WineChain

WineChain is a digital marketplace aiming to restructure the fine wine ecosystem by leveraging blockchain technology to connect wineries directly with consumers. Founded in 2022 by Nicolas Mendiharat, Xavier Garambois, and Guillaume Jourdan, the company is addressing longstanding inefficiencies in the traditional wine market, such as the multitude of intermediaries, which often inflates costs and obscures provenance.

The founding team combines deep expertise from relevant sectors. Nicolas Mendiharat is a serial tech entrepreneur with a history of building consumer marketplaces, including the travel venture Skihorizon.com and the AI-driven wine-matching service, Palate Club. Xavier Garambois brings extensive logistics and e-commerce experience from his tenure as the former Vice-President of the European Consumer Business at Amazon. Guillaume Jourdan contributes over two decades of marketing and communications experience in the luxury wine sector as the founder of VitaBella.

The platform enables wineries to sell their wines directly to a global community of enthusiasts by issuing digital tokens, or wiNeFTs (wine NFTs), which correspond to physical bottles stored in professional, temperature-controlled warehouses. This model ensures the authenticity and perfect provenance of the wine, as the bottles remain stationary until the owner decides to redeem the NFT for physical delivery. This process mitigates the risks of damage from transport and poor storage, which can devalue fine wines. For consumers, the platform offers access to rare wines, expert advice through a concierge service, and the ability to build and trade a digital wine cellar with low commission fees. For wineries, it provides a direct sales channel, advance cash flow, valuable customer data, and a share in the secondary market through royalties on subsequent NFT trades.

WineChain has secured significant funding, including a €6 million round from investors such as Fabric Ventures and the families behind prestigious estates like Champagne Roederer and Château Cos d'Estournel. The company has also formed strategic partnerships, including one with logistics giant CMA CGM Group to manage global shipping. By November 2024, a partnership with fine wine specialist Alto added over 1,200 additional wines to the platform, significantly expanding its portfolio.

Keywords: fine wine marketplace, blockchain, NFT, wine investing, wine collecting, direct-to-consumer, wine traceability, wine provenance, wiNeFT, digital cellar, wine authentication, luxury wine, wine storage, en primeur, secondary market, wine logistics, Fabric Ventures, Nicolas Mendiharat, Xavier Garambois, Guillaume Jourdan