Photo by johannesfreund

Amazon.com is rolling out a bunch of new features and products this season to juice holiday sales.

But will it also make its long-awaited foray into selling wine online?

The company isn't talking. But many in the wine industry are anxiously awaiting Amazon's entry into the market -- which could give a huge boost to business.

The buzz about Amazon and wine began back in March when Amazon began recruiting a senior wine buyer. Then in September, reports surfaced that Amazon was meeting with winemakers in Napa Valley and planned to start selling wine by early October in 26 states.

That deadline has come and gone, sparking speculation about Amazon's timeline.

"The chatter I’m hearing is they’re delayed or not quite ready," said Chris Stone, marketing director for the Washington Wine Commission.

Stone said when he met with Amazon representatives in mid-August, they were planning to start selling wine before the holidays, but he added: "Nobody has any details. It's just kind of like a mystery," he said.

"They’re in the testing stage, making sure all the software works," said Terry Hall, a spokesman for Napa Valley Vintners, which worked with Amazon to organize workshops with local winemakers in the fall.

He referred further questions to Amazon. A company spokeswoman, Patty Smith, did not respond to an emailed question on the wine business.

Amazon is tackling an extraordinarily complex area with wine. Despite a 2005 Supreme Court decision that opened the door to more liberal shipping laws, the U.S. is still a patchwork of state restrictions regarding direct wine shipping.

Amazon has eyed the wine business before. During the dot-com era, the company invested in Wineshopper.com, which later merged with Wine.com.

For Seattle residents hankering to order a bottle of Merlot online, there are still options. Amazon is selling wine through its grocery delivery service Amazon Fresh. The service covers select neighborhoods in the Seattle area.

[Flickr photo via johannesfreund]