Marks & Spencer has rolled out an AI powered Wine Finder as it looks to help customers select the right bottle of wine for their palate.

The tool, which is available online for around 500 stores and on point-of-sale marketing in 20 foodhalls, asks a few questions about personal preferences before offering “tailored recommendations” of wines ranged in the chosen store.

The retailer is trialling Wine Finder to help customers shop a category that it said can be confusing. Recent ‘Wine Worries’ research, conducted on behalf of M&S, found that nearly a quarter of shoppers spend more than 10 minutes deliberating in the wine aisle.

The tool is supported by the M&S Food digital catalogue, which provides customers with live stock information in around 1,000 stores. Wine Finder is available through the M&S app and customers can see what’s in stock at their local store and add items to a digital shopping list.

The technology is powered by Preferabli, an AI-driven product discovery and recommendation software in wine, spirits and food, and M&S said it’s the first time the tech is being integrated by a grocery retailer in the UK.

Caroline Thompson-Hill, head of beers, wine and spirits at M&S Food, said: “We know wine can be a difficult category to shop and it’s important that we find new ways to support our customers when shopping our incredible range in store. By utilising AI, the Wine Finder tool helps encourage customers to try different regions, grapes and bottles they’ve not considered before. By suggesting wines to try, we’ll help customers make decisions in stores and hopefully find some new favourites.”