Amazon debuts wine range from Oregon

Having just snapped up Whole Foods for a cool £10.7 billion, Amazon has moved into wine with a range called ‘Next’ made in Oregon.

The wines in the three-strong ‘Next’ range were made by King Vintners, a subsidiary of Oregon’s King Estate Winery, and launched exclusively on Amazon.

Next is the first brand to be released by Amazon Wine, Amazon’s online wine marketplace, which launched back in 2012.

The wines in the range consist of a 2016 Pinot Gris from Willamette Valley ($20), a 2014 red blend from Columbia Valley ($30), and a 2015 Pinot Noir ($40). All three have gone on sale on Amazon.com.

According to Forbes, just 1,500 cases of each wine have been produced for the inaugural release.

“King Vintners was established to showcase distinctive Pacific Northwest growing regions and to share their stories that are as unique to the wine as the vineyards that produce the grapes and the people who tend them,” said Ed King III of King Estate Winery.

“When people lived in the same village, the wines and cuisine developed together. Today that direct link is at risk of being lost. We’re launching Next on Amazon to re-establish the connection between winemaker and wine lover in today’s ‘digital village,’” he added.

“We’re thrilled to connect wineries like King Estate with millions of customers and give them an innovative format to launch new brands,” said Next brand manager Nick Loeffler, a longtime Amazon employee and owner of Sonria Vineyard in Washington.