USA: WineTasting.com Pilot Site Launched

WineTasting.com announced today the pilot launch featuring 25 leading California wineries, with nine more scheduled for implementation by the end of August. A digital marketplace of online tasting rooms, WineTasting.com is revolutionizing online wine sales by enabling wineries to sell directly to consumers from their own web sites. WineTasting.com gives wineries what other online retailers do not: a way of providing their best customers with access to their most exclusive wines and an e-commerce solution for wineries lacking the right technology and fulfillment system. It is especially valuable to small wineries without a physical tasting room. One of the country's most respected wineries, Chateau Montelena, has met with early success on WineTasting.com. "Our customers have been asking for convenient, online ordering, direct from our tasting room. WineTasting.com has enabled us to stay close to our customers -- without the need to travel to Calistoga," said Greg Ralston, director of Sales, Marketing & Administration at Chateau Montelena. "WineTasting.com is a one-stop solution for our customers and for Chateau Montelena. In the first 90 days, the response from our customers has been great." Rather than reselling wine purchased from wholesalers and retailers, WineTasting.com provides wineries with e-commerce tools at one-tenth the cost of developing a proprietary web site. This Application Service Provider business model allows wineries to sell wine at retail prices, manage their consumer relationships, and control their brand identity online. In addition, the company provides deep expertise in compliant fulfillment services, a legacy strength from the company's Ambrosia wine unit. Currently, WineTasting.com provides fulfillment services to 50 wineries. "It is hard to believe that we are selling wine at