From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: “A federal judge said in two separate rulings Wednesday that Washington’s system for distributing beer and wine violates the Constitution and the Sherman Act.” We will keep a close eye on this case as it will likely have a big impact on wine shipping in Washington and other states as well. […]
Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm signed into law the direct shipping bill passed by the state House. The bill allows in-state and out-of-state wineries to ship up to 1,500 cases per year to Michigan residents. Click here to see the final legislation.
When the Indiana General Assembly reconvenes next month, at least two bills will be introduced that address the issue of wine direct shipping. As is usually the case, one bill would allow direct shipments from both in-state and out-of-state wineries and one bill would prohibit direct shipments.
After a long delay, New York finally approved UPS for interstate shipments. Permitted out-of-state wineries can now ship into New York via UPS. FedEx is expected to be approved soon as well. To see a complete listing of UPS allowed states for direct, onsite, and licensee to licensee shipments, you can visit the UPS Wine […]
The Detroit News reports: The state House on Tuesday voted 104-0 to approve legislation that would allow in-state and out-of-state wineries to ship up to 1,500 cases of wine a year directly to consumers. Direct shipment by out-of-state wineries had been banned under a state law ruled unconstitutional earlier this year by the U.S. Supreme […]
MA Governor Romney vetoed a bill passed by the House and Senate, calling it anti-consumer. “This bill does not give wine lovers the opportunity to purchase the bottlings they want”, he said “It creates artificial barriers to protect Massachusetts wholesalers at the expense of a free market.”
From law.com: “A federal judge has struck down a Pennsylvania law that prohibits out-of-state wineries from making direct sales to Pennsylvania consumers, hotels and restaurants after rejecting an argument that the law’s constitutional defect could be cured by extending the prohibition to in-state wineries.”
In a speech by Commissioner Jon Leibowitz titled Competition in the Information Society Uncorked and Unplugged, Leibowitz provides some great insight into interstate wine laws. I would encourage you to read this speech in its entirety, but here are a few choice passages: the Internet is crucial to consumers. Barriers to e-commerce whether erected […]
State Rep. Jon Husted, R-Kettering and other Ohio legislators are leaning towards a less restrictive shipping system. I like this passage from Mark Fisher of Uncorked and the Dayton Daily News: Earth to rabble-rousers: teen-agers looking to score alcohol are not going to get online, order a case of fine cabernet sauvignon from a boutique […]
A group of Oklahoma wine producers are pushing for a change in state law that will allow them to ship their product directly to consumers. Direct shipments are currently prohibited in Oklahoma, but this is one of at least 20 states that will likely revisit their direct shipping laws this year.
A lawsuit by the Institute for Justice, a libertarian public-interest group, seeks to overturn the ban on direct Internet sales in Minnesota. Currently, Minnesota allows direct to consumer sales for onsite orders as well as offsite orders that are taken via telephone, mail, or fax only.
Michigan wineries and the Michigan Beer & Wine Wholesalers Association may be close to a compromise in the Senate that would allow limited direct shipping of wine by out of state wineries. The Michigan House passed HB 4959, which would “allow limited wine shipments by Michigan and out-of-state wineries to individual Michigan consumers but would […]
On May 16th, 2005, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a landmark decision in the case of Granholm, Governor of Michigan, Et Al, v. Heald Et. Al.. We will discuss this case at length in this blog, but let’s start with the basics. You can see the official Supreme Court decision here, but […]
Welcome to the Wine Direct Shipping Compliance weblog. As you all know, the laws surrounding shipping wine directly to consumers are very complicated. On top of that, they change constantly. We created this blog to help you understand and stay on top of these “rules”. We encourage you to provide feedback and participate often.