Fass Selections Officially Launches with First Shipments of Wines To Consumers

IRVINE, Calif. - Oct. 17, 2013 - PRLog -- Direct from the Winery To Consumer Model Offers 30-40% Lower Prices from Top Wineries

IRVINE, CA – October 17, 2013 – Fass Selections, Inc., innovative online direct to consumer wine retailer, announced today that it is starting to ship its first wines to consumers.

Traditional wine retailers purchase wines from distributors who have purchased them from importers who source the wines from the wineries.  As a result, wines typically cost 2.5-3 times the price at the winery.  Reasonably priced wines in Europe become luxury goods in the United States because of this inefficient system.

Fass Selections is the first retailer to focus on finding elite winemakers and using its low cost model to pass on 30-40% savings to consumers.  “It drove me crazy that every time I went to Europe, the wines I loved were impossible to sell in the States because of the high prices caused by multi-layer distribution in the US,” said Lyle Fass, CEO of Fass Selections.  “I’m able to offer these wines at incredible values; there is simply no reason for these wines to cost as much as they do here, other than our inefficient distribution model.  I think that this is a game changer in wine retail.”

Consumers sign up for the Fass Selections E-Mail list at www.fassselections.com and receive 2-3 E-Mails a week, each offering one to three wines.  Wines normally cost between $15 and $70 per bottle.

Fass has developed a network of contacts in Europe that have allowed him to find a new generation of elite winemakers.  “I am absolutely thrilled to be offering the wines of some of the most incredible new winemakers who have been underrepresented in the United States,”  said Fass.  “To be able to import and offer the stunning wines of Thomas Bouley in Volnay, Jean-Jacques Morel in St.Aubin, Bénigne Joliet in Fixin, Sebastien Dampt in Chablis, Nicolas Serette in Cornas, Battenfeld Spanier in the Rheinhessen, the brilliant Henrik Möbitz and Enderle and Moll in Baden, and more than a dozen other incredible winemakers all in my first year?  I could not have imagined that things would go this well.  I’m also heartened by the response from my customers who have believed in my vision and palate and supported Fass Selections and our winemaker partners.”

The new model has significant benefits to winemakers as well.  Winemakers often find it challenging to sell their best wines in the United States because the retail prices are so high.  This makes it difficult for them to build their brands by showcasing their best wines.  Additionally, the lower prices on the entire range of their wines increases demand and sales.  Fass can also market the wines of smaller winemakers who are too small to make sense for regular importers. “Part of the reason I did this is to help the winemakers,” noted Fass.  “Everyone thinks that they are all living in huge castles and drowning in money.  Most winemakers are farmers who struggle to make ends meet.  Anything that I can do to increase their sales is a huge help.”

Fass has worked in the wine business for almost 20 years.  He was the founding wine buyer at Crush, the recipient of Food & Wine Magazine's Best New Wine Shop in America 2005.  Fass was the first retailer to sell a very large number of now famous winemakers.  He has traveled to Europe frequently and tasted tens of thousands of wines.  Fass has published Rocks and Fruit, a popular wine blog, for over 6 years.

About Fass Selections, Inc.

Fass Selections, Inc. is an online wine retailer that purchases wine from wineries and sells them to consumers, cutting out 2 layers of distribution and offering dramatically lower prices to consumers.  It offers wines exclusively to its E-Mail list 2-3 times per week.   Its founder and CEO, Lyle Fass, has been in the wine business for almost 20 years, including stints at several of New York’s top traditional wine retailers.  He publishes the popular wine blog, Rocks and Fruit and has been quoted widely in the press including The New York Times.  Fass Selections is privately held with headquarters in Irvine, CA. For more information, visit www.fassselections.com or follow us on Twitter at @FassSelections or @grapeylyle.

Or Read the Manifesto of A Rebel Wine Retailer: http://www.fassselections.com/TheManifestoofaRebelWineRet...

Contact Information:

Lyle Fass

Fass Selections, Inc.

lyle@fassselections.com