Dot wine and the fear of change

As someone who makes his primary living helping leading companies utilise internet technologies for competitive advantage, I have always found observing the wine industry’s approach to the Internet an amusing spectator sport. When feeling particularly uncharitable, I liken it to the early antics of a young puppy that has been brought to the seaside, or to a snow bank, for the first time: gingerly approaching the unknown and quickly shying away at the first unfamiliar sensation.

I shouldn’t have been surprised, therefore, when, following the announcement of their approval by ICANN (the organisation that regulates Internet domain names), the shiny...