Online: Wine Meets Web | Kimpton Life Wine Society

By Lindsey Whitton

When he's not running the Kimpton hotel empire, CEO Tom LaTour is making wines at LaTour Vineyards in Napa. Now he's launched a Web site for fellow wine lovers; Kimpton Life Wine Society includes an online wine store with 200 bottles and a travel section with info on wine-related tours. This month, Staffan Terje, chef at San Francisco's Scala's Bistro (a Kimpton restaurant), will lead a week-long trip to Italy's Piedmont, with winery visits, cooking classes and a truffle hunt. The society also runs a wine club for dues-paying members. At the top level, Vineyard Designate, members receive two bottles a month from producers like Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and notices on limited releases. DETAILS Memberships, $50 to $165 a month; kimptonlifewinesociety.com.

Published October 2004