New Imports-Only, Online Wine Store Opens:

CHICAGO, June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- A new, online wine store Israeli Wine Direct (http://www.israeliwinedirect.com) opens this month with a focus on hand-selected, artisanal, mostly non-kosher wines from Israel, the company announced today. Based in Chicago, Israeli Wine Direct stocks an inventory of top-rated wines, each hand-selected from Israeli wineries, and ships direct to customers in key states where allowed by law.

"U.S. wine critics and wine drinkers are beginning to recognize quality in many Israeli wineries," said Richard Shaffer, Founder. "Reviews, ratings and stories are showing up coast to coast. We want to provide serious wine lovers access to niche, high-quality, small-production wines from the region," he added.

Today the fastest and best way for small niche wineries to reach customers is often via direct marketing. The ability to buy wine online makes it possible to find and purchase "hard-to-find" wines often not carried by traditional bricks-and-mortar retailers.

Americans are seeking wines from Israel more than ever before. The eastern Mediterranean nation is known as the birthplace of wine, and is currently home to over 150 wineries. Wineries represented within the Israeli Wine Direct selection are Margalit, Flam, Pelter, Meishar, Tzora, Yaffo, Bravdo, Somek, and La Terra Promessa, among others. Wines from Pelter Winery and Tzora Vineyards recently earned ratings of 90 points or higher.

Israeli Wine Direct is also sponsoring a series of audio interviews with leading Israeli winemakers and wine experts and hosting Israeli wine house parties across the U.S. These interviews and winemaker and winery profiles can be found on the company's blog (http://www.israeliwineblog.com).

About Israeli Wine Direct

Israeli Wine Direct formed in 2007 to introduce Americans to outstanding boutique wines and winemakers from Israel. IWD provides a unique platform for high-quality small Israeli wineries to access the US wine market primarily through direct-to-consumer and direct-to-trade channels by aggregating logistics and marketing through partners like leading Napa Valley wine marketing and Internet sales company Inertia Beverage Group (http://www.inertiabev.com).