Real Business of Wine.

As part of our ongoing series on wine communication, Fabien Lainé, Paul Mabray, Terry Xu, Mike Ratcliffe, and Scott Eddy take the lid off the world of influencers. How important are they really? What rules do they follow? How real are the numbers of followers they claim? A lively RBW debate!

Continuing the theme we began with India and Brazil, we look at Russia, one of the wine world's most under-appreciated markets – where good wine is being produced, too.

With over a million copies sold, Karen MacNeil tops the wine writing charts in the US. Hers was the only book that featured in the Netflix movie, Uncorked. Now she's moved online with virtual tastings.

Simon Woolf, award-winning author of Amber Wine, talks skin contact with rosé expert Liz Gabay MW, winemaker Tony Milanowski of Rathfinny Estate and natural wine distributor Doug Wregg of Les Caves de Pyrene.

Dan Jago has been at the head of Bibendum one of Britain's leading wine wholesalers, Tesco's global wine division – one of the world's largest by volume – and Berry Bros & Rudd, the UK's oldest fine wine merchant. In other words, he knows A LOT about wine distribution, from presenting Pétrus and Le Pin to private clients, to purchasing Pinot Grigio for Polish supermarkets.

Writers have been telling us forever that Riesling has taken over wine lists, that Sherry is the hottest thing, and that nobody drinks buttery Chardonnay anymore. But none of these things are true. We look at the tricky relationship between fact and opinion-presented-as-fact in wine reporting. With Blake Gray, former wine editor of the San Francisco Chronicle and winner of the Roederer Award for Best Online Wine Writer in the world.

Wines specifically aimed at women? And at men? Really? Well, on the one hand, there's Cupcake and Little Black Dress and Middle Sister. And on the other there's Carnivor and Sledgehammer and 19 Crimes... In a departure from the usual format, Polly and Robert take a level headed look at gender-based wine marketing. And probably disagree... Come and join the discussion.

If it weren't for Covid-19, Decanter Bordeaux correspondent Jane Anson would be on tour in the UK signing her new book, Inside Bordeaux. Instead, she's still in France – and with us to discuss the secrets of what makes that region tick – and how she has successfully managed to produce five books without going through traditional publishing routes.

According to Wine Intelligence, 20 million Brazilians drink wine at least once a week and 31% of Brazilian consumers "like to take their time to purchase wine" and consider wine to be "important" to their lifestyles. Leading journalist and publisher Marcelo Capello and Wine Intelligence Brazil Country Manager Rodrigo Lanari introduce the world's sixth most populous nation (211m citizens) and growing wine drinking and producing market.

As wine professionals - with varying success - rush to host virtual tastings, we meet experts who launched highly popular podcasts and online platforms long before the current crisis.

Local taxes and legislation may make India a more daunting export market than China, but a new generation is increasingly enthusiastic about wine, and a growing number of impressive Indian wines are released every year. Your chance to learn about this complex country from a panel of top experts.

New Zealand is one of the newest parts of the New World of wine. The Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc that catapulted it onto the global stage was only planted in the 1970s, but within 20 years, New Zealand's white wines were commanding the highest average prices in the world. Then came Otago Pinot Noir which has had a similar success. But where does New Zealand go from here? Is it too reliant on the UK, the market that helped to make its name? And is it still too focused on Sauvignon Blanc? Our panel which is co-moderated by Rebecca Gibb MW, author of The Wines of New Zealand, includes top winemakers Nigel Greening of Felton Road, Michael Brajkovich of Kumeu River, Rosie Finn of Neudorf, and Brent Marris of Marisco as well as leading sommeliers, Cameron Douglas and Stephanie Guth.

The only former professional chef to have made wine in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Hungary, England, France, Ukraine and Kazakhstan and Norway, Nayan Gowda is currently working in the high-altitude vineyards of Bolivia. The internet connection was far from perfect, which explains the less-than-brilliant quality of the video and sound. And the fact that we broke our usual pattern by pre-recording the interview. But we hope and believe it was worthwhile!

