News Release

For Immediate Release: March 09, 2004
Contact: Brooke Hilton, WineBid.com, bhilton@winebid.com, or (888) 638-8968

MICROSOFT CHOOSES WINEBID.COM® FOR SMALL BUSINESS CASE STUDY

Napa, California. WineBid.com, the premier Internet auction of fine and rare wines, has been selected as a case study by Microsoft detailing the way small businesses use Microsoft-Enterprise Portal Framework. The study documents how WineBid.com improved revenue, increased the efficiency of its site interface with customers and saved hundreds of employee administrative hours by using the new Microsoft framework. The study is posted on Microsoft’s website, http://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/CaseStudy.asp?CaseStudyID=15135

"Microsoft’s platform is a key element in our mission of being the most efficient place to buy and sell rare wines," said Jerome Zech, WineBid.com CEO. "With thousands of new customers and increasing auction activity we constantly strive to improve our performance."

"Microsoft is very passionate about empowering small businesses. We strive to provide them with the tools and technology they need to successfully run their businesses and achieve their ambitions. We are always thrilled when we hear that an organization has been able to take our solutions and make this happen," said Dale Sleppy, retail industry marketing manager for the Small and Midmarket Solutions & Partners group at Microsoft Corp.

Founded in 1996, WineBid.com is the largest online auction for rare and fine wines with more than 27,000 registered bidders. At WineBid.com each bottle of wine consigned is appraised and inspected.

For more information about bidding or consigning, visit our website at www.winebid.com or call (888) 638-8968.