Amazon introduces Texas to world wine Web

A. Lee Graham Sampling Texas wine is just a few keystrokes away after Amazon.com Inc. this week cleared the way for Texas delivery through its online wine site. Not only can Texas residents place orders for home delivery, but Texas wineries now have cyber-access to customers across the country after they were added to more than 350 wineries and 2,200 labels already available on Amazon Wine. “We’re very excited for Texas wineries to share their highly ranked selection with our millions of customers through the Amazon Wine store,” said Peter Faricy, vice president for Amazon Marketplace, commenting in a news release. “We want to connect customers with wineries around the country and provide a destination where they can learn about and purchase wines directly from wineries on the platform they trust,” Faricy said. Among Texas wineries anticipating out-of-state sales is Llano Estacado in Lubbock. “Llano Estacado is the largest premium winery in Texas, so we’re in most stores statewide, but we’re not outside the state,” said Mike Laughlin, tasting room manager for the winery. “With Amazon Wine, we will be able to get in front of millions of new customers.” Customers now have access to Texas wines such as Messina Hof, Becker Vineyards, McPherson Cellars and Brennan Vineyards, among others. Customers also can find popular wine-country picks from California, Oregon and Washington. Currently, Amazon offers shipping from wineries to customers in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, Wyoming, and the District of Columbia. With the addition of Texas, Amazon Wine has added delivery to four states since originally launching in November with more states to follow. More information is available atwww.amazon.com/wineshipping.   lgraham@bizpress.net