Exploring Pinot Noir consumption among younger Chinese consumers

Purpose The paper aims to explore the drivers of Pinot Noir consumption among younger Chinese wine consumers and to examine how emerging technologies – particularly artificial intelligence (AI)-powered social media, recommendation systems and e-commerce platforms – shape their learning, identity construction and purchasing behavior. Drawing on cultural capital theory and the notion of technological capital, the study explains how digital technologies have reconfigured access to wine knowledge and repositioned Pinot Noir from a niche, high-status wine to an accessible lifestyle product among Chinese Millennials and Generation Z consumers. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts a qualitative research design grounded in in-depth interviews with 30 Chinese Millennial and Generation Z wine consumers in major Chinese cities. The data are first analyzed using a hermeneutic approach to uncover underlying meanings and motivations. In addition, crisp-set qualitative comparative analysis (csQCA) is used as a set-theoretic, configurational technique to identify combinations of conditions associated with a preference for Pinot Noir such as consumer characteristics, learning modes and technology preferences. Crisp-set QCA is used to complement qualitative insights by examining patterns of sufficiency, equifinality and causal asymmetry. Findings The paper provides empirical insights into how AI-driven digital platforms shape wine consumption among younger Chinese consumers. It suggests that algorithmic discovery mechanisms act as enabling forces by democratizing access to wine knowledge and guiding preferences for Pinot Noir beyond traditional elite social networks. Research limitations/implications Because of the qualitative research design and relatively small sample size, the findings may lack generalizability. Future research could apply quantitative methods to test the identified configurations and extend the analysis to other wine categories or cultural contexts, particularly in emerging Asian markets. Practical implications The paper offers practical implications for wine producers and retailers in leveraging AI-driven content, personalized recommendations and livestreaming to engage younger consumers beyond traditional prestige-based marketing strategies. Originality/value This study contributes to wine business research by integrating cultural capital theory with technological and algorithmic perspectives. It introduces technological capital as a key mechanism explaining how AI-mediated platforms reshape wine knowledge acquisition, identity construction and Pinot Noir consumption in China.