Wine-Searcher
 | |
| Company type | Web Search Engine |
|---|---|
| Industry | Internet |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Products | Wine Information |
| Website | www.wine-searcher.com |
Wine-Searcher is a web search engine enabling users to locate the price and availability of a given wine globally, and be directed to a retail outlet selling the wine. As of July 2016, Wine-Searcher had 8.6 million wine listings from 66,680 outlets globally. The site also includes an encyclopedia of wine regions, grape varieties and wine producers.
History
The company was founded in 1998 by Martin Brown, a former e-commerce manager for London wine merchant Berry Bros & Rudd. In 2006, the operation was shifted from London to Auckland, in Brown's native New Zealand. The company now has a staff of roughly 50 employees including software developers, database administrators, account managers and writers.
Products and services
Wine-Searcher collects online wine lists from a range of wine stores, merchants and auction houses. A small team of wine specialists vets the listings, which are uploaded to a database. Merchants can choose to boost their own listings by paying a yearly fee to "sponsor" Wine-Searcher. These listings are available to all users, but for a small fee, an upgrade to Pro Version will return all results.
Apart from its core function as a database, Wine-Searcher also has an encyclopedia which covers 1000 grape varieties and 3500 wine regions.[1] It also provides wine news and features. In 2013, Wine-Searcher released its first mobile app, initially for iPhone and later for Android.[2]
Wine-Searcher's income derives from charging subscribers for "pro version" access, charging retailers to share their listings, and advertisements on the web site.[3]
Reviews
Over the years, Wine-Searcher's contribution to online wine business has been recognized by numerous sources. Notable among them are The New York Times,[4] Time,[5] Forbes magazine,[6] Seattle Times,[7] Jancis Robinson,[8] The Journal Gazette,[9] Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,[10] The Times,[11] "Bloomberg Luxury",[12][13] Los Angeles Times.[14]
References
- ^ "Wine Regions & Appellations". Retrieved 11 February 2014.
- ^ "Wine-Searcher Mobile App". Retrieved 17 February 2014.
- ^ "Wine Searcher". Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ Asimov, Eric (11 February 2014). "Why Can't You Find That Wine?". New York Times. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
- ^ Kapnick, Sharon (18 January 2007). "How to Choose the Right Wine". Time Inc. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
- ^ "Website Reviews – Wine-Searcher.com". Forbes. Archived from the original on 20 October 2006. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
- ^ Gregutt, Paul (21 May 2008). "Web site helps consumers find a favorite wine". The Seattle Times Company. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
- ^ Robinson, Jancis (16 March 2002). "Comparing wine prices online – who's best". Jancis Robinson. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
- ^ Stockman, Dan; Krista Stockman (6 October 2007). "Spread word on shipping". The Journal Gazette. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
- ^ DeSimone, Dave (11 April 2007). "Web sites offer entertaining, useful wine information". Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
- ^ MacQuitty, Jane (12 January 2008). "Don't believe the hype". London: Times Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
- ^ "Pursuits – Bloomberg Business". Bloomberg.
- ^ Mariani, John (15 September 2013). "Throw a Great Party with Wines Under $15". Bloomberg Luxury. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
- ^ Comiskey, Patrick (12 August 2010). "Wine-searcher.com levels the wine industry playing field". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
