A Personal Reflection on Q1 2026: What Wineries Are Really Saying About AI and How VINTAGE² Is Evolving
A quarter of listening to wineries about AI.
If I had to summarize my first quarter of 2026 in one sentence, it would be this:
Wineries know something big is happening with AI, but they are not yet sure what to do about it.
That realization did not come from a report or a dashboard. It came from conversations. Dozens of them.
At conferences. After sessions. Tasting room visits. In quick hallway exchanges that turned into longer, more candid discussions.
From the Oregon Wine Symposium to Texas Wine & Grape Growers InterWINEd and various webinars and workshops, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with winery leaders across roles.
- Owners trying to protect margins
- Marketing directors stretched across too many channels
- DTC leaders focused on bookings and club growth
- Smaller wineries wearing all of those hats at once
And across all of them, there was a consistent mix of curiosity, skepticism, urgency, and optimism.
What I Heard, Over and Over
The questions were not abstract. They were practical.
- Is AI really going to impact how people find our winery?
- Is this just another marketing trend?
- How do we even show up in something like ChatGPT or Claude?
- What does this actually do for tasting room traffic and sales?
There was also a quieter, more honest version of the same concern:
“We do not want to fall behind, but we really do not know where to start.”
That last part matters.
Because this is not a lack of interest. It is a lack of a clear path.
The Gap Between Awareness and Action
Most wineries I spoke with are already doing a lot of things right.
They have:
- Strong brand stories
- Beautiful tasting room experiences
- Loyal customer bases
- Thoughtful email marketing programs
- Solid, if not perfect, websites
But when it comes to AI driven discovery, there is a disconnect.
The prevailing mindset still looks something like this:
“We have a website, we show up on Google, we post on social media, aren’t we covered and won’t the bots see us?”
The reality is, that is no longer the full picture.
Consumers are increasingly skipping those steps entirely and going straight to AI.
The Moment That Stuck With Me
One conversation stood out.
A winery GM asked me, “So when someone asks AI where to go wine tasting this weekend, how does it decide?”
That question gets right to the heart of this shift.
Because the answer is this:
It decides based on everything your brand has done, said, published, and signaled across the internet.
All at once. Instantly.
And then it presents a curated answer that feels definitive to the consumer.
That is a fundamentally different model than search.
AI Is Already Influencing Winery Discovery
This is not theoretical anymore.
Consumers are already asking AI:
- Best wineries near Austin for a weekend trip
- Boutique wineries with great tasting experiences in Willamette Valley
- Wineries similar to Napa but less crowded and less expensive
And they are getting direct recommendations.
Not ten blue links.
Not a list to sort through.
A decision set.
If your winery is not included, you are not in the consideration set.
Where Wineries Are Today
In this very short amount of time, if I were to categorize where most wineries are right now on AI marketing, it would look like this:
- Aware but Passive
They have investigated some AI tools casually but have no structured approach. - Curious but Cautious
They are watching closely but waiting for clearer proof of ROI. - Experimenting
They are creating some AI generated content but without a cohesive strategy. - Early Movers
A small group is actively working to understand and influence AI visibility.
The opportunity is that this fourth group is still very small.
Why This Moment Matters
In every major shift in marketing, there is a window.
A period where:
- The rules are not fully defined
- Competition is limited
- Early action creates outsized advantage
We saw it with SEO.
We saw it on social media.
We saw it with paid search.
We are in that window again with AI search.
The difference this time is speed.
The window will not stay open as long.
From Framework to Growth Partner
When I first developed VINTAGE², it was intended as an educational system.
A way to help wineries understand:
- What AI visibility means
- How discovery is changing
- What steps to take
That is still true.
But after Q1, it became clear that education alone is not enough.
Wineries do not need another framework sitting in a slide deck.
They need a partner who can help them execute.
This is where the evolution begins.
Enter GEOGrow.ai
One of the most important developments in this journey has been studying generative engine optimization platforms and integrating GEOGrow.ai into the VINTAGE² system.
Because the missing piece for most wineries is not intent.
It is operational capability.
GEOGrow.ai enables:
- Benchmarking where a winery shows up in AI results
- Identifying which prompts matter most
- Mapping competitive visibility gaps
- Structuring content for AI systems
- Tracking progress over time
In simple terms, it turns strategy into action.
What AI Consulting Really Means Now
After dozens of conversations, I would redefine AI consulting for wineries like this:
It is sometimes about teaching AI.
It is about making sure AI understands you.
That requires alignment across:
- Your brand narrative
- Your website structure
- Your content strategy
- Your third party presence
- Your technical foundation
And it requires consistency over time.
The Shift to GEO
One term that kept coming up in conversations was SEO.
“Is this just SEO 2.0?”
Not exactly.