Wine has leapt into virtual tastings, but what happens with the doors re-open? Let's look at the good and the bad and the future of virtual wine events in this very meta #RealBizWine.

What is luxury wine? How does it differ from 'fine wine'? And how is it going to fare in a post COVID-19 world? Join us for this collab with ARENI Global. We'll talk to Maggie Henríquez, CEO of Krug Champagne, about these and other questions of importance to a financially crucial segment of the wine industry.

For most wines, the difference between commercial success and failure may largely depend on the words and images printed on a small piece of paper. For this unique webcast, we invite award-winning designer Neil Tully MW to share his insights into how he goes about working with the producer to create a label that will help to move the bottle from the shelf into the hands of the customer.

What does it take to build a resilient brand? Today, we talk with legends in Italian wine about positioning, communication, perception, and relevance...at home and abroad.

Like every other sector, the wine industry is struggling to come to terms with COVID-19, but this is not the first major challenge it has faced over the centuries. How have wine producers and sellers fared during previous plagues and wars. We hear from respected historians Rod Phillips, author of "Wine: A Social and Cultural History of the Drink that Changed Our Lives" and Financial Times contributor and historian, Giles MacDonogh.

All grapes were not created equal. Some are commercially successful. Others have been unjustly forgotten. Some are more popular than they deserve to be. Others may not survive in their current regions as temperatures rise. And then, of course, there are new vinifera crosses like Marselan, hybrids and labrusca – not forgetting genetic modification. And we'll be looking at them all!

Every winery and brand needs a ‘story'. But what is a story? Which kinds of stories are most likely to catch the attention and imagination of media and consumers? How many different wine stories are there really? Which kinds of story are going to convert wine drinkers into wine buyers?

Join us for this very special session in collaboration with ARENI Global, as we explore the changing face of the modern wine consumer. Millennials, Boomers: does it matter? Technophobes, Social media natives: what does it mean for communications? Wine shops, DTC: what does the future look like?

DLynn Proctor, Andre Mack, Gary Obligacion, and Tanisha Townsend. On this night, we pass the mic to four of the brightest characters in wine, to talk business, diversity, heritage, and the future.

When important stuff happens in the wine world, who covers it in the media, and how well is it done? Richard Siddle earned his stripes as a journalist before becoming editor of a wine trade publication and starting his own online platform, the highly influential ‘The Buyer'. Question Siddle and other guests about how professionals should handle their own news stories – and how to respond to the ones they read about in the press.

In recent years, wine tourism has become a mantra, a magic pill than, when associated with tasting room fees and Direct To Consumer sales can be the key to winery profitability. But what happened when a virus abruptly halts the stream of visitors, or when possible wine tourists who are trying to reduce their carbon footprints cut back their travel. And how to handle all of your neighbours offering the same experiences as you've been doing?

At a time when there seem to be too few reasons to celebrate, English Sparkling Wine is forging ahead, with vineyards being planted, new wines being launched, and prizes being won. But how sustainable is the English wine boom? Who's going to buy 30m or 40m bottles – compared to under 16m today? Do we need regional designation? And is the Champagne method the only way to produce fizz in Britain?

Ray Isle, Executive Wine Editor of Food, Food & Wine, and Wine & Spirits Editor, of Travel & Leisure; Erica Duecy of Vinepair; and Felicity Carter of Meininger's Wine Business International. Three of the world's leading wine editors share the secrets of how to get an audience for your words in respected media.

Lifting the lid on the world's most subtly complex and increasingly sought after region, with Burgundy-based Master of Wine, Jasper Morris, award-winning author of Inside Burgundy.

Compared to other sectors, the wine industry often seems to rely on what it has done in the past or hunches. In this session, we talk to experts Lulie Halstead, Dr Simone Loose, and Paul Mabray about the challenges of gathering high quality data...and persuading wine producers to benefit from it.

