Amazon goes from books to booze

It’s Friday, so what better way to end the week than with a drop of wine. If you plan ahead you could even order it from the Internet’s very own big-box outfit – Amazon.

by Helen Leggatt

That’s right, the online grapevine is working overtime with reports that Amazon is moving from books to booze. A recent Amazon job listing for a Senior Wine Buyer to be responsible for acquiring new product for an “entirely new selection from the ground up” pricked up online ears.

Jonathan Birchall of The Financial Times, who broke the story, writes “The wine sales will augment a rapidly expanding non-perishable groceries business that Amazon launched two years ago.”

Wine sales will be limited to the U.S. where the business is riddled with regulation. Limitations are put on where retailers can ship to and includes no more than 26 States, regulations which have put other online wine startups on hold.

However, the move could be good news for smaller producers and boutique vineyards who will find it easier to present their product to a much wider audience.