SeaNews Unboxed is a series of interviews featuring exclusive conversations with experts, bringing you closer to the people behind the world of logistics.

Interview highlights

• VinLog was created as Kuehne+Nagel’s specialised unit for beer, wine, and spirits logistics, with a name that reflects its deep connection to the wine industry and its global reach. 
• The beverage logistics sector is uniquely complex, facing strict regulations, cultural differences, and challenges such as tariffs and temperature-sensitive shipping, which require specialised expertise and careful handling. 
• Curiosity is seen as an essential quality at VinLog, driving the team to build relationships, understand customer needs, and appreciate the unique stories behind every bottle.
• If VinLog were a wine, it would be a Pinot Noir: desirable, challenging to perfect, and always improving with time.

Full interview

Q: VinLog is a very special unit at Kuehne+Nagel, and I am positive our readers would love to know how it came to life. And why was it named VinLog?

Horst Mueller: VinLog is the specialised unit for beer, wines and spirits and generally beverages within Kuehne+Nagel. It was established in 2019 as an extension of KN Drinks Logistics, which we had beforehand.

We started in the early 2000s with KN Drinks Logistics. Later, we found that the term KN Drinks Logistic does not work in every country because the word ‘drinks’ is understood in certain English-speaking countries, but not in others. Therefore, we saw that having another name was quite important. The name was born when the management got together and came up with a play on words, combining the words (Vine) and (Logistics), hence VinLog.

The unit had a soft launch in April 2019 during Italy’s Vinitaly trade show, and we had planned a big launch for Province 2020. However, COVID-19 hit, and all trade shows were cancelled at the time.

Q: What makes the beverages sector different from other logistics sectors?

Horst Mueller:  I think alcohol is often underestimated as a product, and some people might be surprised to know that we have a specialised division for alcoholic drinks. But if you really look at it, alcohol is one of the most restricted and regulated products in the world. In many cases, the government is involved in certain ways. Both the importation and distribution of alcohol are highly regulated in terms of labelling and shipping as well. Some countries restricted the sale of alcoholic beverages to the government itself. This changed a bit recently, but previously it was sometimes completely regulated by government bodies.

Q: Can you give us examples?

Horst Mueller: Yes. If you look at the US, it's quite interesting. The only amendment that repeals a previous amendment to the US Constitution was related to alcohol. The 21st Amendment reversed Prohibition, and it was the only amendment ratified by state conventions rather than state legislatures. [editor’s note: Prohibition refers to the period in US history (1920–1933) when the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages were banned nationwide].

After this change, the distribution, manufacture, and sale of alcohol were allowed. And this is effectively also quite a complex topic, as the US is by far the biggest market for us in terms of imports. At the same time, we cannot do business directly with retailers because that's illegal in the US. That’s what makes the US example an interesting and complex one.

Q: Consuming a range of alcoholic drinks is in many ways connected to the regional and cultural differences of the world. Can you give us your perspective on that?

Horst Mueller: When you look at alcoholic beverages globally, it’s really a colourful mix of beer, wine, and spirits. But it’s not a one-size-fits-all situation. Take the United Kingdom, for example. They’re famous for Scotch, yet historically they haven’t produced wine, although that’s starting to change. So most of the wine consumed in the UK is imported. Where, if you look at France, of course, their import of wine is very minimal.

Spirits is a different story. Here, global brands dominate. A good example is Jack Daniel’s: a Tennessee whiskey, not a bourbon as many think. It’s produced in Lynchburg, Tennessee, and owned by Brown-Forman. You can find a bottle of Jack Daniel’s almost anywhere in the world. This illustrates how the spirits market is largely controlled by a small number of very large brand owners.

Beer, on the other hand, tends to be more local. Most countries have their own domestic beers, and local consumption is significant. Of course, there are global beer players that you’ll find almost everywhere.

Wine is unique. While it’s globally available, it remains a very nationalistic product. Many American wineries focus primarily on the US market, and South American producers often prioritise domestic sales, with exports as an add-on. That said, exports are becoming increasingly important. New Zealand is a great example. Its Sauvignon Blanc has grown massively in popularity over the past 20 years because of its fresh, distinctive taste.

At the mass-consumption level, price is often the main driver for wine, beer, and even spirits. But wine stands out as the most fascinating product to discuss. It’s still very much an agricultural and artisanal product, and often a deeply personal one. There’s a strong connection between wine and the regions where it’s produced, and that cultural identity makes it unique among alcoholic beverages.

Q: That probably means that your conversations with our wine-producing customers are very fun and unique.

Horst Mueller: Yes. In our meetings with customers, or even with visitors at trade shows and wine fairs, we talk a lot about the specificities of wine. People love to talk about it, just as much as drink it. Many like the feeling of having a glass of wine because it is a sophisticated and social drink. I give you an example: we often laugh when we hear stories of someone visiting a winery during a trip, loving their wine, and buying some bottles to take home, but when they wanted to relive the moment with friends, the wine didn't taste as good. On a trip, you’re happy, totally relaxed on vacation, and you thought you were going to share this experience, but it’s not the same moment, right?

Q: Right, and this could happen with anything, really.

Horst Mueller: True.

Q: What are the challenges that VinLog faces at the moment?

