Winery Insider (wineryinsider.com) Launches
First Wine-Focused Members-Only Private Sale Company Goes Live
Sonoma, Calif., March 23, 2010 – Winery Insider (wineryinsider.com), the first members-only, private sale company to focus exclusively on the wine category, went live this week. Offering members access to hundreds of wines from all over the world, including brands well-known to wine lovers and aficionados, the online company features high quality wines at unparalleled prices, at least 40% and as much as 80% below suggested retail prices.
Developed by wine industry entrepreneurs Tony and Danielle Westfall, Winery Insider is modeled after similar e-commerce businesses in the fashion and home decorating categories. Consumers must apply for free membership at www.wineryinsider.com to obtain access to Winery Insider’s offerings. The site will post 45-60 offers a month, usually three at a time with durations ranging from 24-72 hours. All offers are time and inventory-limited. Members receive a $20 store credit if they refer someone who makes a purchase.
“Winery Insider provides an exclusive online shopping experience for people who love wine and love a good deal,” said Tony Westfall, whose keen negotiating skills were developed in supply chain management and procurement positions at Foster’s Wine Estates and Trinchero Family Estates. “And because we focus solely on wine, members know they’re getting the highest quality wines at the best prices anywhere.”
Winery Insider offers a carefully-edited group of global wines at various price points. The Westfall’s wide network of industry contacts includes wineries from Sonoma to Rioja, and both well-known, brand names and small, lesser known producers are represented on the site. All selections are made by Tony Westfall, who honed his palate tasting alongside the best known winemakers and sommeliers in California. A longtime collector, Westfall personally tastes hundreds of wines for Winery Insider, ultimately choosing only a small percentage to include.
“Friends have always come to me for advice on what wines to buy, so this is a natural extension,” says Westfall, who holds Level I certification with the Court of Master Sommeliers. “I wouldn’t do this unless I was sure we could offer excellent value to the consumer.”
With wines selling for 40-80% off suggested retail and at least 10% lower than the best internet price, Winery Insider offers competitive shipping rates, including $10 ground shipping on minimum $100 orders. Winery Insider ships only to U.S. states where wine shipments are legal.
Winery Insider launches at a time when many wineries are looking to sell excess inventory caused by plentiful grape supply coupled with a slow global economy. Westfall notes that wineries like the members-only structure of Winery Insider because it offers brand identity protection. Unlike marketing affiliates, Winery Insider handles all order fulfillment and compliance, making it easy for wineries to participate.
“Members-only private sale companies such as Winery Insider, Gilt Groupe and One Kings Lane occupy one of the few retail sectors experiencing considerable growth,” says Westfall. “Consumers like being on the inside – it’s like having access to employee prices. It’s a great place for suppliers to be.”
Winery Insider was developed by Tony and Danielle Westfall, wine industry entrepreneurs who have worked for Foster’s Wine Estates, Trinchero Family Estates, Viansa Winery & Vineyards and Wine.com. Their network of industry contacts and experience in software, supply chain, marketing and ecommerce led them to start Winery Insider, the only members-only private sale company focused exclusively on the wine category. Winery Insider is part of the Westfall’s Good Company Wines portfolio, which also includes VinoFina, an online wine retailer that donates a portion of proceeds from every bottle sold to non-profit and charitable organizations.
