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Compliance Basics for Wholesale Distribution of Alcohol

The wholesale market remains one of the more fruitful and effective ways for beverage alcohol suppliers to get their products into the hands of consumers. And in many cases, selling wholesale through what is called the three-tier system is the only way for a winery, brewery, distillery or cidery to enter a state’s marketplaces. As […]

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How Hold At Locations Improve Your Customers’ Wine Delivery Experience

Direct-to-consumer shipping wine lovers enjoy the convenience of having their favorite vinos shipped to their front door. But what happens when, for whatever reason, they aren’t available to accept their wine deliveries? Whether they aren’t available during the day or they don’t have someone 21 or older available to sign for their package, these challenges […]

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Out-of-State Breweries Gain Self Distribution, DtC Rights in Oregon

Under a settlement agreement, breweries located outside of Oregon now have more options for selling into the Beaver State, including direct-to-consumer (DtC) shipping and self-distribution to retailers. The settlement arose out of a lawsuit filed by a group of Washington breweries last year challenging Oregon laws that limited beer self-distribution to in-state breweries and DtC […]

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Top 5 Myths Surrounding Retailer Direct-to-Consumer Wine Shipping

By Tom Wark, Executive Director, National Association of Wine Retailers Politics breed myths. This has always been the case as politics is, at its most fundamental, a form of storytelling. So it should be no surprise that myths have arisen as various elements of the wine industry have fought against consumers and specialty wine retailer seeking […]

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Relief from Colorado Retail Delivery Fee for DtC Wine Shippers

Colorado enacted changes to the state’s Retail Delivery Fee (RDF) effective in May, which should provide some relief to wineries engaged in direct-to-consumer (DtC) wine shipping in the state. The RDF was adopted by Colorado in 2022 as a 27-cent fee that applied to all retail sales that involved the delivery of goods using motorized […]

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The Dangers of Third-Party Shipping

Direct-to-consumer (DtC) wine shipping represents 12% of total off-premise domestic wine sales, totaling $4.1 billion in 2022. It’s no wonder that wineries from across the country are looking to expand their reach by shipping their bottles to consumers in every corner of the nation. In response, we’ve seen an increasing number of third-party shipping businesses […]

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Where On-Site is Still Relevant for DtC Shippers

Direct-to-consumer (DtC) shipping of wine comes in two general categories: on-site and off-site. Both ultimately involve the use of a third-party common carrier to fulfill an order by a consumer, but they differ in how the consumer places their order. “On-site” DtC shipments are those where the consumer was physically present at the winery’s premises […]

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DtC, Cannabis & More: 2023 Wine Summit Takeaways

A wide variety of speakers and presentations addressed some of the major issues affecting the wine industry at the 2023 Sovos ShipCompliant Wine Summit, which took place in Napa on April 19-20. Some of the highlights from the 18th annual event are presented below. Sovos ShipCompliant updates Larry Cormier, vice president and general manager, Sovos […]

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Nebraska Liquor Laws Updated in Recent Bill

Earlier this week, Nebraska lawmakers passed a bill that would update the state’s liquor laws. State Senator John Lowe introduced LB376, which passed with a 41-0 vote. Under the bill, Nebraska will now create a brand registration for the state’s Liquor Control Commission to accurately identify and track alcoholic products imported into the state. This […]

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What Could Fuel the Drive for Expanded DtC Beer Shipping?

For craft beer lovers, expanded direct-to-consumer (DtC) beer shipping is at the top of their wish list, according to the third annual Direct to Consumer Beer Shipping Report. Released last month by Sovos ShipCompliant in partnership with the Brewers Association, the data showed that 88% of regular craft beer drinkers believe there should be greater […]

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Compliance Concerns for Non-Alcoholic Beer

It’s no secret that non-alcoholic beer is having a moment, and the segment is pointing to continued growth. First Key reports that dollar sales of non-alcohol (NA) beer, wine and spirits brands doubled between 2020 and 2022, with non-alcoholic beer accounting for over 80% of the market share of the category. What was once a […]

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Unique Tax Considerations for DtC Wine Shippers

Taxes are one of the primary compliance concerns for direct-to-consumer (DtC) shippers of wine, and one of the more complex ones. The 47 states, plus D.C., that permit DtC shipping of alcohol want to ensure there is parity between alcohol sold in-state and any coming from out-of-state sources. So, if a bottle of wine is […]

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Working Toward a Larger Kentucky DtC Spirits Channel – And Beyond

Kentucky just entered its third year of DtC alcohol shipping, opening doors for wineries, breweries and distilleries to expand their product reach. The change was especially welcomed by the Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA), which helped craft and guide the landmark DtC bill in 2020 that established these permissions. Founded in 1880, the KDA is the […]

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A Continued ‘Normalization’ in DtC Wine Shipping – What Does it Mean?

Sovos ShipCompliant’s recent 2023 Direct-to-Consumer (DtC) Wine Shipping Report, released with our partner Wines Vines Analytics, showed the first-ever decline in both value (-1.6%) and volume (-10.3%) of shipments. While these numbers are concerning, it’s important to look at the industry in its entirety and keep in mind the overall context of pandemic responses from […]

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How and Where Can I Legally Ship Spirits DtC?

While the first annual Direct-to-Consumer (DtC) Spirits Shipping Report, presented by Sovos ShipCompliant and the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA), found that 80% of regular craft spirits drinkers would purchase spirits for DtC shipping monthly if permitted in their state, it’s not necessarily as apparent to producers how they can legally ship spirits DtC. We’ve […]

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Is Expanded DtC Beer, Wine & Spirits Shipping on the Way?

Craft beer drinkers want expanded direct-to-consumer (DtC) beer shipping options, and if recent pieces of legislation are any indication, they may soon start to get that wish. Currently, several states have introduced bills that could expand the DtC alcohol shipping landscape for breweries and wineries alike. We’ve highlighted the details below. Hawaii DtC beer shipping, […]

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Key Findings from the 2023 Direct-to-Consumer Beer Shipping Report

Craft beer drinkers want their beer shipped DtC—legally—and they are willing to pay for it. Those are among the conclusions of the third annual Direct-to-Consumer (DtC) Beer Shipping Report, released this March by Sovos ShipCompliant in partnership with the Brewers Association. The report includes a regulatory review of the DtC beer shipping channel, the latest […]

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The Next Era of DtC Wine Shipping Starts Now

By Andrew Adams, Editor, Wine Analytics Report The winery market has entered the next era of DtC wine shipping, where we saw total shipments for the past year declined 1.6% by value and 10.3% by volume. While the declines are unprecedented in the more than 12 years Wines Vines Analytics and Sovos ShipCompliant have tracked […]

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