Horst Mueller: At the moment, it is the US tariffs, affecting a lot of our customers from all over the world. If you look at countries like South Africa, they have significantly higher tariffs than some of the other countries, but it’s even a challenge for some of the countries in Europe. That’s because many of our customers rely on the US, and the US is by far the largest consumer market. The schedule reliability of sea freight shipments is another challenge.

Q: Why is this an issue for this sector?

Horst Mueller: A lot of the wine we ship comes from the southern hemisphere on backhaul trades and from faraway countries. For example, transit times from New Zealand and Australia to Europe are some of the longest, reaching up to 90 or 100 days. Because of the Suez Canal situation, transits from these countries into Europe, also into the US, take an even longer time. The one good thing is that wine does not have a best-by date, right? Whereas beer, for example, typically has a shelf life of about one year, making it more challenging. So, from a supply chain perspective, this is one of the problems caused by schedule unreliability.

Let me give you a couple of other examples that are probably real-life examples. If you look at a rosé from the South of France, you wouldn’t usually drink it in the middle of winter when it's -10 degrees outside, because it’s a wine that you drink cold. It's a summer wine. Therefore, the market has to have supplies around the end of the spring and the beginning of the summer. It's the same with champagne. Champagne is mainly consumed during the holiday season, so if champagne arrives in January, it doesn't make any sense because most people will not drink champagne in January.

We again have a wide spectrum of different challenges. I think if we look at some of our customers that are importing from what we call the old world, which is really old European wineries, they get only small allocations of very high-end wine, so they only get an allocation of maybe one pallet, in some cases, only a handful of cases and it's almost like art that you can't reproduce. Therefore, we must ensure that we take very good care of these wines, as they are irreplaceable; some of them exist only once. We're talking about very small, single-vineyard, very high-end wines. Every time a vintage bottle is opened, there's one bottle less. Some of these wines are even put out for auction, like collectables.

Q: This certainly requires a very special and dedicated team. Can you tell us about a recent project that showcases the VinLog team dynamic?

Horst Mueller:  Sure. We have been working on some exciting projects with the wineries in various ways. One of our big projects was with a large US customer who wanted to have the ability to plan and predict their supply chain costs. We came up with a calculation tool that they can add their numbers to, and it would estimate the cost for one section of their businesses. They import about 1.3 million cases from a specific origin, and they gave us a target number they want to reach. This is quite unique for us, as we work with multiple locations.

In the end, they let us manage their entire supply chain. This is a project that took us the better part of nine months. The project is still ongoing, and it's the first project of its kind, which has proved to be exciting.

I'm very proud of our team because the teams in both countries have worked very closely together on making this happen. Our team worked together with the customer’s different departments, whether their logistics team, their procurement team, or their purchasing team, which demonstrates our ability to do something that is new and enjoy it at the same time.

We also have a project that goes back a couple of years. It involves the delivery of a very expensive, high-end cognac directly to special customers. We delivered 120 bottles to, I believe, 60 countries in the world; each bottle is worth 60,000 EUR. This project was a good and quite interesting challenge.

Q: How would you personally describe your team?

Horst Mueller: We are a colourful team that works together, and somehow it works. We’re like a band, like Metallica, for example. Just as that group is made up of four very different individuals, we’re a collection of people from diverse backgrounds, each with our own interests and approaches. Some of us enjoy wine, some prefer Scotch, and some don’t drink at all. Yet, despite our differences, we come together and make it work as a team.

What’s more, the way we work can differ depending on where we are. For those living in a wine-producing country, the relationship with suppliers is quite different from that of someone on the importing side. The supplier’s perspective on their product is not the same as the importer’s.

But ultimately, the most important thing is the name on the wine label. If a customer buys a bottle of wine in a restaurant and isn’t happy with it, it isn’t the seller, shipper, or handler who loses the customer. It’s the winery, whose family name is there on the label, sometimes for generations. They’re the ones who put their heart and soul into the product, and they’re the ones at risk of losing a customer if the wine isn’t good. That’s why, as a team, we always keep in mind how our work reflects on the winery and strive to uphold that trust and responsibility.

Q: So if you were to name one quality a person working in VinLog needs to have, which quality would that be?

Horst Mueller: If I were to name one essential quality for someone working at VinLog, I’d say it’s curiosity. While we increasingly work with multinational clients and procurement professionals, at its core, our industry is still all about people, engaging with them, having conversations, and building relationships. You can’t be afraid to speak with customers or take an interest in their achievements. It’s important to be genuinely curious about where the products come from, about the stories behind the bottles, and about the people who make and enjoy them.

This curiosity goes beyond simply understanding wine or spirits; it’s about appreciating the journey each product has taken, and the pride that producers have in their craft. Our work often goes unnoticed, yet countless hands help deliver that bottle of wine to someone’s table. Recognising this and being eager to learn more about every aspect of our business is vital.

Q: What’s better than closing this interview with asking, if VinLog were a drink, what would it be and why?

Horst Mueller: I think if we were a wine, I'd say we are Pinot noir. And why a Pinot Noir? Because it is the queen of grapes, right? It's very desirable and one of the most challenging varieties to grow and to perfect. It's one of my favourite wines as well, when done correctly. And because we are always improving, maybe today we are a Burgundy, which makes the best Pinot Noirs in my opinion. I think it is a very good example.

Q: Fits perfectly with VinLog, and the more it progresses, the better it will age. Thank you very much for this lovely talk.