Wine.com Takes Additional Step to Keep Alcohol Away From Minors

Business Wire, Sept 10, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO -- Wine.com announced to day that it will begin using an "identification checking label" on all direct shipments to consumers of wine or wine-containing gift products.

The new label reminds delivery drivers that they may only deliver packages containing alcoholic beverages to a person aged 21 years or older, and instructs them how to properly check ID's and verify the identity of anyone who appears to be under 35 years of age. In the event the delivery person is not able to make a delivery in accordance with the ID checking label, Wine.com instructs the delivery person to return the shipment at Wine.com's expense.

Wine.com shipping containers will begin prominently featuring the new label during the fourth quarter of 2004. The new label came at the suggestion of Wine.com's alcoholic beverage law counsel, Hinman and Carmichael LLP (www.beveragelaw.com), one of the nation's leading law firms specializing in alcoholic beverage law. Hinman & Carmichael has recommended to all of its clients who ship alcoholic beverages through direct delivery, that they begin using this label, and other large direct shippers of alcoholic beverages are expected to follow suit.

Wine.com President and CEO George Garrick strongly endorsed the new labeling recommendation: "Wine.com has always used extensive labels and warnings on our website, our catalogs, and our packaging to prevent ordering by and delivery to minors. This additional warning goes a step further by including explicit ID checking instructions for the delivery driver. We will continue to use all means available to us to prevent access to wine by minors and will continue to comply with all state and local regulations concerning the sale and direct delivery of wine."

About Wine.com

Founded in 1997, Wine.com is America's leading online wine retailer. Offering over 10,000 unique wines to 26 different States and Japan, Wine.com offers the largest selection of any wine store on Earth and also offers wine gifts, gift baskets, and wine clubs. Wine.com is a licensed wine retailer in numerous states and legally delivers wine directly to customers' homes or offices from eleven different locations around the U.S. Wine.com operates the world's most trafficked wine web site, according to research conducted by Comscore. For more information, visit http://www.wine.com.