Online retail giant Amazon today announced the uncorking of its dedicated marketplace for wine (in beta). The company will offer customers “more than a thousand wines” from wineries across the United States.
The selection includes a wide variety of red wines, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Malbec, and white wines like Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc.
This is in line with earlier reports from the Wall Street Journal and others.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Amazon developed plans for an online wine marketplace, but it’s the first time they’ve actually launched one (though they’ve come pretty close in the past).
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Starting today, people can have up to six bottles of their favorite wine shipped for $9.99.
At launch, shipping will be available to California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and the District of Columbia, with more states coming soon, Amazon said in a statement.
No word about plans for internationalization.
The site will compete against the likes of Wine.com, Wine Library and TastingRoom.com, and tons of nimbler online wine retailers across the US. It may also have an effect on startups like Lot18 and others.
Peter Faricy, Vice President, Amazon Marketplace, commented on the launch of the new online wine store thusly:
“Whether it’s helping customers find a favorite varietal, shop for holiday pairings or expand their cellar with a special hand-crafted bottle, we’re excited to provide the right tools and information needed to guide them to the perfect wine.
We’re thrilled for wineries around the country to share their great collections of wines with our customers through the Amazon Wine Store.”
Wineries interested in selling on Amazon Wine can learn more here.
Image credit: Thinkstock
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