SEO is about ranking pages.
GEO, or Generative Engine Optimization, is about being included in answers.
That distinction is critical.
Because AI systems are not just indexing your site.
They are interpreting your brand.
Summarizing it.
Comparing it.
And deciding whether to recommend it.
What Early Results Are Showing
In the small but growing number of wineries actively working on AI visibility, I am already seeing meaningful insights.
Within months, not years:
- Increased inclusion in AI generated recommendations
- Growth in non branded discovery traffic
- Higher engagement from first time visitors
- Early signals of increased bookings and inquiries
One client case showed a 50 percent share of voice in AI search within five months over major retailer Total Wine in their backyard.
That is not incremental. That is transformational.
The Emotional Side of This Shift
Something else became clear in Q1.
This is not just a technical shift. It is an emotional one.
For many winery owners and marketers, there is a sense of:
- We already have so much to manage
- Do we really need to learn something new again?
- Is this worth the investment?
Those are valid questions.
Because this industry is already operating under pressure:
- Margin compression
- Changing consumer behavior
- Increased competition
AI can feel like one more thing.
But it is not just one more thing.
It is becoming the thing that determines discovery.
What Doing Nothing Really Means
One of the more candid moments I had in Q1 was when a winery owner said:
“We will wait and see and revisit this in the second half of the year.”
I understand that instinct.
But in this case, waiting has a cost.
Because AI systems learn and reinforce over time.
The brands that show up early:
- Get referenced more often
- Build stronger authority signals
- Become default recommendations
Catching up later is not just harder.
It can be significantly harder.
What Forward Momentum Looks Like
The good news is that this is not an all or nothing leap.
The wineries that are making progress are doing a few key things:
- Benchmarking where they currently stand
- Identifying a small set of high value prompts and competitive set
- Refining their brand narrative for clarity
- Structuring content intentionally
- Committing to consistent improvement
This is exactly what VINTAGE² is designed to guide.
Reframing ROI
One of the most important shifts I have had in conversations is how we talk about ROI.
AI visibility is not just about impressions or rankings.
It connects directly to high intent actions like:
- Tasting room bookings
- Direct to consumer sales
- Wine club growth
- Brand preference
Because when a consumer asks AI where to go, they are not browsing.
They are deciding.
Being in that answer is high intent visibility.
Where This Is Going
Looking ahead, the trajectory is clear.
AI will become:
- The primary discovery layer for travel and experiences
- A dominant influence on purchase decisions
- A filter for which brands get considered at all
For wineries, that means marketing is no longer just about reaching people.
It is about being recommended by systems they trust.
A Personal Note
If Q1 taught me anything, it is this:
The wine industry is not resistant to change.
It is thoughtful about where it invests its time and resources.
That is a strength.
But it also means new opportunities require clarity, not just urgency.
My goal with VINTAGE² is to provide both.
- Clarity on what matters
- A structured path to act on it
I will also be publishing the findings from my AI Marketing Readiness Survey in the next couple of weeks. The early signals reinforce much of what I heard in person. There is strong awareness, growing urgency, and a clear need for a system that turns intent into action.
Final Thought
Visibility is the new vintage.
Because in this environment, quality alone is not enough.
Your wine can be exceptional.
Your experience can be unforgettable.
But if AI does not surface your brand at the moment of decision, those strengths do not get the chance to matter.
What I Would Recommend Right Now
If you are a winery leader reading this, here is the simplest next step:
Understand where you stand today.
Ask:
- Are we showing up in AI recommendations?
- For which prompts?
- Against which competitors?
From there, everything becomes more actionable.
So let’s get started on your first GEO audit.
Closing
Q1 was a quarter of listening and meeting so many exceptional people.
Q2 and beyond will be about building.
For the wineries ready to move, the opportunity is real.
And still early.
VINTAGE², now powered by GEOGrow.ai, is built to help wineries not just understand this shift, but lead in it.
Not eventually. Now.
Let’s talk.
Key Takeaways
- Wineries are aware of AI but uncertain how it impacts real revenue
- There is a growing gap between curiosity and execution
- AI search is already influencing winery discovery decisions
- GEO is emerging as a required discipline, not an optional experiment
- Early adopters are gaining measurable share of voice advantages
- VINTAGE² plus GEOGrow.ai bridges strategy and execution for real outcomes
- The opportunity window is open, but narrowing
FAQs
Are wineries really using AI in marketing yet?
Some are experimenting, but very few have a structured, measurable approach.
What is holding wineries back?
Lack of clarity, internal resources, and a system to operationalize AI visibility.
Is AI search already impacting bookings and sales?
Yes, particularly in travel planning and winery recommendation scenarios.
What should wineries do first?
Benchmark where they currently appear in AI driven results and identify the gaps.