Select wineries from Mendocino County, California are embracing the opportunity to reach the millions of wine buyers at the newly launched Amazon Wine Marketplace. In early November, Amazon.com launched its Wine Marketplace to bring boutique wines to its customers. More than one dozen Mendocino County wineries are participating with the initial launch of the program.

“For a small, family-owned winery like ours, this is an outstanding opportunity to connect to millions of users on Amazon.com,” said Fred R. Buonanno, owner of Philo Ridge Vineyards.

Other wineries that are participating in the launch of the Amazon Wine Marketplace include Rivino, Albertina Wine Cellars, BARRA of Mendocino, Yorkville Cellars, Testa Vineyards, Brutocao Cellars, McFadden Vineyard, Parducci Wine Cellars and Weibel Family Vineyards and Winery.

“We love the fact that this opportunity allows us to reach a variety of Amazon customers who may not have found our wines otherwise,” said Martha Barra of BARRA of Mendocino.

With the launch of the Amazon Wine Marketplace (www.amazon.com/wine), more than 500 wines from Mendocino County and its sub-appellations are available for sale online. The Amazon Wine Marketplace is designed to bring the tasting room experience online by offering an abundance of quality wine information, images, and reviews to help customers chose wines with only a few clicks. The new store features easy-to-use shopping tools to help customers explore great wines from Mendocino and other areas and offers access to rich details directly from winemakers, such as tasting notes, recommended food pairings and total case production. Customers can ship up to six bottles of their favorite wine for $9.99. Shipping will be available to California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and the District of Columbia, with more coming soon.

“We are excited to partner with Amazon.com to share our collection of family owned estate wines with wine lovers all over the U.S.,” said Aaron Niderost of Brutocao Vineyards and Cellars. Fred Zmarzly of Albertina Wine Cellars added, “I know this program will be a success. With so many customers, Amazon can be a wonderful place for a small winery to get national market coverage”

Mendocino Winegrowers, Inc. (MWI) was instrumental in connecting wineries with Amazon over the last 8 weeks. The organization’s mission is to connect Mendocino wineries and vineyards with buyers for grapes and wine. Zac Robinson, owner of Husch Vineyards and a volunteer with MWI, is excited to see Mendocino wineries online. “The Amazon project is a perfect example of how MWI can help local wineries sell more wine,” said Robinson. MWI began operation on Aug. 1, 2012 shortly after the Mendocino Winegrape and Wine Commission ceased operation on June 30.