1. Introduction
FlavorsOfWine.com ("we," "us," or "our") is a luxury wine information directory and marketplace serving wine enthusiasts, collectors, connoisseurs, and industry professionals. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with transparency, care, and respect.
This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, with whom we share it, and your rights regarding your personal data. By accessing or using FlavorsOfWine.com, you agree to the practices described in this policy.
2. Information We Collect
A. Information You Provide
- Account information: name, email address, and username when you register.
- Profile information: wine preferences, interests, and membership tier selections.
- Payment information: processed securely by Stripe. We do not store your card numbers or full payment details on our servers.
- User-generated content: reviews, member stories, wine nominations, and any other content you submit.
- Communications: emails, support requests, and feedback you send to us.
B. Information Collected Automatically
- Usage data: pages visited, features used, time on site, and interactions.
- Device information: browser type, operating system, screen resolution, and IP address.
- Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 5 for details).
- Referring URLs and navigation paths through the site.
C. Information from Third Parties
- Internet Identity authentication data — we receive a unique cryptographic identifier; no passwords are stored by us.
- Stripe payment processing data — Stripe may share transaction status and risk signals with us under their terms.
- Publicly available information you choose to share through linked social profiles.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Provide, operate, and maintain the FlavorsOfWine.com platform and all its features.
- Process memberships, subscriptions, and payments through Stripe.
- Personalize your experience, including curated wine recommendations and tailored content.
- Send service communications such as account confirmations, subscription notices, and security alerts.
- Send marketing communications — only with your consent, and you may opt out at any time.
- Moderate user-generated content, reviews, and member stories before publication.
- Analyze and improve site performance, features, and user experience.
- Detect, investigate, and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents.
- Comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal obligations.
6. Data Retention
- Account data: retained while your account is active. Deleted within 90 days of a verified account deletion request.
- Transaction records: retained as required by applicable law, typically 7 years for financial and tax records.
- User-generated content (reviews, stories): may remain on the site after account deletion unless you specifically request removal.
- Analytics data: retained in aggregate or anonymized form for site improvement purposes.
7. Security
We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information, including HTTPS/TLS encryption for all data in transit, access controls limiting employee access to personal data, and regular security reviews of our systems and practices.
However, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
If you discover a potential security vulnerability or believe your account has been compromised, please contact us immediately at ConversionIsKey@Gmail.com.
8. Children's Privacy (COPPA)
We do not knowingly collect, solicit, or maintain personal information from children under the age of 13. If we discover that we have inadvertently collected information from a minor, we will delete that information promptly.
Parents or guardians who believe their child has provided personal information to us should contact us immediately at ConversionIsKey@Gmail.com so we can take appropriate action.
9. Your Privacy Rights
Regardless of where you reside, you have the following rights with respect to your personal information:
- Right to Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Right to Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Right to Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information ("right to be forgotten").
- Right to Restrict Processing: Request that we limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
- Right to Object: Object to certain types of processing, including direct marketing.
- Right to Data Portability: Receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent at any time for processing based on your consent, without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at ConversionIsKey@Gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days (or 45 days for complex requests). We may ask you to verify your identity before processing certain requests.
10. California Residents — CCPA/CPRA Rights
If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) provides you with additional rights:
- Right to Know: Know what personal information we collect about you and why.
- Right to Know About Sale or Disclosure: Know whether your personal information is sold or disclosed and to whom.
- Right to Opt-Out of Sale: Opt out of the sale of your personal information. Note: We do not sell personal information.
- Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA/CPRA rights.
- Right to Correction: Correct inaccurate personal information we maintain about you.
- Right to Limit Sensitive Personal Information: Limit our use of sensitive personal information to what is necessary to provide our services.
Categories of Personal Information We Collect
- Identifiers: name, email address, Internet Identity principal.
- Commercial information: membership tier, subscription history, purchase records.
- Internet or electronic network activity: pages viewed, features used, log data.
- Inferences drawn from the above to create a profile of your preferences.
11. European Residents — GDPR Rights
If you are located in the European Union, United Kingdom, European Economic Area, or Switzerland, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable national laws grant you additional rights and protections.
Legal Basis for Processing
- Contract performance: processing necessary to provide the services you signed up for.
- Legitimate interests: analytics, fraud prevention, and site security — balanced against your rights.
- Consent: marketing emails and non-essential cookies — you may withdraw at any time.
- Legal obligation: tax and transaction records retained as required by law.
Data Controller
FlavorsOfWine.com is the data controller for personal information processed through this platform. For GDPR inquiries, contact our Data Protection Officer at ConversionIsKey@Gmail.com.
International Data Transfers
If your personal information is transferred outside the EEA (for example, to Stripe's servers), we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission.
Right to Lodge a Complaint
You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority if you believe your privacy rights have been violated. You may also contact us directly to resolve concerns before escalating.
All rights listed in Section 9 (Your Privacy Rights) also apply fully to EU, UK, and EEA residents.
12. Third-Party Links
FlavorsOfWine.com contains links to third-party websites, including winery sites, vendor pages, and external resources. This Privacy Policy applies only to information collected by FlavorsOfWine.com.
We are not responsible for the content, security, or privacy practices of any third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external sites you visit. Inclusion of a link does not imply endorsement of that site or its practices.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page will reflect the date of the most recent revision.
For material changes that significantly affect how we handle your personal information, we will provide prominent notice on the site and/or via email to registered members. Your continued use of FlavorsOfWine.com after such changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.
14. Affiliate & Sales Relationships
FlavorsOfWine.com participates in affiliate marketing programs and may have commercial relationships with certain vendors, wineries, retailers, and service providers featured or linked on this site.
All affiliate and sponsored relationships are disclosed in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines on endorsements and testimonials. We only feature vendors and products that meet our quality standards, regardless of any commercial relationship.
Independent Transactions: Any purchase made through an outbound link or vendor listing on FlavorsOfWine.com is a transaction solely between you and that third-party seller. FlavorsOfWine.com is not the seller of record and is not responsible for the quality, legality, availability, or delivery of any products or services sold by third parties.
Vendor listings on FlavorsOfWine.com may be paid placements. The existence of a paid listing relationship does not guarantee, imply, or constitute an endorsement of the vendor's products, services, or business practices.
Regional Restrictions: Certain products — especially alcoholic beverages — may only be available in select regions. You are responsible for knowing and complying with the laws of your jurisdiction regarding the purchase, importation, and possession of alcohol.
15. Facebook Disclaimer
FlavorsOfWine.com maintains a presence on Facebook at facebook.com/FlavorsOfWine. Any interactions on our Facebook page are governed by Facebook's own terms of service and privacy policy, not this document. By interacting with our Facebook page, you acknowledge that Facebook's data practices apply independently of FlavorsOfWine.com's privacy practices.
FlavorsOfWine.com does not control and is not responsible for any data Facebook collects about you through your use of their platform, including when you interact with our Facebook page or ads.
16. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us:
Submit your request via email to ConversionIsKey@Gmail.com with "CCPA Request" in the subject line.
Submit your request via email to ConversionIsKey@Gmail.com with "GDPR Request" in the subject line. We respond within 30 days (45 days for complex requests).