Amazon Wants To Be Your Wine Sommelier

What geek doesn't love a great bottle of wine? Well thanks to a new service from Amazon you now have a new option for ordering your favorite wines from home. The online retailer announced a new online wine marketplace today featuring more than 1,000 wines from wineries in the United States, including Francis Ford Coppola, Hall, Mark Ryan, Eden Canyon, Pepper Bridge and Roadhouse.

“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,” said Peter Faricy, Vice President, Amazon Marketplace. “We’re thrilled for wineries around the country to share their great collections of wines with our customers through the Amazon Wine Store.”

Of course there will be some restrictions for shipping and ordering.

Both the purchaser and the recipient of the wine must be at least 21 years of age, and all shipments require an adult signature at delivery. The shipment won't be delivered if some over the age of 21 isn’t available to sign. Shipping will currently be limited to California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and the District of Columbia, with more states said to be added soon. State regulations governing the sale and delivery of alcohol across U.S. state borders will also be honored so there might be a few other hurdles to face.

Amazon says it will ship up to six bottles of your favorite wine for $9.99. Pricing on bottles varies greatly, but Amazon has a pretty decent selection of great wines ranging from $6 for a Barefoot Cellars varietal to over $30,000 for a 2003 Ausone 6 L Imperial.

Customers can learn about the wine’s American Viticultural Area (AVA), composition, percentage of alcohol and much more. In addition, product pages feature robust details directly from winemakers, including tasting notes, food pairing suggestions and total case production. For example, winemaker Jean-François Pellet of Pepper Bridge Winery provides a detailed description for customers interested in the Pepper Bridge Winery 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon. He describes it as “broad and supple” with classic Cabernet Sauvignon characteristics of dark fruits intertwine harmoniously with savory, earthy notes of cocoa, coffee, clove and toast. To experience more flavors, Pellet suggests pairing it with beef, lamb or chocolate.

When customers shop on Amazon Wine, they can narrow search results to meet their personal tastes, enabling them to discover new wines and find long-time favorites. For instance, customers can select multiple filters such as “90 & Up” for Professional Rating, “Cherry” for Tasting Note, and “Sierra Foothills” for Winery Location.

For more details checkout www.amazon.com/wine