Whether coffee or chocolate, pizza or pencils, connoisseurship has become a pastime for the masses. But if anyone can become a connoisseur of anything, will the concept lose its mystique?

The average French person quaffed 160 litres of wine every year back in 1965. Today it's down to 50 litres – and falling fast. A new start-up – 10-Vins – hopes to change this with an innovative, technology-driven business model that appeals to the modern French drinker.

Being a foodie might be more fashionable than ever, but wine lists are still mystifying at the best of times. Now a new app, WineGlass, promises to put all the expertise of a sommelier in your pocket. And it even uses character recognition to read the menu for you.

Young wine drinkers account for a significant proportion of wine consumption in the UK, but seem to lack engagement with or knowledge of the topic. There's a big gap in the UK market for some savvy brand positioning, concludes Ella Majava.