Novato, Calif., May 2, 2006
Fireman's Fund Insurance Company announced today that it has joined forces with Vinfolio, a San Francisco-based
company, to focus on meeting the needs of wine collectors and enthusiasts. Through this relationship, Fireman's
Fund® Prestige CollectionsSM policyholders can access a one-year free membership to
Vinfolio.
Prestige Collections provides scheduled and blanket wine coverage, designed to meet the needs of private connoisseurs. Through Vinfolio, policyholders also receive:
- Exclusive wine offers on highly rated wine as well as expert recommendations from our wine specialists. Vinfolio offers selections of exceptional and rare wine from all over the world, including mature and new vintages.
- Personal buying service to locate any wine not already in inventory, both from traditional channels and member collections.
- Personal selling service. Price is determined and mutually agreed upon in advance based on auction/retail pricing comparables.
- VinCellar™ online cellar management software including:
- An automated way to value the wine in VinCellar based on recent auction results.
- Access to auction price results from the Wine Price File, including more than 66,000 summary listings with high/low/average pricing and over 213,000 individual lot results.
- Access to more than 70,000 professional scores and reviews from Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Allen Meadows' Burghound, and Antonio Galloni's Piedmont Report
"Our relationship with Fireman's Fund was natural," said Stephen Bachmann, chief executive officer of Vinfolio. "Our clients enjoy the finer things in life-in particular collecting, managing and protecting their wine investment. Now, they can do all of this more easily and more effectively than ever before."
"Wine is an insurable asset. A modest, 500-bottle collection can easily add up to $50,000 in value or more," said Chris Heidrick, vice president, marketing of Personal Insurance at Fireman's Fund. "Knowing the value of a wine collection is the first step to insuring it correctly. By joining forces with Vinfolio, we are providing our clients with an easy tool to value their collection and manage their cellar, as well as access to a unique, professional service that offers exceptional wine, expert advice and tools for storage."
In addition to the Vinfolio membership, Fireman's Fund policyholders who insure their wine collections with Prestige Collections also receive:
- Blanket and itemized coverage, customized for high-limit wines
- 150% agreed value with no deductible for scheduled items
- Immediate 100% coverage for new acquisitions, compared to 25% or $50,000 limit from leading competitors
- Mobile coverage, protecting wines worldwide and in transit
- No out-of-vault/in-vault transaction costs
Fireman's Fund Insurance Company is a premier property and casualty insurance company providing personal, commercial and specialty insurance products nationwide. Fireman's Fund is a member of the Allianz Group (NYSE: AZ), one of the world's largest providers of property and casualty insurance and other financial services. For additional information, visit www.firemansfund.com.
| Media Contacts: | Janet Ruiz, Fireman's Fund, (415) 899-5381 |
| Ellen Snook, Peppercom, (415) 438-9821 |
© 2006 Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, Novato CA 94998