Wine Market Council’s Internet initiative has helped Wine Market Council reach wine drinkers by spreading its messages via the Internet.

In January 2001, Wine Market Council launched its consumer website, wineanswers.com, a place where inexperienced wine drinkers can go to get their basic wine-related questions answered. The site also provides semimonthly columns on basic wine-related subjects by wine journalists and authors, a wine and food pairing guide and widget, food-related features and resources, a glossary of terms, a wine site directory, and quizzes, polls and e-greetings to send.

Wineanswers.com is integral to the Wine Market Council’s communications strategy. The site generates mainstream print and broadcast media features, and in turn these public relations efforts drive traffic back to the site.

The launch of wineanswers.com was a success with more than 21 million media impressions. This included placements on ABC TV’s “The View,” major market network affiliates, drive-time radio, and top daily metro newspapers. Approximately 20,000 unique visitors use the web site each month.