I've been following Amazon.com's battle to get into the wine business for the last year or two. Now it seems the story may have reached the end of the road. WineBusiness.com has learned that Amazon.com, may pull the plug on the project before it ever really got started. An email sent to wineries today said that the company has decided"not to resume shipping." As of this summer Amazon was attempting to work with New Vine Logistics, a Napa, California wine-shipping service. The plan was to create a consignment system through a specialized website, where wineries earned 47 percent of the retail price for wine when sold. But the logistics of the program and the fact that wine regulations vary widely from state to state may have doomed the program. The invite-only Amazon wine site remains up.

With the news today that New Vine Logistics, a Napa, California wine-shipping service has closed up shop, it looks like my long-held dream of having Amazon.com deliver my wine as well as my books may be just a little further away. New Vine Logistics has suspended operations after multiple attempts to raise new financing. Wine Business reports that the eight-year-old company stopped processing new orders last week. The company handled fulfillment for direct orders for around 200 wineries and merchants including some big names such as Beringer and Chateau St. Jean helping them navigate the various state laws regarding alcohol shipments. Because wine shipping policies are determined by the state this is often no easy task. New Vine Logistics had a contract with Amazon.com to work on a way to bring wine shipments to Amazon.com

The Santa Rosa Democrat says that one of the company's creditors, Silicon Valley Bank, arrived at the Napa offices Friday and sent around 100 employees home without pay. Wine is being returned to the vintners who now have to find a new way to get their wines to the customers. The company was one of the biggest in the wine shipping business and as the Wall Street Journal mentions, this does cast doubts on the viability of businesses that provide direct shipping of wine to customers. The Journal says that direct shipping is just a small part of total U.S. wine sales.

UPDATE: Wine Business reports that Inertia Beverage Group is working on a deal with Silicon Valley Bank to acquire its debt position in New Vine and to take over the company's responsibilities.

Care to read your newspaper on a Kindle? Amazon has unveiled the Kindle DX (the DX stands for deluxe) that has a 9.7 inch screen with graphics (still black and white, no color). The new Kindle DX will cost $489 but as our sister blog Daily Finance reports, if you subscribe to the New York Times, Washington Post or Boston Globe, it will cost less. The exact amount less hasn't been determined yet but instead of having your paper show up on your doorstep each morning it will be waiting for you on your Kindle.

The latest Kindle has 3.3 GB of storage which can hold up to 3,500 books and there's no monthly cost for the 3G wireless access. So for there is no release date but you can pre-order on Amazon. When it does begin shipping Amazon will also launch trial programs at several universities to put textbooks on the DX this fall.

The Amazon Shoulder Bag by Marc Jacobs is definitely not meant for the resident wall-flower at the party with vibrant hues, a mix of animal prints (including python, hairhide, and patchwork) and multiple flowery leather tassels dangling all over the place -- plus a little golden padlock detail. Very bold and retro-eighties. Unfortunately it's a shoulder bag (I think a clutch would work better with a crazy design like this) and features a layered flap top.

I think this bag is completely and totally horrendous, but if I ever see a woman carrying it I will respect her (for the guts). $2,850

A company called Aqua Expeditions has launched the first luxury cruise on the Amazon, a region previously immune to the charms of 280-thread-count sheets and en-suite air conditioning. Their first ship, the M/V Aqua, resembles a floating boutique hotel with a dining room, indoor and outdoor lounges, an observation deck and boutique.

Accommodation-wise, there are eight suites and four master suites with giant picture windows affording 180-degree views of the river scenery. The trips, which are organized around the Flooded Season (June-November) and Dry Season (December-May), run for three, four and seven nights. They begin in Iquitos, Peru (an hour and 40 minutes from Lima), and center on a visit to the five million acre Pacaya Samiria Reserve, a remote sanctuary for all kinds of exotic wildlife including monkeys, jaguars and pink dolphins. Rates start at $1950 per person.

[via UrbanDaddy]

When it comes to fighting global warming and preserving the rainforests Marriott certainly gets points for trying, although how they're choosing to go about that effort is pretty surprising. Instead of doing what most hotel and resort chains do (switch to eco-friendly energy sources and recycle recycle recycle) they've hooked up with the Brazilians and are going to start paying villagers in the Amazon to not cut down trees. Of course it's a lot more complicated than just sending some Amazonians a check for every day they refrain from logging illegally, but apparently that's the essence of the new deal. Strange? Yes. A marketing scheme? Yes. Over-all still beneficial to the environment? Yes. I say good for them.

Amazon has pretty well established itself as one of the best (if not the best) online place to buy, well, anything and everything -- except for wine. Until now.

The online wine business is a tricky one, and in recent years many a good business effort has 'gone under' as a result. Amazon's specific plans for wine sales are a little fuzzy at this point, all we know is that they're going to "build an entirely new selection from the ground up" and that they plan to add both wine and beer to a small pilot grocery delivery service running out of Seattle. I think it sounds really convenient, good luck to them.

The innovative designer Philippe Starck has designed this truly unique citrus juicer. It looks vaguely insect-like, as though it might simply walk off the counter if left unattended, but it is simple and elegant at the same time. The juicer does not seem to have gotten the most positive feedback at Amazon.com, where users found the design a bit difficult to work with. Using a long, tall pitcher to catch the fresh juice as it drips down the cast-aluminum, pointed juicer should help things along considerably. Price: $79.

One of my biggest complaints about Amazon.com has always been the poor selection of clothing. That may be about to change. Amazon has picked up Shopbop.com, a luxury shopping website that deals in brands like Marc by Marc Jacobs, Juicy Couture and James Perse. In the past, clothes shopping on Amazon was done through partners like Bluefly and Nordstrom.  Don't go looking for Shopbop designers on Amazon yet, in the short term they are keeping things separate. The company will continue to do its own buying and fulfillment and run its own Madison, Wisconsin store. According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, this is the first time Amazon has ever owned a brick-and-mortar store. For the most part, Shopbop offers clothing at full price and caters to a small crowd of brand-sensitive shoppers.

I'd been sucked in by Richard Branson's dog-and-pony show regarding Virgin Galactic but meanwhile Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos has been planning his own space lair for his aerospace company, Blue Origin. According to this AP story, Bezos recently bought a 165,000 acre ranch in West Texas that he plans to use for test launches and that will eventually be the home of his spaceport. There aren't a lot of details yet but Bezos is somewhat interested in space tourism but is aiming at building ships to orbit earth creating permanent space colonies. Blue Origin has designed a ship that will take off vertically and carry three passengers.

[via AV Web]

Yesterday we mentioned luxury online buying and today Amazon announced some proof that consumers have no fear buying the big stuff online. Their highest-priced item sold so far this season has been a $94,000 diamond earrings. The drop earrings, certified by the Gemological Institute of America, have a total carat weight of 8.34 carats, featuring two 2.5 carat yellow diamonds and two 1 carat white diamonds in a platinum and 18 karat yellow gold setting. A quick scan of Amazoon reveals that there are plenty of fancy items still for sale including this multicolored diamond necklace which sells for $140,756.