Direct-to-consumer (DtC) alcohol shipping is an exciting channel for wineries and retailers to expand their reach across state lines. However, as Alex Koral, regulatory general counsel for Sovos ShipCompliant, highlighted during a recent webinar, compliance is not just a matter of filing paperwork and obtaining the correct licenses. A critical aspect that often trips up producers — yet is non-negotiable — is age verification. 

We’ve gathered up some takeaways from this session, which unpacked best practices, legal obligations, and the regulatory scrutiny surrounding age checks. While the webinar addressed multiple compliance topics, including volume limits and navigating wet/dry regions, this post focuses on the vital segment discussing age verification — a cornerstone of legal and responsible DtC alcohol shipping. 

Why Age Verification Is a Top Priority for DtC Shippers 

As Alex explained, age verification isn’t just a formality — it’s a moral, legal, and operational imperative designed to prevent underage alcohol sales. As Alex stated, “It is illegal within The United States to ever sell alcohol to a person who is under the age of 21. That is the law in every single state, and it is a pretty much universal law.” 

He emphasized that there are “vanishingly few” exceptions to this, and none apply to DtC sales. Selling or providing alcohol to a minor, even unintentionally, places your business at risk of fines, license suspension, or revocation. Moreover, violations can damage your reputation and threaten the legitimacy of the entire DtC shipping model. 

Regulatory Scrutiny and the Role of Enforcement 

States pay close attention to how DtC shippers handle age verification, as it’s one of their primary regulatory concerns. “States take this very seriously,” Alex said. Underage drinking prevention groups and regulators often argue that online alcohol sales present a heightened risk of sales to minors, though Alex noted that those fears have never been substantiated and that most claims of shipments going to minors come from stings conducted by states rather than real world examples. 

Alex referenced studies conducted by state agencies, including Oregon and Vermont, which reported high rates of noncompliance among businesses shipping alcohol into their jurisdictions. “Even if these studies are based on small sample sizes, regulators believe the problem is significant,” said Alex. As a result, enforcement stings and penalties for noncompliance are a continual risk for DtC shippers, who must remain vigilant in their age verification practices to stay on the right side of the law. 

Best Practices for Age Verification 

Given the above, a suite of practices around age checks are essential for DtC shippers. Here’s a breakdown of key recommendations:

1. Implement Age Gates on Websites

Age gates may seem simplistic, but even these basic tools are essential for demonstrating good-faith compliance. Although age gates are not foolproof, requesting a birthdate or requiring users to attest that they are over 21 signals your commitment to compliance. 

Additionally, “you should require purchasers to enter in their date of birth at the time of purchase,” Alex advised. Alex acknowledged that this extra step may deter some buyers but stressed, “If somebody is unwilling to enter their date of birth at the time of purchase, maybe they’re not somebody you want to sell wine to to begin with.” 

2. Partner with Compliant Carriers

Carriers, such as FedEx and UPS, play a crucial role in age verification during the delivery process, and they bear their own compliance burdens, including licensing and reporting. In addition, their drivers must verify IDs, obtain physical signatures, and are prohibited from leaving alcohol unattended. Alex recommended working closely with carriers to ensure they are properly trained and enforcing compliance. “They are that last element of defense to make sure that even if wine is being shipped to someone under 21, they don’t receive it,” he noted. 

3. Proactively Check Ages Where Required

Seven states — Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, and South Dakota — include in their laws an explicit requirement that DtC shippers actively check purchaser IDs at the time of purchase by one of two means. 

The first means is physically reviewing their government-issued ID. For in person purchases, this is easy enough and should already be standard practice. For remote sales, like online or club purchases, it is harder but still possible to get a copy of the physical ID, through photos, email, or similar means. However, collecting purchaser information using these means brings privacy concerns, especially in light of the California Consumer Privacy Act. 

As such, online third-party, internet-based age verification services are perhaps the gold standard when checking on purchasers. Alex explained, “These are robust, widely used, and highly reliable services that verify consumers against public records.”  

While these services do come with fees, they offer businesses a reliable way to comply and to demonstrate their commitment to age verification. (Of note: Sovos ShipCompliant offers the use of such services directly integrated within the compliance platform.) 

As Alex said, “In some states, it’s just a condition of your license. You need to take an extra step when you’re making a sale.” 

4. Proactively Check Ages Even When Not Required

While there are those seven states where DtC shippers are required, as a condition of their license, to take specific steps when verifying purchaser ages, it is always a best practice for wineries to make active efforts to verify purchaser ages — regardless of state requirements. 

Because every state prohibits alcohol sales to minors, DtC shippers need to prevent sales to minors in every state. Even though it may not be a license violation in Texas to not use an age verification service with every purchaser, like it is in Michigan, a DtC shipper that sells to a minor in Texas is violating Texas law and at great risk of enforcement action by the TABC. As such, it is always recommended to take all available steps possible to prevent sales to minors, regardless of the explicit wording of a state DtC statute.

5. Establish Robust Recordkeeping

Whether mandated by state law or not, keeping records of age checks and verification processes is essential. “When the state says, ‘Are you checking IDs?’ You can say, ‘Yes, of course we are,’” Alex said. Simple recordkeeping practices, such as retaining digital confirmations of age verification, can protect businesses in the event of an audit or compliance sting. 

The Bottom Line: Age Verification Is Everyone’s Responsibility 

Ultimately, Alex emphasized that strict age verification measures protect not only your license but also the wider DtC alcohol shipping industry. “It is always illegal. It is always prohibited to sell or ship to a minor. There is no exception to that in the entire United States,” he reiterated. 

As highly regulated businesses, DtC alcohol shippers must prioritize robust, multi-layered age verification strategies to stay compliant, ethical, and ahead of enforcement risks. For more actionable insights, check out the full webinar recording. 

Age Verification FAQs