Wine.com Gets Cooking with PBS; Partnerships With Popular PBS Programs Extends Brand Reach and Content of wine.com

Business Wire, April 20, 2000

Business Editors & High-Tech/Entertainment Writers

NAPA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 20, 2000

Wine.com, the leading global wine portal, has announced an integrated alliance with several of the highest rated, national cooking programs on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). As the exclusive online wine merchant for the partnering PBS shows, wine.com will extend the reach of its brand by contributing online content, providing underwriting support of broadcast programming, and having a strong presence at public television food events and in promotional materials. The partnerships take effect this month and will continue through the 2000-2001 season.

"Wine.com is committed to making information about wines easily accessible to consumers, and PBS program partnerships allow us to maximize opportunities for exposure," said Bill Newlands, president and CEO of wine.com. "This strategic business decision will solidify wine.com's position as the premier online wine authority by allowing us to deliver information about wines to consumers through PBS broadcast programming and online content." As part of the alliance, wine.com will have a visible presence on three of PBS's most popular food programs: "Regina's Vegetarian Table," "Great Food," and "Master Chef USA." "Regina's Vegetarian Table" is one of PBS' top-rated programs, and all three programs currently air nationally on more than 200 PBS affiliates.

The broad partnership allows wine.com to be the exclusive online wine merchant for each program's Web site. In this role, wine.com will make recommendations of wines to pair with the recipes listed on each of the cooking programs' sites. Furthermore, wines highlighted on the programs and their online sites will be available for purchase through www.wine.com and each program's Web site (www.pbs.org/regina, www.greatfoodtv.com, and www.masterchefusa.com).

In addition to its online presence with each of the three cooking shows, wine.com will air 15-second underwriting message segments at the opening and closing of each program. Wine.com also will be featured at related public television food events, on home videos, in companion books and publications, and in PBS membership programs nationwide.

About wine.com (www.wine.com)

Founded in 1994, wine.com was the first wine merchant on the Web and a pioneer in electronic commerce. The company's global portal site, www.wine.com, features a hand-selected, ever-growing selection of American and international wines and wine-related gifts and accessories for customers worldwide. The company makes wine buying easy and fun with detailed wine information, its proprietary wine tasting chart and expert advice from its professional wine team led by two Master Sommeliers. Each wine listed on the site is tasted and selected by wine.com's team of professional wine experts and is 100% guaranteed. Wine.com's "Featured Wineries" gives consumers access to exclusive wines from such leading wine brands as Niebaum-Coppola, Kendall-Jackson, Sterling Vineyards and Domaine Chandon. Wine.com is able to ship wine through a legally compliant network of wholesalers and retailers to more than 90% of the United States, as well as Asia and Europe. Wine.com is privately held and is headquartered in Napa with an office in Fremont, California.

SOURCE: wine.com