Amazon Is Not* Selling Its Own Wine

Update 7/6, 11:50 a.m.: An Amazon representative emailed a correction: "Amazon was not involved in the development process. Apologies for the lack of clarity in the release."

Next time you’re picking up a couple e-books and some replacement earbuds, why not toss in a $40 bottle of pinot noir in your Amazon cart? The retail giant officially launched its own private label wine in June, Recode reports.

According to Amazon’s press release, “NEXT is the first wine ever developed from conception to release with Amazon Wine,” though the site’s wine department has existed since 2012. Produced by King Vintners, the initial offerings include the $40 pinot plus a $20 bottle of pinot gris and a $30 red blend, all from grapes grown in the Pacific Northwest (which makes perfect sense considering Amazon is headquartered in Seattle).

Amazon already produces scores of other private label products and has done so for several years, from clothing and snacks to electronics and household items. Retail giants from Costco to Nordstrom all produce their own fair share of private label items, which can be highly profitable since the retailers typically control the supply chain from start to finish and they don’t require much, if any, marketing dollars.

King Vintners wines are only available via Amazon for the time being, but as Recode points out, the company’s pending purchase of Whole Foods could potentially give it some prime retail shelf space. Tragically, wine isn’t available with the company’s famously lightning-fast Prime delivery, but perhaps you’ll be able to get a bottle dropped off via drone in the not-too-distant future.

• NEXT Wines [Amazon]
• Amazon Is Now Developing Its Own Wines [Recode]
• Amazon to Buy Whole Foods for $13.7 Billion [E]