pricing, liquidity and market expectations. The team explores how evolving trading dynamics are reshaping buyer behaviour.

A Wine Game with a TwistThe episode closes with a light-hearted game inspired by the Masters Champions Dinner, in which participants guess wine prices and reflect on value at the top end of the market.
👉 Subscribe for more Uncorked episodes and fine wine insights every month.

Welcome to Episode 11 of Uncorked, the Cult Wines podcast. Tom Gearing, Co-founder and CEO of Cult Wines, is joined by Jonathan Stevenson, EVP of Cult Wines North America, with special guest Damon Segal, an entrepreneur, marketing strategist and AI specialist, and a passionate fine wine collector.

AI is changing how we search, decide and buy across everyday life. In this episode, we bring that lens to wine, looking at how AI could support buying decisions, build consumer confidence, and reshape parts of the industry, from provenance and fraud detection to vineyard practices.

📌 What’s covered in Episode 11:

Meet Damon Segal
Damon Segal arrives with a rare overlap of worlds. He has spent years working in technology, marketing and AI, and he is also a committed fine wine collector. He talks about encountering artificial intelligence and machine learning in an earlier, more developer-led phase, then watching the tools become dramatically more usable as large language models brought AI into everyday workflows. That shift pushed him to experiment in a hands-on way, building processes that save time, surface patterns and help him think more clearly about decisions.

Wine is where it gets personal. Damon describes how buying can feel emotional and subjective, especially when you are trying to buy well and not just buy more. To add a bit more structure to his collecting, he built a simple setup that begins with his tasting history. He exports his purchase ratings, gives an AI assistant clear instructions about what he likes and what he is trying to achieve, then tests it against real merchant lists to see what the tool flags and why.

Follow Damon Segal: Instagram: @wineguide101 • Website: wineguide101.com

Data is the real edge
A recurring theme is that anyone can ask the same generic questions and get generic answers. Damon argues the edge comes from unique data and clean systems. The conversation moves to how internal datasets, trusted pricing information and personal preference signals can make AI genuinely useful rather than generic.

AI for everyday wine confidence
The conversation zooms out from collectors to everyday buyers. Tom raises the reality that most people are choosing under pressure, with limited knowledge and too many options. The group discuss how AI could help by taking in context such as budget, food and preferences, then narrowing the field. A simple example comes up, what to buy that goes well with a mushroom risotto at around £20.

Provenance, fraud & what technology could fix
Collectors care about provenance, and the episode spends time on what AI might do here, particularly using computer vision and pattern recognition to support fraud detection. Damon talks about the idea of a traceable passport for a bottle, and how tech could help buyers make decisions based on history and trust, not only price.

Vineyards, robots & the next decade
The episode also looks beyond buying into production. Damon discusses the direction of robotics and sensors, and what that could mean for harvesting and vineyard management, especially in difficult terrain.

Overrated or undervalued
Jonathan runs a quick game of overrated or undervalued across wine and technology topics. It is fast, slightly provocative, and a good way to surface opinions without turning the episode into a lecture. Sweet wines get a moment, including Tom’s anecdote about tasting 1900 Yquem, and Damon’s mention of styles such as Vin Santo and Canadian ice wine. The calls are best heard in the episode itself.

Episode 11 explores where AI can genuinely help, where it can mislead, and how wine still relies on context, judgment, and trust. Damon’s perspective as both an AI practitioner and a wine collector makes for a grounded conversation, with practical ideas and sharp questions about what the industry may look like in the future.

👉 Subscribe for more Uncorked episodes and fine wine insights every month.