Technology adoption has been a recurring conversation in the wine industry for years. But for wineries navigating changing consumer behavior and increasingly complex operations, the question is shifting from whether technology matters to where it can make a meaningful difference beyond just adding more tasks.
That question is at the center of “Adapt or Die: Where AI & Technology Will—and Won’t—Change Your Winery,” a conference session at the 2026 WIN Expo hosted by WineView, featuring CEO Gary Campbell and COO Angela Caine.
According to Campbell, wineries face pressure on several fronts: overproduction, outdated systems that don’t communicate with one another, harder-to-reach consumers, and negative coverage around alcohol consumption. He argues that these pressures make adapting more urgent.
Modern technology can help, particularly when it gives winery teams a clearer picture of their customers. Among the biggest opportunities, according to Campbell, are better insights into wine club membership, more effective tools for communicating with both existing and prospective customers, and integrated systems that free staff from shuffling information between disconnected platforms.
But technology should not come at the expense of hospitality.
“AI certainly has a role to play in the winery space. Instead of just having software that sits back and collects a fee, there is a real opportunity to win back hours per week and even use agentic systems to grow and cultivate membership. I don’t see AI replacing staff; rather, I see it giving them the time to focus on the most important piece of all of this: the members themselves,”says Campbell.
The goal instead is to remove repetitive work and make useful information easier to access, so employees can focus on the guests in front of them.
“WineView has learned through hundreds of customer conversations that while saving money is wonderful, saving time is the real win. Of course,we’re super excited to offer tools that will streamline member signup and recognition, as well as actually proactively procure members as well.”
That distinction becomes especially clear in the tasting room. During the WIN Expo session, attendees will hear directly from a winery customer about operations before and after implementing WineView with Toast, including the elimination of paper forms, instant member recognition, cards on file, and more.
Technology can also help wineries retain information that would otherwise disappear into handwritten notes or scattered systems, particularly at the beginning of the club relationship.
Campbell emphasizes the importance of engaging members early in their wine club relationship. The session will explore tools and strategies for strengthening those first interactions.
The growing number of AI tools, however, creates another challenge for operators: deciding what is actually worth adopting.
WineView’s position is direct. AI should be built into a winery’s management software, not bolted onto it. Standalone AI products that don’t integrate cleanly with existing systems can create more problems than they solve. Campbell argues that integrated platforms, where communication and data flow between the tools that already run the business, deliver more reliable results than adding one more disconnected layer.
Ultimately, the session will challenge attendees to think about technology as a way to save time, understand customers, and grow the wine club at the center of most direct-to-consumer businesses. Campbell frames that growth around three priorities: keeping the members you have, helping existing members move into higher tiers through events, education, and other experiences, and reaching new members in a meaningful way.
For wineries preparing for the next five years, that may be the more useful measure of innovation: how much technology helps people do better at growing, retaining, and managing their members.
“Adapt or Die: Where AI & Technology Will—and Won’t—Change Your Winery” will be presented as a Hosted Session at the 2026 WIN Expo, held on December 3, 2026, at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, California. Attendees can also visit WineView at Booth 129 on the trade show floor to learn more and meet the team.
For more information about this session or to register: WIN Expo
