GrapeRadio.com and American Airlines Give New Meaning to the Term "Wine Flight"

How's this for a "vertical tasting"? Now wine-lovers can further indulge their passion at an altitude of 32,000 feet! In early February 2008, American Airlines will begin airing GrapeRadio on its in-flight personal entertainment media players in Business and First Class, the first such wine-specific programming on any U.S. airline.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) January 23, 2008

How's this for a "vertical tasting"? Now wine-lovers can further indulge their passion at an altitude of 32,000 feet! In early February 2008, American Airlineswill begin airing GrapeRadio on its in-flight personal entertainment media players in Business and First Class, the first such wine-specific programming on any U.S. airline.

Ranging in length from 30 to 60 minutes, GrapeRadio is targeted to everyone from those newly interested in wine to seasoned oenophiles, with about 20,000 listeners currently nationwide. It features diverse international content, including interviews with world-renowned wine-industry personalities and stories from top wine-producing areas around the globe. Unlike traditional and Internet-based radio, listeners can tune in to listen whenever they want, without having to adhere to fixed broadcast schedules.

"We couldn't be more excited about our partnership with American Airlines," says GrapeRadio producer and self-professed "wine geek" Jay Selman, whose own cellar contains about 900 bottles. "The field of wine is fertile ground for savvy, curious listeners. There's still plenty yet to learn and explore." Two other wine enthusiasts at GrapeRadio share hosting duties. Eric Anderson loves "to pursue food and travel through the lens of wine, especially a great Zinfandel." Brian Clark, a business owner and entrepreneur, has developed his passion for the grape over the past ten years, preferring "mostly reds from California, Australia, Spain, and France."

Podcasting and GrapeRadio are among the hottest media trends today. Business Week magazine listed GrapeRadio as one of "The Best Ideas of 2005" (December 12, 2005). In its April, 2005 report, the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that over 22 million people (11% of the U.S. population) owned an iPod or other MP3 player. Of those, 29% (6 million people) had downloaded and listened to podcasts.

The U.S. is expected to become the top wine consumer by the year 2010, with the industry expected to be worth a staggering $22.8 billion annually. The global wine industry will grow by 9% to $117 billion by 2010, as consumers turn to more expensive, higher-quality wines.

A sampling of GrapeRadio shows that will air on American Airlines includes: Frederick Paniotis of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin shares some history of the Champagne region and the "Widow" Clicquot; Margrit Mondavi takes listeners on a journey through some of the family's many achievements in the world of wine; Gaia Gaja discusses father Angelo Gaja's several innovations in winemaking in the Piedmont region of Italy; The Do's and Don'ts of Wine - wine buying, wine tasting and drinking, varietal preferences, and restaurant etiquette. New shows will be added as the programming continues into 2009.

ABOUT GrapeRadio:
GrapeRadio, created in 2005 by podcast pioneer Michael Geoghegan, is a radio program (podcast) that can be downloaded free of charge to any computer device capable of playing audio files: computers, MP3 players, iPods, Pda's, cell phones and more. GrapeRadio has been featured in The New York Times, Slate.com, USA Today, Wine Enthusiast, CNN, CBS News, BBC, TechWeb, Financial Times of London, and more. Listed as one of the Top 5 on Podcastalley.com, GrapeRadio will soon launch GrapeVisions devoted to producing custom videos for the wine industry. They produce both audio and video shows on wine related topics which are broadcast over the Internet using podcast technology. Shows are available directly at http://www.graperadio.com or through services like iTunes™.
*GrapeRadio was awarded "Podcast of the Year" in 2006
*A 2007 James Beard Award Finalist

For further media needs, please contact Kristen Green of Kristen Green Public Relations at 415-567-2999.
http://www.graperadio.com

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