If, like Eric Asimov of the New York Times, you are a natural and orange wine fan, or if you've yet to be seduced by low-intervention wines, this is your chance to put your questions to Alice Feiring, the unchallenged queen of the natural wine movement.

Join top international wine critics, Eric Asimov , Tim Atkin, and Elaine Chukan Brown as we explore the future of wine writing through the lens of financial and environmental sustainability.

WSET? MW? MBA? What are the pros and cons of the main educational programs? Which qualification is most valuable for anyone looking for a job? Your chance to ask Ian Harris, head of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, Damien Wilson of Sonoma State University and Adrian Garforth, chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine.

On the day that the Bordeaux En Primeur week should be getting underway, Decanter correspondent and award-winning writer, Jane Anson discusses with chateau owners, merchants and scientists who have been analysing the region using satellite imagery, what the 2019 vintage is really like, the implications of delaying its Spring release, and more generally how the region is responding to our new reality.

Star of TV's Chateau Monty series, Monty Waldin is the world's leading expert on Biodynamic wine, and author of two guides and a seminal book on the subject.

Jancis Robinson MW is unquestionably the world's leading wine authority today. Editor of the Oxford Companion to Wine, co-author of the World Atlas of Wine, Financial Times columnist, and creator of http://jancisrobinson.com. What would *you* like to ask her?

Eastern European wines are finally beginning to gain more recognition, but it's not easy, as British-born Philip Cox, Romania's biggest exporter, will explain.

As countries and regions, from Spain to San Francisco declare States of Emergency and lockdown, tens – possibly hundreds – of thousands of wine professionals are having to change the way they work. For our second Live Panel, we share experiences with three leading members of the wine industry, and an expert on digital tools designed to facilitate teamwork. Thanks to COVID-19, switching to remote working right now has not often been entirely voluntary, but according to many futurists, even without the virus, for many of us it's the shape of things to come.

As lockdowns are enforced from Naples to New York and restaurants put up “closed until further notice” signs, how is this affecting the sommeliers? How are thousands of men and women spending their time, now they are not pouring wine for customers? In Episode 3, we talk to James Tidwell of Texsom, co-head of the world's biggest annual gathering of somms; Ronan Rayburn MS who, after working with Gordon Ramsay, launched 67 Pall Mall and almost instantly made it the HQ of the London wine trade; and Joe Fattorini, on-trade consultant and presenter, The Wine Show.

Our first Live Video Podcast - focusing on the wine world in the face of the postponement/cancellation of all of its major Winter/Spring events: Chengdu Wine Fair, Prowein, Vinitaly, Vinexpo Hong Kong, RAW London...We were delighted to welcome: Ian Ford, former CEO of Summergate, one of China's top importers, and now heading the Nimbility consultancy in Asia; Stevie Kim, boss of Vinitaly, Wine2Wine, 5StarWines, OperaWine and the Vinitaly International Academy; Jane Anson, Bordeaux correspondent of Decanter and author of Inside BordeauxIsabelle Legeron MW, creator of the RAW natural wine fairs globallyFelicity Carter, editor of Meininger's Wine Business International, based in Neustadt, GermanyAndre Riberinho, head of Adegga events and Portugal Wine Week The session was hosted by Polly Hammond of digital marketing consultancy 5Forests, who was in BarcelonaandRobert Joseph, the Wine Thinker, who was in the south of England.The session was thrown together at four days notice, and there are some obvious glitches in the recording (not least the 'Celebrity Squares' format.)However, we hope the content is of interest (we had a lot of great feedback from the 150 or so participants who followed it live) and we'd love you to continue the conversation here.We plan to be recording sessions like this once or twice weekly during the COVID-19 crisis, and have some great guests lined up, so please subscribe to follow what we're doing.And please pitch in with suggestions of how we can do it better.Polly & Robert

Welcome to the Real Business of Wine, the webcast that brings together top professionals from across the world to share their experiences and expertise with everyone who's interested in how the wine world really works.