KEYNOTE SESSION
From Prestige to People: Adapting to Cultural Shifts and Consumer Trends
The wine market is changing as buyer expectations, cultural pressure from renewed anti-alcohol messaging, and generational values reshape how people choose wine. Today’s consumers are less influenced by prestige and more motivated by clarity, connection, and confidence.
In this presentation, Amy Gross, National President of Women For WineSense and CEO of VineSleuth/ Wine4.Me translates buyer data and consumer research into practical marketing insights, highlighting why Midwest wineries are uniquely positioned to succeed in this new landscape and giving attendees realistic, low-cost strategies they can apply immediately to strengthen relationships and drive sales.
- Monday February 23
- 2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
- Terrace Ballroom
- Keynote Session
PRESENTERS
AMY GROSS
Founder & CEO | VINESLEUTH & WINE4.ME
National President | Women For WineSense
BIO
Amy Gross is the Founder & CEO, VineSleuth/Wine4.Me National President, Women For WineSense, where she’s on a mission to help people discover wines they truly love, based on flavor rather than ratings or trends. Since 2011, she has led the development of innovative wine recommendation tools that combine sensory science and AI to make wine selection more approachable and personalized, while guiding wine sellers to communicate more effectively. Her work in wine and technology led her to serve as National President of Women For WineSense, a U.S. organization of nearly 750 members that has championed the responsible enjoyment of wine since 1991. A sought-after speaker, Amy shares insights on wine, technology, and personalization at events across the U.S. and Europe, including NRF: Retail’s Big Show, Vinitaly, WineExpo, and the Mobile World Congress. She has judged wines for more than a decade at major competitions, including the California State Fair, Vinitaly, and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo International Wine Competition, where she is now Vice-Chairman of the Winery Relations Committee. When she’s not immersed in wine and tech, Amy is a writer and mom of three, and has also hosted two foreign exchange students. She lives just outside Houston, Texas.
