The way I see it, this can go one of two ways. The preferred way, obviously, is Amazon’s nifty new wine marketplace -- implemented just this Thursday -- gets mostly used by sommeliers and oenophiles trying to expand their personal wine selections. The second, more likely way, however, is that it gets taken over by lonely cat ladies and bumbling college grads just looking for something new with which to play Sacagawina.

But what can you do, it’s the internet.

Available now to the 13 Districts 12 states and the District of Columbia, Amazon’s Wine Marketplace will operate not as an independent retailer, but more as a middleman for individual wineries seeking to expand their online distribution.

Which is good news, apparently, as industry heads hope Amazon’s reputation will help increase the measly 2% of wine purchases which are currently being made online. (You know, ‘cause two-day shipping for a last-minute anniversary gift just ain’t gonna cut it.)

Holding up to the rest of the site's impressive filtering system, aspiring connoisseurs are able to sort through the currently available 1,000 or so wines by type, grape variety, tasting notes, professional ratings, price, brand and even alcohol content.

Due to state distribution laws, however, Amazon Wine can currently be shipped only to California, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and the District of Columbia -- though the web retail giant plans to expand to other states “soon,” whenever that is.

via LATimes