Sorry to have taken so long on this. I know I mentioned at the end of my last post that I’d follow up with our new virtual import/sales model. Just needed to get some facts straight, but here it is:

The virtual sales model for new brands begins with Global Wine Imports, our partner import company, which will be the representative importer. We then hook Global Wine Imports up with our friends at Inertia Beverage Group to establish the Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) and Direct-to-Trade (DTT) sales channels. Inertia will aid Global Wine Imports in setting up a merchant account for winery clients, which will capture sales and then disburse monies to Global Wine Import clients.

Direct sale shipments will be fulfilled through Wine Tasting Network (WTN), Inertia’s fulfillment and logistics partner. WTN also has a retailer subsidiary called Ambrosia Wine, which acts as the Virtual Retailer needed to legally process DTC sales. Note that in the beginning, the winery pays to ship wine to Wine Tasting Network warehouses and are paid on an extended contract basis. However, once the brand gains traction, Global Wine Imports will be able to buy the wine before the sale.

To close out our virtual model, we must incorporate Direct-to-Trade sales. For this, we follow the same model as DTC, only now we have to include a Virtual Distributor to pay taxes and take a small cut (about $3/case) on DTT sales. This Virtual Distributor never touches or warehouses the wine, but the transaction is on paper because distributors are required to pay taxes. We’ve embraced this aspect of the wine industry in order to bring in a major potential virtual distributor partner, which we’ll disclose at a later time.

So we’ve figured out a way to get your wine over here to the U.S. and get it sold direct without you having to deal with any distributors or retailers. You only have to talk with us and the fine people at Inertia. This is going to cut your costs and allow consumers to buy your quality wines for cheaper prices. The last piece of the puzzle is how your wines are going to be marketed and actually purchased by the consumer…