ARENI Global: In Conversation

• China 2030: Key Strategies for Fine Wine’s Most Complex Market

  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 itHow consumer tastes are shifting, including the rise of white wineThe role of storytelling in connecting producers with Chinese drinkersThe impact of logistics and e-commerce on market accessWhat international producers need to know about pricing, brand integrity, and regulationWhy 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

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• 5 Levers of Success for the Fine Wine Sector

  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

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• Areni Live Sessions, Ep1: Wine, Health and Changing Regulations

  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

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• Farming, Fame, and Futureproofing the Market: In Conversation With Charles Lachaux

  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. Visit us at Areni Global to learn more about becoming a member and subscribe to our newsletter HERE. Follow Areni on Instagram and Linkedin: @areniglobal

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• Miami's Wine Boom: What the Industry Can Learn From America's Hottest Luxury Market

  Pauline spent a few days in the Florida capital and sat down with key players. Here is what we learned about the incredibly dynamic, passionate, hungry and growing wine scene of a city that might change a thing or two for the future of fine wine.

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