A group of Niagara wineries has begun offering AI sommeliers in their tasting rooms this fall. The participating wineries describe it as a push to modernize the visitor experience along the Wine Route.

Seven wineries in the Twenty Valley and Niagara-on-the-Lake launched the systems over Labour Day weekend. Guests scan a QR code at the tasting bar to reach a sommelier that recommends a flight, describes each wine and suggests pairings. It also answers questions about the property in 14 languages, with no wait.

The AI sommelier is included in the standard $20 tasting fee. Guests who prefer to be served by a person can book a Heritage Tasting led by a human sommelier. Heritage Tastings cost $45 and are available on weekends by reservation.

“This isn’t about replacing people,” said Denise Harwood, executive director of the Niagara Tasting Room Innovation Collective, which coordinated the rollout. “It’s about repositioning people. A human sommelier is now a premium, handcrafted experience, like a single-vineyard designation or a hand-labelled bottle.”

Trained on the region

Each AI sommelier was trained on its own winery’s archive: decades of tasting notes, shelf talkers, newsletters and VQA submissions. Wineries say this gives each system a voice that reflects the property.

In practice, the systems sound fairly similar. The Niagara Star asked AI sommeliers at five wineries to describe 25 wines in total. The phrase “stone fruit” appeared in 22 of the descriptions, including one of a Baco Noir.

“That’s our house style,” said Brent Loewen, general manager of Longhollow Estate Winery in Beamsville. “It’s also the region’s house style. The AI picked up on that very quickly.”

Appellation loyalty

The training has had other effects. Because the systems learned from their wineries’ marketing materials, several have absorbed the region’s sub-appellation loyalties.

Asked to recommend another winery nearby, Longhollow’s AI sommelier suggested three others on the Beamsville Bench. When a guest pressed for a recommendation in Niagara-on-the-Lake, it described the Four Mile Creek sub-appellation as “warm, approachable and very convenient to the outlet mall.”

Meanwhile, the AI sommelier at Parkway Ridge Estates in Niagara-on-the-Lake has described Beamsville Bench wines as “ambitious.”

“We’ve asked it to be more collegial,” said Parkway Ridge hospitality manager Tom Albrecht. “It said it would take that under advisement. We believe it learned that from our board minutes.”

Harwood said the collective is drafting a shared code of conduct. It would require every participating AI sommelier to speak respectfully of all 10 Niagara sub-appellations, “including Vinemount Ridge.”

Guest response

Visitors have largely embraced the change. Kelsey Marr, visiting from Burlington with a bachelorette party of 11, said the group appreciated that the AI did not react when they asked for whatever was sweetest.

“It just said the Icewine,” she said. “A person would have made a face.”

The human option has proven popular as well. Heritage Tastings are sold out through Thanksgiving at most participating wineries.

Longhollow’s only human sommelier, Kayla Deschenes, now leads eight tastings a day at $45 each. Before the rollout, she led dozens a day at $20.

“Per guest, she’s become our highest-margin product,” Loewen said. “Ahead of the Icewine.”

A new tier

Longhollow is already expanding the program. Beginning in October, it will offer a mid-tier Heritage AI tasting for $32. That tasting features an AI sommelier trained on recordings of Deschenes’ tastings, including her stories about the 2019 harvest and her dog.

Deschenes will remain available at $45.

Asked what guests receive for the additional $13, Loewen said she can pour.