WineryStores.com

[vengroff]

I got the following spam today:

Winery Stores has launched a free service for consumers at

http://www.WineryStores.com

WineryStores.com is a free search engine designed to help consumers find

and access their favorite wineries and wines online. Go directly to any

winery's store without wasting time to find it, make purchases directly and

enjoy the pricing benefits that direct winery access can bring.

Cheers!

Winery Stores

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To be removed from our lists, please reply to this email and type "REMOVE"

in the subject field.

I went to look at the site, which looks like just a single page. No matter what I type in the search box, nothing comes up. I've tried several wineries, like Miner, that I know sell online, but got nothing. Anyone know what this site is or who is behind it?

And here's a challenge: can anyone get the search engine to find anything?

[Craig Camp]

No nothing happens even with famous names. I think they went out a little too fast. I wrote them looking for more information and will let you know.

[vengroff]

Thanks, Craig.

Also note that they provide the a bunch of names in the form of keywords, in the hopes of attracting search engines, but none of them work in the search either. You can see them by viewing the source of the document in your browser.

<META NAME="Keywords" CONTENT="wine, wines, , wineries, winery, store, stores, online, internet, ecommerce,e-commerce, cabernet, merlot, rhone, chardonnay, zinfandel, Shiraz, syrah,sauvignon, champagne, sparkling, online, internet, buy, purchase, for sale,discount, list, listing, directory, links, favorite, winetasting, tasting, deloach, benziger,boutique, handmade, cheap, value, b2c, direct, california, napa. Sonoma, paso robles, oregon, B.R. Cohn , Babcock, Beaucanon, Beaulieu, Beckmen, Bonny Doon, Bonterra, Buena Vista, Creston, Cristom, Chandon,Estancia, Ferrari Carano , Fetzer, Firestone, Frog's Leap , Geyser Peak,, Groth, Gundlach-Bundschu, Hidden Mountain, Springs, heitz, Hinman, Honey,Inglenook, Iris Hill, Iron Horse, J. Lohr , Jade, Jaeger, RobertMondavi, Lambert, L'aventure, Loring, Martini, Deutz, Matanzas Creek , Mayacamas, Mutt Lynch , Piper Sonoma, Pipestone, Quail Ridge, Qupe, Rutherford Grove , Rutherford, Silvan Ridge, Silver Oak, Simi , Stag's Leap , Sterling, Eden , Yamhill, York, Zaca Mesa">

I hope they didn't send it to anyone in Utah. There's an article in today's WSJ about an attorney who has filed over a thousand anti-spam suits. Under Utah law, spammers pay the plaintiff's legal fees.

[Craig Camp]

Bastardi! Solo pescatore!!

[Craig Camp]

OK here you go...

Hello and thank you for your inquiry. or the moment, we only list American Wineries although any winery on this planet is welcome to submit a URL to their online store. Know that at this point, about 76% of the U.S. wineries have a website, but only about 40% have an online store. This is changing rapidly with the states changing their laws and allowing direct shipment to consumers.

This probably explains why many of the wineries you entered came up without a store: they simply don’t have one. Even some major wineries such as Robert Mondavi do not have an online store yet. However, try Andrew Murray Vineyards or Bradford Mountain Winery or Santa Barbara Winery (and many more hundreds) and you will see a new browser window open with the winery’s store. This saves time compared to searching via search engines and cuts through the multiple levels of a site to enable customers direct access to the wine they wish to purchase. An added value is that many wineries offer discounts for direct purchase via their store.

Our search engine is free  to everyone and you can look forward to special promotions being featured. We will only list the promotions which we think are truly beneficial to the consumer.

Attached is a news release for more information.

Sincerely,

Winery Stores

[vengroff]

Thanks Craig. Now I see the problem. The technology they use to take you to the site that has been found is the same as what pop-up ads use. Thus the site is useless to anyone with a pop-up ad blocker.