How to Choose the Best AI Sommelier for Your Website

If you sell wine or spirits online, you already know the challenge: customers browse dozens of bottles, feel overwhelmed and leave without buying. In-store, a knowledgeable staff member would step in, ask a few questions and guide them to the perfect bottle. An AI sommelier brings that same experience to your website, but not all solutions are created equal. Here’s how to evaluate your options and choose the best AI sommelier for your online store.

What Does an AI Sommelier Actually Do?

An AI sommelier is a chatbot that replicates the conversations your best in-store staff already have with customers. A shopper types something like “red wine for a barbecue under $30” and the AI responds with personalised recommendations drawn directly from your product catalogue.

The best AI sommeliers don’t just search by keyword. They understand context, occasion, food pairing, taste preferences, budget and recommend products the way a trained sommelier would. The difference is they work 24/7, handle multiple conversations at once, and never call in sick.

Five Things to Look for When Choosing an AI Sommelier

1. It Must Recommend Products From Your Store

This sounds obvious, but many generic chatbot tools pull recommendations from general wine databases or make suggestions your shop doesn’t even stock. The best AI sommelier for your website connects directly to your product catalogue and only recommends bottles you actually sell. Every recommendation should link straight to the product page, keeping the customer one click from checkout.

2. It Should Understand Your Customers’ Language

Your customers don’t speak like wine critics. They say things like “something fruity for my mum” or “a good whiskey gift under fifty quid.” The AI needs to handle natural, everyday language, not just grape varieties and appellations. Look for a solution that interprets intent, asks smart follow up questions about budget and occasion, and works in whatever language your customers speak.

3. Look for Real Performance Data

Any vendor can promise their AI will boost sales. Ask for numbers. What click through rates does the chatbot achieve? Do customers actually buy the recommendations? Retailers using well implemented AI sommeliers see measurable results, upsell rates of 20-30% are realistic when the AI is properly connected to your catalogue and tuned to your price points. If a provider can’t show you conversion data, move on.

4. It Should Scale What You Already Do Well

The best AI sommelier isn’t trying to replace your team or revolutionise your business. It’s scaling the expertise you already have. Think of it as a natural extension of the in-store conversations your staff have every day, now available on your website at 9PM on a Tuesday when your physical shop is closed. That’s when online shoppers are most active and when they need guidance most.

5. Integration Should Be Simple

You shouldn’t need to rebuild your website to add an AI sommelier. Whether you run Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento or a custom platform, the right solution integrates cleanly with your existing setup. A good provider will have your chatbot live and recommending products within days, not months.

Questions to Ask Before You Commit

Before signing up with any AI sommelier provider, get clear answers to these:

• Does the AI pull recommendations exclusively from my product catalogue?
• How does it handle budget ranges and out-of-stock items?
• Can it operate in multiple languages if I sell internationally?
• What analytics and reporting will I get on customer interactions?
• Is there a free trial or pilot period so I can measure results before committing?
• How quickly can it go live on my site?

Why This Matters Now

Online wine and spirits sales continue to grow, but so does competition. Customers have more choices than ever, and the retailers winning are the ones who make the online shopping experience feel personal. An AI sommelier bridges the gap between browsing a wall of bottles alone and having an expert guide you to the right one.

The technology isn’t futuristic, it’s already working for retailers who’ve adopted it. The question isn’t whether to add an AI sommelier to your website. It’s which one will actually drive results for your store.

Ready to See It in Action?

If you’re evaluating AI sommelier solutions for your wine or spirits website, start with a provider that connects to your real catalogue, shows proven performance data, and gets you live quickly. The best way to judge is to try it yourself and see how your customers respond.