WineX Introduces An AI Guide To Help Visitors Discover Their Next Favourite Wine
With 120 exhibitors and around 700 wines to explore, deciding where to begin at a wine festival can be part of the challenge. This year, Standard Bank Private WineX is introducing an AI-powered guide designed to help visitors navigate the tasting floor according to their preferences, discover unfamiliar producers and learn more about the wines they try.
Called Smart Event Guide, the digital experience launches at the Sandton Convention Centre from 28 to 30 October 2026. Developed by Cape Town-based technology company Smart Operator, it brings WineX’s floor plan, producer information, wine regions and grape varieties into a conversational guide accessible through visitors’ phones.
Rather than simply listing exhibitors, the guide offers recommendations based on individual tastes, interests and budgets. Someone who enjoys lighter reds, for example, can ask where to find more wines in that style, while a visitor interested in an unfamiliar grape variety can seek out producers who work with it.
“Tell it what you love, or what you’re curious about, and it plots your way through,” says Fasie Malherbe, CEO of Smart Operator. “Every tasting teaches it more about you, so the further you go, the sharper the recommendations get.”
From Personal Recommendations To Wine Education
The guide is designed to evolve as visitors move through the festival, allowing them to record the wines they have tasted and enjoyed so that recommendations can become more tailored to their interests. It also offers guided tasting prompts, explanations of wine terminology and suggestions for questions visitors can ask producers.
This educational element could be particularly useful for people who enjoy wine but are still developing their confidence when it comes to tasting notes, grape varieties and regional differences. Instead of needing to know exactly what to ask before approaching a stand, visitors can use the guide to build their understanding and start conversations with winemakers.
“Smart Event Guide is designed so you can put your phone away,” Malherbe explains. “Every recommendation points you toward a person: a winemaker to meet, a question to ask them, a wine to share.”
That distinction is central to the experience. The technology helps visitors decide where to go and what to explore, but the tasting itself remains an opportunity to engage directly with the people behind each wine.
Helping Visitors Discover New Producers
For exhibitors, the guide offers another route to reaching visitors who may not have planned to seek them out. By connecting recommendations with producer information and the location of each stand, it can help direct people towards wineries they might otherwise miss while navigating a busy tasting floor.
Smart Operator says personal details are not sold or shared with producers. Organisers and exhibitors receive anonymised, aggregated insights into visitor interests, providing a broader picture of what people are exploring at the event.
The educational offering also extends beyond the tasting floor through Smart Operator’s founding learning partner, Cape Wine Academy. Visitors are encouraged to explore wine education, with courses intended to become available through the portal over time.
How To Access The Guide At WineX
Visitors can access Smart Event Guide by scanning the QR code at the entrance, downloading the app and completing a simple sign-up process. Access is included in the price of a WineX ticket.
Standard Bank Private WineX takes place at Sandton Convention Centre from 28 to 30 October 2026, with sessions running from 17:00 to 21:00 each evening. Wednesday evening is reserved for invited guests.
By combining personalised recommendations with wine education and direct access to producers, WineX is introducing another way to approach a tasting festival. The aim is not simply to help visitors sample more wines, but to make it easier to find bottles and producers that give them a reason to keep exploring.
