Amazon breaks out the wine for US customers

Amazon on Thursday launched an online wine store selling "more than a thousand" varieties of US vintages.

"Whether it's helping customers find a favorite varietal, shop for holiday pairings or expand their cellar with a special hand-crafted bottle, we're excited to provide the right tools and information needed to guide them to the perfect wine," said Peter Faricy, vice president of Amazon Marketplace.

"We're thrilled for wineries around the country to share their great collections of wines with our customers through the Amazon Wine Store."

Amazon said the online shop would be "a marketplace offering customers more than a thousand wines crafted by wineries around the country."

The online retail giant also provides international wines through external websites.

Customers can ship up to six bottles of wine for $9.99.

Wine sales are allowed only in states which allow it. That includes California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and the District of Columbia.

In the online store, customers can narrow search results by origin, vintage, price and "taste notes" such as "blackberry," "citrus" or "cherry."

(c) 2012 AFP