A sip in the Metaverse: how to implement a multisensory vineyard

Abstract

ABSTRACT With disruptive technologies being employed in the wine industry, the Metaverse – defined as an interactive, immersive environment that allows users to traverse between virtual and physical worlds, and enables them to interact with digital content and each other in a shared space, transcending the limitations of time, space, and physicality in a more realistic and engaging way – provides evidence of intriguing opportunities to curate more immersive virtual vineyard experiences for consumers. We offer a glimpse of how the Metaverse can revolutionize consumers’ wine tasting experiences. Drawing on extant literature on multisensory wine consumption and different technologies, we provide a comprehensive definition of the Metaverse and propose a VINEYARD framework for academics and practitioners to consider in navigating through the ‘metaversification’ of virtual vineyard experiences. Furthermore, we identify key benefits and potential challenges when incorporating the Metaverse into vineyard management and marketing. Finally, we propose several metrics for practitioners to assess the sustainable development of virtual vineyard experiences in the Metaverse.