A Question of Drinks

About A Question of Drinks

Why do we drink what we do? Is it just the taste — or are there other drivers behind what's on the shelf? Drinks data expert Lulie Halstead joins writer and editor Felicity Carter to explore the economic, technological and social turning points that determine what's in the glass.

Publisher

Felicity Carter and Lulie Halstead

Category

arts · business · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

9 Jan 2025

Latest episode

23 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

40 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Sept 2026

   Ep 37: How to Make Sure AI Recommends Your Wine or Spirits Brand

   Like it or not, AI is now the gatekeeper between your wine or spirits brand and your consumer. So how do you ensure that when consumers go looking for a product, that you come up in the recommendations? Felicity and Lulie do a deep dive into the evidence and surface with the answer as to why AI recommends some products and not others. And the news is good for small brands — structure your data properly, and AI might recommend you over big brands with huge digital footprints. But should brands be using AI to create their marketing in the first place? Felicity and Lulie debate when AI works, when it produces obvious slop, and why AI can make consumers so angry that they start vandalising public advertising. Plus, Coca-Cola’s controversial AI Christmas ads, the possible return of the wine critic, Felicity’s war on German flies, and the critical question of whether being polite to your AI will save you when the robots rebel. Meet Your Hosts: Lulie Halstead founded and led international consumer research and strategy consultancy Wine Intelligence, and led it to a successful PE exit. Today she is a renowned global beverage alcohol and wine sector specialist, focused on consumer behaviour, strategy, retail and hospitality. An accomplished keynote speaker, she has spoken at more than 70 international events over the past 20 years. Felicity Carter is an award-winning wine and drinks journalist, editor and content strategist. She led Meininger’s Wine Business International to become the world’s most must-read wine trade magazine, and was founding Executive Editor of The Drop/Pix, which the Wall Street Journal named one of the most trusted sources of wine information. A regular keynote speaker, she was named a 2024 Industry Leader by WineBusiness Monthly. Her Drinks Insider podcast won the 67 Pall Mall Global Wine Communicator Award for Audio.

2. 

   2 Sept 2026

   Ep 36: The Hidden Ingredient Linking Beer, Coke and Chilled Reds

   Why do cool drinks feel so refreshing? And how did coldness become an essential selling point for drinks? The link between chilled drinks and refreshment is so common today that it feels natural — but it took 2,000 years of innovation to get there. In this entertaining, Freakonomics-style episode, hosts Felicity and Lulie trace how drinks went from being served at room temperature, to being so cold it’s hard to distinguish the flavours. Their story takes in snow-cooled water, a Bostonian entrepreneur who built a global trade empire from pond ice, and an Australian printer who noticed that typeface became cooler after he cleaned it. Along the way they race how Champagne ended up in silver ice buckets and how Coca-Cola’s decision to sell branded $12 coolers to store owners changed the world of drinks forever — and what this means for refreshment in a heating world. Meet Your Hosts: Lulie Halstead founded and led international consumer research and strategy consultancy Wine Intelligence, and led it to a successful PE exit. Today she is a renowned global beverage alcohol and wine sector specialist, focused on consumer behaviour, strategy, retail and hospitality. An accomplished keynote speaker, she has spoken at more than 70 international events over the past 20 years. Felicity Carter is an award-winning wine and drinks journalist, editor and content strategist. She led Meininger’s Wine Business International to become the world’s most must-read wine trade magazine, and was founding Executive Editor of The Drop/Pix, which the Wall Street Journal named one of the most trusted sources of wine information. A regular keynote speaker, she was named a 2024 Industry Leader by WineBusiness Monthly. Her Drinks Insider podcast won the 67 Pall Mall Global Wine Communicator Award for Audio.

3. 

   5 Aug 2026

   Ep 35: How Aperol Spritz Conquered a Market But Opened the Door to Its Competitors

   How did the spritz take over every pub, bar and supermarket this summer? Is it a fad — or is it the result of clever marketing? While Aperol dates back to 1919, the seeds of its success were planted in 2003, when Campari bought the brand and introduced the aperitivo moment to Germany. But, luckily for them, their bright orange drink coincided with the expanding of Prosecco production. While the timing couldn’t have been more serendipitous, the Aperol spritz became a victim of its own success. Campari hadn’t just built a brand — they’re introduced a whole new drinking occasion to the market, and competitors soon moved in. Today, drinkers can choose between the Aperol spritz, the Hugo, the limoncello spritz, and even the tequila spritz. But how that happened is a highly entertaining story, involving a millionaire enclave in Germany, a bored bar tender in northern Italy, and an Australian winemaker who had a run in with the Australian Taxation Office. Meet Your Hosts: Lulie Halstead founded and led international consumer research and strategy consultancy Wine Intelligence, and led it to a successful PE exit. Today she is a renowned global beverage alcohol and wine sector specialist, focused on consumer behaviour, strategy, retail and hospitality. An accomplished keynote speaker, she has spoken at more than 70 international events over the past 20 years. Felicity Carter is an award-winning wine and drinks journalist, editor and content strategist. She led Meininger’s Wine Business International to become the world’s most must-read wine trade magazine, and was founding Executive Editor of The Drop/Pix, which the Wall Street Journal named one of the most trusted sources of wine information. A regular keynote speaker, she was named a 2024 Industry Leader by WineBusiness Monthly. Her Drinks Insider podcast won the 67 Pall Mall Global Wine Communicator Award for Audio.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

7 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

24 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 46 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

78

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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