Ep 9: Is The Wine Trade Out Of Touch? Understanding Why People Get Confused by Wine
Why do so many people find wine so confusing?
Is it something about wine itself, or is it because of the misconceptions that the wine trade has about wine drinkers?
Data maven Lulie Halstead and wine journalist Felicity Carter dive into the topic, looking at the consumer experience:
In supermarkets
When reading about wine on menus
In front of the wall of wine in retail
When talking to sommeliers and other wine professionals
With other people.
Is the wine trade putting up barriers to entry — or is there something else going on? Felicity and Lulie look at research from China, at international consumer data, and the questions that consumers themselves have asked, to come up with some answers.
If you’ve ever felt confused about wine, you’ll discover why. And if you’re a wine nerd, this episode might inspire you to approach customers differently.
Meet Your Hosts:
Lulie Halstead founded and led international consumer research and strategy consultancy Wine Intelligence, and led it to a successful PE exit. Today she is a renowned global beverage alcohol and wine sector specialist, focused on consumer behaviour, strategy, retail and hospitality. An accomplished keynote speaker, she has spoken at more than 70 international events over the past 20 years.
Felicity Carter is an award-winning wine and drinks journalist, editor, speaker trainer and content strategist. She led Meininger’s Wine Business International to become the world’s most must-read wine trade magazine, and was founding Executive Editor of The Drop/Pix, which the Wall Street Journal named one of the most trusted sources of wine information. A regular keynote speaker, she was named a 2024 Industry Leader by WineBusiness Monthly.
--------
52:50
Ep 8: How The World Went Wild for Prosecco and Launched a Trade War
What happens when sparkling wine, global trade policy, and Paris Hilton collide? In this episode, Felicity Carter and Lulie Halstead take a deep dive into the unlikely but very real international trade war over Prosecco.
What could be more civilised than a glass of refreshing Prosecco, or a colourful Aperol Spritz? And yet this aperitivo ritual, adopted around the world, led to one of the most bitter fights in wine.
From vineyard slopes in northern Italy to Australia’s King Valley and the halls of the EU, this is a story of politics, marketing, and viticulture — and how one celebrity upended the serene world of wine.
In this episode:
Prosecco, from humble beginnings to international juggernaut
The invention of the Aperol Spritz — and why everybody’s drinking it
How a flying visit by celebrity Paris Hilton caused a regional crisis
The wily politician who exploited a legal loophole
Why an international trade war ensued
Meet Your Hosts:
Lulie Halstead founded and led international consumer research and strategy consultancy Wine Intelligence, and led it to a successful PE exit. Today she is a renowned global beverage alcohol and wine sector specialist, focused on consumer behaviour, strategy, retail and hospitality. An accomplished keynote speaker, she has spoken at more than 70 international events over the past 20 years.
Felicity Carter is an award-winning wine and drinks journalist, editor and content strategist. She led Meininger’s Wine Business International to become the world’s most must-read wine trade magazine, and was founding Executive Editor of The Drop/Pix, which the Wall Street Journal named one of the most trusted sources of wine information. A regular keynote speaker, she was named a 2024 Industry Leader by WineBusiness Monthly.
--------
52:33
Ep 7: Why Isn't There More Wine In Small Bottles? (Or Cans?)
If everybody is moderating their wine intake, then how come there aren’t more small wine bottles on the shelf? And what would it take to put them there?
In this episode of A Question of Drinks, join hosts Lulie Halstead and Felicity Carter as they explore why wine continues to be sold in those standard 750ml bottles. And who decided it should be 750 ml in the first place?
Come on a journey into wine history, into a world of glass blowers, Biblical figures, show-offs and vending machines. Along the way the hosts explore bag-in-box, aluminium cans, and whether there’s really a bottle called the Goliath or whether it’s just an urban myth.
Meet Your Hosts:
Lulie Halstead founded and led international consumer research and strategy consultancy Wine Intelligence, and led it to a successful PE exit. Today she is a renowned global beverage alcohol and wine sector specialist, focused on consumer behaviour, strategy, retail and hospitality. An accomplished keynote speaker, she has spoken at more than 70 international events over the past 20 years.
Felicity Carter is an award-winning wine and drinks journalist, editor and content strategist. She led Meininger’s Wine Business International to become the world’s most must-read wine trade magazine, and was founding Executive Editor of The Drop/Pix, which the Wall Street Journal named one of the most trusted sources of wine information. A regular keynote speaker, she was named a 2024 Industry Leader by WineBusiness Monthly.
--------
54:38
Ep 6: Why Is Everybody Drinking Guinness All of a Sudden?
It may be more than 300 years old, but sales of Guinness are surging, as the Irish beer finds popularity with new groups of consumers of all ages. How has it managed to reinvent itself in a world of falling beer sales?
Hosts Lulie Halstead and Felicity Carter do a deep dive into everything Guinness, from the beer’s history to its taste, to the ‘Splitting the G’ social media trend that’s taking TikTok by storm. They explore every question, from the effectiveness of the 51-page pouring manual, to the immersive beer tourism experience, to the value of legacy advertising campaigns.
And they look at the phenomenal rise of Guinness 0.0 and ask what lessons can be learned by other drinks, both historic and modern.
It’s an entertaining look at an Irish institution that’s gone global — and which shows no signs of slowing down.
Meet Your Hosts:
Lulie Halstead founded and led international consumer research and strategy consultancy Wine Intelligence, and led it to a successful PE exit. Today she is a renowned global beverage alcohol and wine sector specialist, focused on consumer behaviour, strategy, retail and hospitality. An accomplished keynote speaker, she has spoken at more than 70 international events over the past 20 years.
Felicity Carter is an award-winning wine and drinks journalist, editor and content strategist. She led Meininger’s Wine Business International to become the world’s most must-read wine trade magazine, and was founding Executive Editor of The Drop/Pix, which the Wall Street Journal named one of the most trusted sources of wine information. A regular keynote speaker, she was named a 2024 Industry Leader by WineBusiness Monthly.
--------
57:14
Ep 5: The Unstoppable Rise and Rise of Rosé Wine
Pink wine is everywhere. On supermarket shelves, on Instagram, and clutched in the hands of celebrities. If there is a single defining wine of the 21st Century, it has to be rosé.
How did this pink wine go from being considered an icon of 70s kitsch to a celebrity diva?
In this episode of A Question of Drinks, hosts Lulie Halstead and Felicity Carter delve into the fascinating world of rosé wine, looking at the economic, social, and technological forces that have made rosé wine such a hit.
From novel cooling systems to Instagram, the story of rosé is one of quirky changes that have had major consequences. Tracing the story from Portugal to Provence to the world, this is a story about how and why rosé became an unstoppable trend.
[00:05:28] Is the rosé wine boom here to stay — or just a fad?
[00:13:00] The surprising truth about global rosé consumption
[00:18:17] How changes in technology led to new styles of wine
[00:27:12] The role of Provence
[00:35:06] How Instagram fuelled a wine boom
Why do we drink what we do? Is it just the taste — or are there other drivers behind what's on the shelf? Drinks data expert Lulie Halstead joins writer and editor Felicity Carter to explore the economic, technological and social turning points that determine what's in the glass.
Portugal