Press Room

Contact: Celene McDermott
Redpoint Marketing PR
(212) 229-0119
mcdermott@redpointpr.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Premier Portal for Wine Country Travel & Lifestyle Information, WineCountry.com™ Marks 12th Anniversary with Enhanced Site
A Trusted Source on Subjects Ranging From Wine Country Travel to Cuisine and Shopping

Napa, Calif. (Nov. 27, 2006) – WineCountry.com, the premier web portal for regional wine country destinations throughout the United States, marks its 12th anniversary with a number of consumer-focused enhancements. This includes improved e-commerce capabilities, a more visually appealing design, easy, intuitive navigation and more streamlined home page.

To more seamlessly connect its partner members directly with consumers, WineCountry.com has also added a collection of original “Exclusive Experiences,” including several rare opportunities, such as owning a vine, becoming a winemaker for a day and touring the vineyards via a '47 Packard limousine convertible.

The site, known as a one-stop source for information on topics ranging from lodging and dining to winery tasting rooms and tours, is a trusted authority on wine country travel and lifestyle. The editorial-rich pages provide access to 12 California regions, including Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino County and Paso Robles, as well as Oregon and Virginia.

The enhanced site and “Exclusive Experiences” offers will help site visitors connect more easily than ever with the wine country; whether they are planning a trip, looking for a place to host a wedding or meeting, searching for the perfect gift or simply living the lifestyle.

Unlike other wine-related websites that focus largely on wine and ratings, WineCountry.com is a lifestyle website that seeks to connect wine lovers to timely information and ideas on a wider range of wine-related subjects.

To that end, one of the site's most distinguishing new features is Exclusive Experiences, a collection of genuinely one-of-a-kind wine country experiences that are not available anywhere else. In creating Exclusive Experiences, we sought to give our partner members an opportunity to do something unique for consumers. The experiences they created resonate with their passion for wine making and the wine country.

The site features a continuously updated collection of “Exclusive Experiences” from more than 40 participants, including renowned wineries such as Staglin Family Vineyard and Chalk Hill Estate; wine country hotels such as Napa Valley's Villagio Inn and Spa and Fairmont's Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa; as well as events and attractions such as the Napa Valley Opera House and Sonoma Film Festival. WineCountry.com was founded in 1994, when for most people; Napa Valley and Sonoma were the extent of the wine universe. Today, the site is supported by wine country stakeholders.

Our partners run the gamut from hotels and restaurants to wineries, retailers and service providers. We share a common goal to ensure that anyone interested in the wine country is armed with the best and most comprehensive information available.

On the new site, WineCountry.com visitors can easily access:

• Themed travel packages such as “girlfriend getaways”, traveling with pets, and “man-cations”
• Informative articles on a wide range of wine country destinations and topics
• List of upcoming festivals and other wine-related events
• Restaurant reviews and “virtual” vineyard visits
• Detailed information on planning a wine country meeting or wedding
• Free weekly WineCountry.com e-newsletters
• Message boards

Established in 1994, WineCountry.com was an immediate Internet hit, quickly attracting an impressive list of Napa Valley wineries among its early and enthusiastic clientele. Today, the site is the largest "niche" portal of its type, providing focused information and services for the consumer who seeks to stay informed on wine and culinary tourism topics. More than four million WineCountry.com pages are viewed each month. For more information, call 707.265.1835 or log on at www.WineCountry.com.
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