Wine-Searcher
 | |
| Web Search Engine | |
| Industry | Internet |
| Founded | 1998 in London |
| Founder | Martin Brown |
| Headquarters | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Products | Wine Information |
| Website | www.wine-searcher.com |
Wine-Searcher is a web search engine dedicated to wine. Its primary use is to for consumers to find stockists of particular wines, and for wine retailers to advertise their products globally. It also offers various articles, tasting notes and features relating to wine.
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 30 employees divided into specialist teams of software developers, database administrators and wine writers.
Products & Services
Apart from its core function as a search engine for wines, Wine-Searcher also provides a free online encyclopedia detailing more than 1000 wine grape varieties and 3500 wine regions.[1] It also offers wine news and features. Using the pricing data from its database, the company also offers a free wine valuation tool, and professional (paid) wine valuations. In 2013 Wine-Searcher released its first mobile app, initially for iPhone and later for Android.[2]
Wine-Searcher offers almost all of its functions and information free of charge, although complete search results are available only to paying subscribers.
Wine-Searcher makes money in three primary ways:[3] 1 - Charging subscribers for "pro version" access. This means they can see more listings for wine - in particular from retailers who have not paid to advertise on the site. 2 - Charging retailers to share their listings. They upload their lists or make them available to Wine-Searcher's crawlers in a way which can be uploaded automatically. 3 - Advertising on the site itself.
Pro version access costs $43 (USD) for individual subscribers.[4]
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,[5] Time,[6] Forbes magazine,[7] Seattle Times,[8] Jancis Robinson,[9] The Journal Gazette,[10] Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,[11] The Times,[12] "Bloomberg Luxury",[13][14] Los Angeles Times.[15]
References
- ↑ "Wine Regions & Appellations". Retrieved 11 February 2014.
- ↑ "Wine-Searcher Mobile App". Retrieved 17 February 2014.
- ↑ "Wine Searcher". Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ↑ http://www.wine-searcher.com/wine-searcher.lml
- ↑ 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.com LLC. 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.