A little cyber sipping makes purchasing that elusive apéritif easier

Who: Jerome Zech Jr., chief executive

What: WineBid.com

Where: Headquartered in Seattle, warehouse in Napa, Calif. It also has offices in Chicago and North Bergen, N.J.

When: Founded in 1996

Background: Zech was president, chief executive and founding shareholder of Supreme Corq, a Kent manufacturer of wine corks that was recently acquired by Graham Partners. Before that, he was vice president of sales at Alaska Airlines; director of sales and marketing at McCaw Cellular (which became AT&T Wireless); and held various management positions with IBM.

Employees: Seven in Seattle, 40 overall

Funding: The company is financed by private equity.

Profitable? Yes, according to Zech.

Sales: $18 million last year, up about 15 percent.

Niche: Online auctions of fine and rare wines

At the high end: Average bottle selling price — $100

Slogan: Fine Wine for the Privileged Many

The source: The primary sources of wine it sells are private collections and estates.

Outlook: The company continues to grow at a double-digit pace both domestically and in select international markets.

Registered users: 35,000, growing 20 percent to 30 percent annually.

Why Seattle? The warehouse may be in Napa, the heart of wine country, but "Seattle has a significant pool of talented programmers and information-technology professionals, which is a critical resource for our company," Zech says.

Favorite gadget: BlackBerry

Last book read: "John Adams" by David McCullough

Finding inspiration: "Building a business and creating opportunity for people," Zech says.

Favorite wine: Burgundy and Oregon pinot noir

— Brier Dudley