In this episode of Uncorked, Polly Hammond is joined by Guillaume Jourdan, CEO of VitaBella Luxury & Lifestyle, to unpack how digital transformation is reshaping luxury—and why wine brands can no longer afford to ignore it. Drawing on experience advising more than 250 international luxury wine and lifestyle brands, Guillaume offers bold insights on blockchain, social commerce, immersive tech, and why sticking to heritage alone may be a fast-track to irrelevance.
Luxury Brands Lead, Wine Lags
While COVID disrupted nearly every industry, luxury rebounded quickly—thanks in large part to timely investments in e-commerce, digital storytelling, and social commerce. From virtual shopping on WeChat to livestream events in China, luxury brands showed how customer engagement can transcend physical stores. “At its core,” Guillaume explains, “the future of luxury is about merging offline and online lives. That’s what social retail really means.”
But wine hasn’t kept up. “We work with brands in jewelry, cosmetics, watches—they invest 15–20% of annual revenue into marketing,” Guillaume notes. “Wine? Four to six percent.” With thin margins and outdated business models, wine has neither the capital nor the mindset to move at the pace of luxury.
Data Is the New Luxury
From CRM systems to NFTs, data acquisition is one of the biggest competitive advantages in modern marketing. Guillaume points to how blockchain could help wine brands collect ownership and customer data even in the secondhand market—data that luxury brands are already mining. “If you don’t use these tools, your competitors will. And your industry will die,” he says.
Polly raises ethical concerns around the environmental cost of NFTs—many of which are based on Ethereum’s energy-intensive infrastructure. Guillaume acknowledges the issue, but frames it as a strategic necessity. “If you want to lead in sustainability, don’t use the internet. But we can’t go backwards. This is about progress, not perfection.”
The NFT and Metaverse Dilemma
The conversation turns toward the legal chaos surrounding NFTs and brand control. From unauthorized NFT artworks of Dom Pérignon bottles to the high-profile MetaBirkin lawsuit, intellectual property is becoming harder to police in digital environments. Guillaume believes regulation will come—but in the meantime, brands need to protect themselves through strategic trademark filings and future-focused legal frameworks.
Wine, however, isn’t prepared for this. “The wine industry can’t afford the legal battles that Hermes or LVMH can,” Polly warns, pointing out that even artistic representations of wine bottles may become contentious. Guillaume agrees—but sees this as part of a larger reckoning around brand protection in the metaverse.
Immersive Tech and Experience Design
So where is all of this headed? Guillaume sees virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) as game changers—not just gimmicks. Drawing inspiration from digital museum experiences like Russia’s Hermitage VR exhibit, he argues that wine brands must begin offering digital alternatives to physical visits. “If you can’t travel to the château, let the château come to you,” he says. While the cost of production is still high, he’s confident it will come down—and when it does, brands must be ready.
Wine’s Branding Blind Spot
Polly raises a core issue: legacy brands are often paralyzed by their own history. “Heritage can be a double-edged sword,” she says. “You either stall out, or you become the arbiter of what heritage looks like in the future.” Guillaume agrees—and encourages brands to embrace repositioning through sub-brands or entirely new launches. “Miraval was only 10 years old, and look at what it achieved,” he notes. “It’s easier to build new than to rehabilitate old.”
This requires leadership willing to change—not just marketing plans, but mindsets. “Brand repositioning is change management,” Guillaume explains. “If your internal culture doesn’t shift, your positioning won’t either.”
Key Takeaways from Polly and Guillaume’s Conversation
- Digital transformation is not optional: Luxury consumers expect seamless integration of digital and physical experiences. Wine must adapt or be left behind.
- Data is power: CRM systems, blockchain, and NFTs offer new ways to engage consumers and track brand interactions. Without them, wine brands risk falling behind.
- Brand protection is getting harder: The metaverse and NFT space are still the Wild West. Intellectual property must be reconsidered and future-proofed.
- Heritage can’t be an anchor: Being old doesn’t guarantee relevance. Building sub-brands or launching new labels might be the only way to innovate within legacy structures.
- Immersive experience is the new frontier: From virtual tastings to AR storytelling, technology is opening new paths to build emotion, engagement, and connection—cornerstones of luxury.
As Guillaume puts it, “Your brand will either adapt, or it will be considered old. It’s that simple.” And in the world of wine—so proud of its past—that might be the most radical idea of all.
