Renowned Chef Mario Batali to Curate Exclusive Wine Sampler Series for TastingRoom.com

NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- TastingRoom.com today announced a partnership with celebrity chef Mario Batali to produce a series of exclusive "wine samplers" for the innovative e-commerce website. The ‘Signature Series' of wine tasting kits offers consumers a unique way to discover and taste wines from around the world under the guidance of top chefs and sommeliers. The samplers, including Mario Batali Selection™ ... Wine Lovers' Road Trip, are comprised of six mini (50ml) bottles of wine complete with tasting notes, food/wine pairings and more. 

"TastingRoom.com is all about de-mystifying wine, to make it more accessible to the average person--just as Mario Batali does with cuisine," says Tim Bucher, TastingRoom.com CEO.  "We're tremendously excited to partner with a chef of his caliber and stature, and to offer our customers the chance to taste some of his favorite wines from around the world."  

TastingRoom.com's wine samplers introduce consumers to new wines via collections of six mini bottles which are delivered direct to consumers. The company partners with premier wineries from around the world and features renowned sommeliers and chefs such as Batali as guest curators. Consumers sample the wines and then have the option to buy full-size bottles. "At TastingRoom.com we are revolutionizing how consumers discover and buy wine -- we are essentially the iTunes of the wine industry," says Bucher.

Award-winning chef, television personality, entrepreneur and culinary star, Mario Batali is the latest celebrity to join the TastingRoom.com community of guest wine curators. The Mario Batali Selection™... Wine Lovers' Road Trip gives consumers a kind of guided tour of some of the world's top producers.  "I picked the wines in my sampler because I think they go deliciously with all the foods I love to eat," said Batali. "I want to share them with other food lovers and to suggest memorable food pairings. People can taste the wines and decide for themselves which one they want to buy. That's what makes TastingRoom.com such a great vehicle for discovering wine."   The exclusive sampler includes:

• 2009 Patz & Hall Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
• 2008 Papapietro Perry Elsbree Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
• 2007 John Duval "Entity" Barossa Valley Shiraz
• 2008 Amavi Cellars Walla Walla Valley Syrah
• 2007 Dry Creek Vineyard "Old Vine" Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel
• 2008 Glen Carlou "Grand Classique" South Africa Red Blend

The new Batali wine sampler can be found on the TastingRoom.com website for $32.99. For more information, visit www.TastingRoom.com.

About Tasting Room.com:

TastingRoom.com™ is the first-ever website destination for wine tasting. Their unique "try before you buy" service allows consumers to experience at home what previously could only occur at wineries and wine bars: taste wine in small samples without purchasing a full-size bottle.  TastingRoom.com partners with top wineries to create wine sampler collections comprised of six wines in mini bottles. Each mini bottle contains 1.7 ounces of wine – the equivalent of a generous tasting room pour. The minis are labeled to match the originals and are beautifully packaged with wine descriptions and tasting notes. The web service also helps customers rate and track their wines and offers additional information on wineries, wine tasting tips and tools.

TastingRoom Inc. uses its patented TASTE Technology™ to transfer wine directly from larger wine bottles (750ml and up) into smaller formats in a sealed, zero-oxygen chamber. A focus on wine quality drives every step of the transfer and testing process so that wineries and consumers alike can be assured that the samples are a true representation of the wine. Each sample reflects the same flavors and aromas as the full-sized bottle from which it came. TastingRoom.com customers can be confident they'll enjoy every bottle they buy because they've already sampled the wine.

SOURCE TastingRoom.com