Grapeshare, a social network for wine lovers to connect, make recommendations and express opinions about wine, is launching a private beta within the week and expects to open public registration in October.

"There are some wines we remember because they're remarkable: maybe they had specific hints of spices we like, or an aroma that reminded us of warm apple pie or maybe even a particular bitter-sweet taste we're fond of," Grapeshare founder Spicer Matthews tells LAUNCH.

"Most often, though, I think wine is about the people and the context. There is simply no point in drinking a superb wine all alone, by oneself."

Grapeshare has not yet decided on a business model. Currently, Spicer says they are solely focused on the user experience.

"Our plan is to get a product out there that satisfies the users and get them talking about their passion -- wine," Spicer says. "In the future, however, we have plans for helping wine lovers get good deals for the wines they love. At the same time, from the perspective of the wineries, we give them the right platform to reach the connoisseurs that love their wine."

Other similar services include Second Glass, Drync and Daily Grape.

"We think we're unique, but we realize that there are others in this general space," says Spicer. "We are building Grapeshare because we simply have not found anything that meets the needs of the market."

The bootstrapped company is in the final stages of development for its web-based platform and will eventually be available as a mobile app.

"We will be looking to raise money in the next four to six months, depending on what kind of feedback we get from our early users, so we can innovate fast," Spicer says.

Grapeshare is jointly owned by SV angel investors and web application development company Cloudmanic Labs, where Spicer serves as CEO. Spicer founded Grapeshare earlier this month with another founder who wishes to remain anonymous.

CONTACTS & LINKS

Spicer Matthews
Twitter: @spicermatthews
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/spicermatthews
Google+: https://plus.google.com/103005519530624605509/posts?hl=en

Grapeshare
Website: http://grapeshare.com/
Blog: http://grapeshare.com/blog
Twitter: @grapeshare
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grapeshare/168135779928834

Cloudmanic
Website: http://www.cloudmanic.com/