Blog

With the help of the press, wineries in Illiinois turn the tables on the powerful Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois.

Pending legislation in Florida would create a limited direct model for shipping wine directly to consumers where out-of-state wineries would need to obtain a $100 permit and pay the appropriate taxes.

Paul Nussbaum of the Philadelphia Inquirer gives good insight into the “wine-law chaos” in PA.

We noted earlier that Kansas was revisiting their laws and leaning towards prohibition. However, a new bill sent to the Senate would open up direct shipments to retailers and consumers, as long as the consumers pick up the wine at a licensed liquor store. Lawmakers in Kansas are keeping a close eye on the Costco […]

FedEx recently unveiled its new wine shipping website. You can view the site by going to http://fedex.com/us/wine/ . On this site you will find some good information about the FedEx wine shipping policies and requirements. There is also a state pairing guide showing the states to which FedEx ships for direct to consumer offsite, onsite, […]

In their effort to become compliant with the Granholm decision, Colorado introduced a limited direct bill that would ease restrictions on shipping wine. Currently, consumers in Colorado can not make offsite purchases from wineries unless they have visited that winery in the past. The new legislation would remove this previous visit requirement.

A pending bill in the Kansas Legislature would prohibit the direct shipment of wine to consumers altogether. Currently, Kansas in-state wineries can sell directly to consumers, but out-of-state wineries are required to use the three-tier system. This uneven treatment was deemed unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court in May 2005. As a result of the […]

Following up on our previous post, small wineries are once again crying foul in Illinois over legislation introduced by the Illinois distributor lobby. The bill would require an initial on-site purchase before off-site sales can be made and would establish a customer aggregate volume limit of two cases per year. Illinois wineries are taking issue […]

After vetoing a bill passed by the Massachusetts House and Senate in January, Governer Milt Romney introduced his own bill that would allow for “unrestricted wine sales” while providing mechansims for preventing the sale of wine to minors.

Editorial from the Chicago Tribune: If lawmakers are going to get back in the wine game, they should promote competition and protect consumers from unnecessary middlemen and their markups. Otherwise, stay out.

Here’s a good update on the legislation process in Ohio from Mark Fisher.

The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of Indiana Political Action Committee gave over $180,000 between 2000 and 2004 to Indiana politicians and candidates. The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette explains why there is no wonder that favorable legislation was introduced there. It is no secret that the wine wholesalers and distributors wield tremendous power in every state. […]

Inertia Beverage Group announced today a new program called REThink Wine Trade. The program would give restaurants a means to place wholesale orders directly with producers. This is an interesting concept. “Direct to the trade” compliance will certainly be a challenge for IBG. However, this once again gets back to the theme discussed by FTC […]

From the Richmond Times-Dispatch: The House ABC and Gaming subcommittee voted 4-1 to recommend that the General Laws Committee kill a bill that would preserve the right of small Virginia wineries to distribute their products to restaurants and stores.

Sound familiar? The Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois are pushing for a bill in Illinois that would prohibit direct shipments. Illinois wineries are crying foul and pushing their own counter-legislation. This will be interesting to watch as Chicago is a large wine market.

Interesting editorial explaining why Arizona is watching the Costco case in Washington closely.

A federal lawsuit seeks to ease the direct shipping restrictions in Delaware. Currently, Delaware prohibits out of state wineries from shipping directly to consumers.

California officially moves to a limited direct model for interstate wine shipping today. Out-of-state wineries will be required to obtain a Type 82 permit from the California ABC for $10 annually and a Certificate of Use Tax from the California Board of Equalization.