About Vinami

What Vinami is

Vinami is a wine companion service guided by an AI sommelier.

Rather than stopping at "here's a bottle for you", it aims to walk with you as you put your tasting experiences into words and gradually come to understand your own palate. The goal isn't deciding what to drink tonight — it's reaching the point where you can talk about wine with someone.

Alongside that, we publish a catalogue of wine regions, producers and cuvées from around the world, plus articles written for people who have only just started drinking wine.

Why I'm building it

In the process of falling in love with wine, the point where I most needed help wasn't after I earned my certification. It was at the very beginning, when I understood nothing.

I was fortunate: senior colleagues and a boss who loved wine taught me as I went. Even so, walking into a shop alone was a different matter. What if they think I'm pretending to know something? That thought would surface first, and I'd end up unable to strike up a conversation with the sommelier. Even with people around me happy to teach, that was still true.

Far more people, I suspect, give up on wine without ever having anyone they can ask.

There is already more than enough wine information in books and online. What's missing isn't information. It's someone you can ask without first wondering whether the question is too stupid to ask.

I believe AI can fill that role. However many times you ask the same thing, however basic the question, it will never look down on you. Creating that judgement-free space is where Vinami starts.

What I want to build isn't a tool that teaches you about wine. It's something that stays beside you until you've come to love it.

What we promise

No judgement. Any question is fine, however basic, however many times you ask it. Not knowing something isn't embarrassing.

No rush. There's no list of grape varieties you must memorise and no quota to hit. "That was good" is a complete answer.

Experience over knowledge. We believe wine becomes genuinely enjoyable not the moment you learn a fact, but the moment you drink something and think "ah — so that's what that aroma is."

What we can't do

Some things we'd rather say plainly:

• Taste is personal. Vinami's suggestions are only suggestions. If one doesn't suit you, that means your palate is working correctly.
• We don't give health or medical advice. Please consult a doctor about alcohol and your own health.
• Drinking under the age of 20 is prohibited by law in Japan. Please also avoid alcohol if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or driving.
• Prices and stock are accurate as of the time they were retrieved. Always check the retailer's page before buying.

How Vinami is funded

Vinami is funded by affiliate revenue from wine purchase links. If you buy through one of those links, Vinami receives a referral fee.

Whether or not a referral fee exists never changes which wines we feature or what our articles say. Our editorial policy covers this in more detail.