PourPlays launches an online game to teach wine pairings

An American wine technology company is trying to turn one of the industry’s oldest lessons into an online game.

PourPlays has introduced PairPlays, a browser-based game that teaches wine and food pairing through an arcade-style format while also offering winery promotions, discount coupons and prizes. The company says the project is aimed at consumers who prefer to learn online, especially younger adults who are more likely to respond to short, interactive experiences than to formal wine education.

In the game, the player controls a wine glass with a computer mouse and moves it across the screen to catch foods that match the wine shown in the glass. The foods fall from the top of the screen, and the player gains or loses points depending on the pairing. A Riesling paired with fish, for example, earns points, while matching that wine with steak results in a penalty. A Sangiovese would produce the opposite result in that example.

The system is built around progression. As players collect points, they move through a series of levels that begin with occasional drinker and continue through more advanced ranks, including enthusiast, connoisseur, sommelier and master. The game includes seven rounds focused on red wine, white wine, dessert wine, sparkling wine, grape variety, region and a bonus stage.

The educational element is only part of the model. PairPlays also functions as a marketing channel for wineries that choose to participate. Each time a player advances, new rewards can be unlocked, including discount vouchers for affiliated wineries. According to the company, top players on the leaderboard can win “Gold Vouchers” that can be used for bottles, cases and subscriptions, with discounts of up to 99%.

The game also includes advertising tied directly to the wine trade. If a player loses a life, that life can be recovered by watching an advertisement, which typically highlights a winery, a wine region or an appellation. That mechanic gives wine businesses another point of contact with potential customers while keeping players inside the game.

Byron Bennett, founder and chief executive of PourPlays, said the idea came from what he sees as a basic problem for the wine sector: consumers are not spending as much time learning the rules of wine, and producers have struggled to hold the attention of younger drinkers. He said many people are less willing to devote hours to studying pairings and that younger generations are used to learning more quickly and in more interactive ways.

Bennett said the company wants to give those consumers a way to explore wine at their own pace. He also argued that the broader wine business has given younger consumers “every reason to look elsewhere” and that digital tools such as PairPlays can offer reasons for them to return and stay engaged.

The launch comes at a difficult time for the wine industry, which has faced weaker consumption in several markets and continuing questions about how to attract new drinkers. Producers, trade groups and retailers have increasingly looked for new forms of communication that move beyond traditional tasting notes, technical training and formal service culture. PairPlays reflects that shift by treating wine knowledge less as a fixed set of rules and more as a fast, accessible experience that can be learned through repetition and rewards.

That approach may also reflect a broader change in how pairing itself is presented to consumers. Wine and food matching has long been taught as a structured discipline, but the company is betting that many consumers now prefer a looser and more practical format. Instead of reading guidance from books, restaurant menus or educational courses, players are asked to make quick decisions on screen and absorb the logic through trial, error and instant feedback.

For wineries, the appeal is not only visibility but direct access to a digital audience. PourPlays says the platform can be used to distribute promotions and gather consumer information, giving producers a more immediate connection to potential buyers than many traditional advertising tools. For players, the incentive is different: a game that offers entertainment first, wine education second and the possibility of tangible rewards throughout the process.

PairPlays turns that combination into a simple proposition. Learn the pairing, keep scoring, unlock the next level and collect the offer attached to it.