WineAlign 2.0 Launch - 11 March, 2009

<p>What Users are Saying about WineAlign:</p> <p>“Great site! Fun, easy and intuitive to use. I found it a really helpful resource in making a decision on my wine purchase.” <br /> “What a great concept, one stop review shopping and wine sourcing – brilliant!”<br /> <p><br /> <B>WineAlign is changing how Ontario consumers buy wine </B><br /> New service provides wine critic reviews of top-rated wines in stock at <span class="caps">LCBO</span> stores from a computer, Blackberry or iPhone</p> <p>For many of us, buying wine can be time consuming and frustrating as we attempt to find the right wine at the right price that is in stock at our local <span class="caps">LCBO</span> store. Fortunately, there’s a solution: WineAlign, a new powerful online and mobile service that helps everyone make smarter wine buying decisions.</p> <p>Toronto entrepreneur Bryan McCaw created WineAlign after he bought an expensive bottle of Shiraz to celebrate a special occasion. He expected the pricey wine would be fabulous, but it was a big disappointment.</p> <p>“I knew there had to be a better way to buy wine,” said McCaw, president of Uncork Solutions Inc. “WineAlign helps you answer the question we all face each time we enter the <span class="caps">LCBO</span>: ‘What wine should I buy?’”</p> <p>McCaw designed WineAlign to be engaging and user-friendly. With WineAlign you can search for wines by price, region, type and food match. If you’d like a white wine under $20 that goes with grilled salmon, WineAlign will recommend a list of great Chardonnays currently in stock based on reviews from top wine critics.</p> <p>WineAlign features reviews by respected critics such as David Lawrason of Toronto Life; Anne Martin of Canadian Living; Rod Phillips of the Ottawa Citizen; Gord Stimmell of the Toronto Star; Margaret Swaine of the National Post; Vic Harradine of winecurrent, and Michael Pinkus of the Ontario Wine Review. Nearly 3,000 wine reviews are available on the service, and the list is growing with biweekly reviews of new releases in Vintages.</p> <p>David Lawrason sees WineAlign as an innovative money saving tool at a time when everyone is eager to stretch a dollar. “Most people have no idea when they go to the <span class="caps">LCBO</span> if they’re choosing good quality wine for good value,” he said. “We can make smarter buying decisions with WineAlign, which saves money in the long run.”</p> <p>WineAlign’s Key Features help you make smarter wine buying decisions:</p> <p>Find Wine<br /> • Allows you to find ranked lists of top-rated wines and see if they&#8217;re in stock at your local <span class="caps">LCBO</span> store.<br /> • Identifies the right wine to complement the food you&#8217;re planning to serve.</p> <p>Critics Reviews <br /> • Access reviews from a growing list of professional critics, such as David Lawrason, Anne Martin, Rod Phillips, Margaret Swaine, Gordon Stimmell, Vic Harradine, Michael Pinkus, and Toronto Life.</p> <p>New Releases <br /> • You receive bi-weekly previews and critics&#8217; top picks for all new wine releases in Vintages.</p> <p>My Wines<br /> • Rcord your favourite wines, create a shopping list, or use the virtual cellar to manage and organize your wine collection.</p> <p>Discuss Wine<br /> • Write your own reviews, recommend wines to friends, and participate in wine-related discussions with WineAlign members.</p> <p>Mobile Access <br /> • Use your Blackberry, iPhone or smartphone to find wine, match food, preview new releases and access your personal shopping list</p> <p>Joining WineAlign is Free</p> <p>Registration on WineAlign (winealign.com) is free. The first two months of WineAlign Premium Service are also free for new members.</p> <p>WineAlign Premium Service offers enhanced features such as wine critic reviews and ratings, advance reviews of new releases in Vintages, the ability to customize the wine scoring system, and mobile access to WineAlign using a Blackberry or iPhone so you can access the service while at an <span class="caps">LCBO</span> store (m.winealign.com).</p> <p>WineAlign Premium Service is $40 for one-year, $70 for two-years, and $100 for three years.<br /> As a bonus, for every friend a member invites, who then subscribes to the premium service, the member will earn one free month of premium service.</p> <p>WineAlign is the first Wine 2.0 site in Canada that brings together wine and technology. Its social networking feature lets a community of wine lovers discuss and share their wine recommendations. Now available in Ontario, WineAlign will soon expand to other provinces.</p> <p>For more information contact: [email protected]</p>