A Fort Myers-based startup is betting that gamification can reverse the wine industry's slide with younger consumers. PourPlays launched its gamified wine education platform on Sunday alongside PairPlays, a food-and-wine pairing game that rewards players with redeemable coupons — including so-called Golden Coupons offering up to 99% off bottles, cases, and subscriptions.
The Market Problem
The backdrop for the launch is a category under meaningful stress. Wine consumption has been declining, and oversupply has pushed approximately 40% of wine volume onto discount channels — a structural pressure point that has rendered traditional promotional vehicles, including subscription boxes and fragmented coupon programs, largely ineffective at retaining millennial and Gen Z drinkers. PourPlays is positioning itself as a two-sided solution: a direct promotional channel for wineries and retailers on one side, and a free-to-play engagement layer for consumers on the other.
The platform operates on a freemium model, with a base tier available at no cost and a Premium subscription unlocking the full rewards suite. For trade partners, the platform promises first-party consumer data and a self-serve mechanism to issue targeted promotions — a capability that has grown more valuable as third-party data signals erode across digital advertising.
How PairPlays Works
PairPlays is structured as a progression-based arcade game in which players catch falling objects associated with foods, wines, and grape varietals. Completing rounds — covering Red, White, Dessert, Sparkling, Grape, Region, and Bonus categories — advances players through five tiers: Casual Drinker, Enthusiast, Connoisseur, Sommelier, and Master. Each completed round unlocks coupons and collectible "Wine Cellar" cards; leaderboard leaders earn Golden Coupons redeemable against real purchases.
The mechanic mirrors engagement loops proven in mobile gaming: daily log-in rewards, tiered progression, and collectible assets designed to sustain return visits. The company is also integrating AI-powered pairing recommendations, centralizing what has historically been fragmented across retailer apps, editorial sites, and sommelier tools.
What It Means for the Trade
"The wine industry has given younger consumers every reason to look elsewhere," said Byron Bennett, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of PourPlays. "PourPlays gives them every reason to come back — and stay."
For operators and on-premise accounts, the platform represents a new affiliate-style channel that could supplement traditional promotional spend. Rather than discounting at the shelf — which erodes margin and brand equity — wineries and retailers using PourPlays issue coupons within a controlled, engagement-driven environment, in theory reaching consumers already in a discovery mindset. The model draws parallels to loyalty mechanics deployed by spirits and hospitality brands in recent years, adapted for a category that has lagged in direct-to-consumer digital infrastructure.
The wine education angle also addresses a longstanding barrier to category entry. Sommelier-led courses and printed guides have struggled to reach casual drinkers, and the broader beverage alcohol market has watched spirits and hard seltzers capture younger cohorts partly by removing the intimidation factor from the purchase decision. A game-first approach to pairing education is a direct response to that dynamic.
PairPlays is available now at pourplays.com. Winery and retailer partnership terms were not disclosed at launch.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
