According to this Washington Post article Amazon is looking to offer wine online again. Evidently, Amazon tried it once with no success but now is working with a logistics company who specializes in interstate e-commerce. According to the author this is a good move and good timing on the part of Amazon and I certainly can see how this can only help bring more wine to the masses at very affordable prices. But, will it “cheapen” the experience and will you be able to find your favorites via this channel? I’ve read that a lot of the specialized wineries may not be willing to risk their relationships with certain retailers nor will they be want to de-value their products with the huge mark-downs Amazon will most certainly be demanding. Also, since there are still a lot of statutoy regulations prohibiting alcohol sales across certain borders, it looks like only 26 states will be able to purchase via Amazon to start.
To get an idea how this might work, check out Amazon’s improvement on WebVan’s online grocery concept called AmazonFresh, which is currently only available in Seattle. Click this link to see the Beer & Wine section. For more comments see my other thread on Snooth:
