ARENI Global: In Conversation

What does a luxury boutique know about customer loyalty that most wineries, merchants, and retailers don't? Unsurprisingly, quite a lot.

In this episode, Pauline sits down in Hong Kong with Charles de la Portbarré, a mathematician who has spent 15 years building customer data models and loyalty programs for major luxury houses.

Together they unpack "clienteling" — the practice of segmenting your customers, analyzing their purchase history, and tailoring how you engage with them depending on where they sit in their journey with your brand. They dig into customer loyalty strategies, allocation systems, and the practical steps wine businesses — whether they sell direct-to-consumer or through distributors — can take to grow not just sales performance, but long-term customer engagement and retention.

The result is a practical, step-by-step guide to building a customer segmentation strategy for wine, even if all you have to start with is an Excel spreadsheet of sales transactions.

Topics discussed include:

• What luxury brands measure today — and why engagement matters more than sales alone

• The principles of clienteling and how to apply them in wine

• The four essential customer buckets: new, loyal, re-engaged, and dropped clients

• Why re-engaging former customers is often more valuable than acquiring new ones

• How to identify future ambassadors for your brand

• Allocation systems, fairness, and the challenge of developing future customers

About the Guest:

Charles de La Portbarre is a data scientist and client analytics specialist with over 15 years of experience, including nearly a decade working for major international luxury Maisons in Hong Kong and Asia. His work focuses on translating complex customer behaviour data into actionable commercial strategy, with a particular expertise in clienteling, customer segmentation, and loyalty programme design.

About Areni Global:

In Conversation is the podcast of Areni Global, an independent think tank dedicated to the future of fine wine. Hosted by Pauline Vicard, each episode features in-depth conversations with experts from wine, luxury, retail, finance, and beyond — exploring the ideas and strategies shaping the future of fine wine.

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What makes a wine event memorable? And why do some experiences succeed in turning people into long-term wine drinkers, while others leave no lasting impression at all?

In this final episode of New Consumers, New Narratives, Pauline Vicard speaks with Loïc Lamy and Milena Berman, founders of Hautes Côtes and creators of the now cult Vin & Hip Hop events in Burgundy.

Drawing on their experience organising events in Burgundy, Champagne, and Los Angeles, they discuss what younger consumers actually look for when they engage with wine: not status or technical knowledge alone, but hospitality, emotion, community, and a sense of belonging.

For anyone organising events, hosting clients, or building wine tourism experiences, this conversation offers a timely reminder: people do not remember how much information they received. They remember how they felt, who they met, and whether they felt genuinely welcomed into the world of wine.

 

More on Hautes Cotes: https://www.hautescotes.com/en

And to take part in their upcoming wine and music events:

·      Montrachet Jazz festival in Puligny Montrachet, 30-31 May 2026

·      Pop and Hip Hop in Champagne, 23 June 2026

·      Vin and Hip Hop in Vougeot, October 2026

Why - and how- did wine become collectible?

Pauline Vicard speaks with Amayés Aouli, Global Head of Wine & Spirits at Bonhams, one of the world’s oldest auction houses. Together, they explore the often-misunderstood world of wine auctions, beyond the spectacle of paddles and hammer prices. The discussion reveals how auctions translate desire into value, navigating scarcity, logistics, trust, and global demand. A conversation that offers a deeper lens on the fine wine ecosystem—and where it is heading.

In this conversation:

• What auctions actually do—and why they exist

• How wine became a collectible asset (only recently)

• The role of knowledge in shaping demand and price

• What auctions reveal about the future of fine wine

To know more about Bonhams Wine: https://www.bonhams.com/department/WIN/wine/

To know more about Areni's latest research: The New Fine Wine Consumer: How Under 40 Find Their Way Into Fine Wine: https://areni.global/report/the-new-fine-wine-customer/

As part of Women’s History Month, we are sharing a revisited edition of a conversation first recorded in June 2021 during the Bâtonnage Forum—an initiative dedicated to advancing women in the wine industry.

In this episode, Pauline Vicard is joined by Jordan Sale, founder of 81cents, and Felicity Carter, now Editorial Director at Areni Global. Together, they explore a deceptively simple question: how much is enough?

The discussion examines gender pay gaps, negotiation behaviours, and what happens when an industry that has traditionally avoided conversations about money begins to engage with them more openly.

This conversation also had a lasting impact on Areni Global’s work. It contributed to a broader reflection on the structural challenges facing the wine trade—particularly its persistent lack of profitability—and the role that education may play in addressing them. These questions were later explored in our report: Rethinking Education: Shaping the Future of the Trade, available on our website.

For more information on Areni Global: https://areni.global/

For more information on the Batonnage Forum: https://www.batonnageforum.com/

What makes an allocated wine offering work — and when does it fail?

In this episode, Pauline Vicard sits down with Peter Yeung to unpack the mechanics behind scarcity in fine wine. From waitlists and wishlists to pricing strategy and sell-out psychology, they explore how allocation systems shape brand value and customer loyalty.

Drawing on insights from ARENI Global’s upcoming New Fine Wine Consumers study, they also examine why younger collectors approach wine like a video game: they don’t just want access — they want to understand the rules.

Because in fine wine, it’s not just about getting the bottle. It’s about playing the game — and belonging to the community.

For more information on Peter's course Allocated Wine Offerings, visit: https://www.xchateau.com/store/

Areni's study The New Fine Wine Consumer: How Under 40 Find Their Way Into Fine Wine launches on February 19. More info here: https://areni.global/new-consumers-new-narratives/