Most of my posts concerning wine shipping laws have been relaying bad news as states avoid opening up to direct-to-consumer shipping, or, even worse, go from an open state to a closed one.
Well, for once I have some moderately good news.
Read all of New Ruling in Texas
Two pieces of useful information, both courtesy of the Specialty Wine Retailers Association. First, they have a new blog devoted to shipping laws nationwide, so it’s a great place to keep abreast of what is going on in your region of the country. While the blog does not credit specific authors, the Association is headed by a guy named Tom Wark, who I’ve mentioned in previous posts for his very good blog, Fermentation. Tom’s a PR/Marketing guy so hopefully the posts will be well written and engaging.
Read all of Shipping News
I found an interesting article online from UPI (United Press International) summarizing an Ohio State University study. The study evaluated the effect of opening up a state to direct wine shipping, essentially finding that freer trade led to better prices for consumers
Read all of Great News: More Choices = Better Prices
Yet another dire
email from the SWRA today regarding the ever-changing, and some would say diminishing, landscape of retailer to consumer direct shipping of wine.
The latest, two reciprocal states are making it significantly more difficult for retailers to ship to customers,
Missouri and
West Virginia are both moving to a permit-based system.
While their activities do not eliminate the ability for us to ship their, they are creating several obstacles for retailers while clearing the road for wineries.
Read all of Wine Shipping Changes in MO and WV
Recently I examined the benefits of different forms of
wine packaging, including environmental, cost and preservation elements.
In the end I argued that the best long-term solution to cost and conservation is to standardize bottles and invest heavily in a reuse system.
I mention this now, because in the last two days there have been two articles about recent shortages in glass bottles.
Read all of Save those glass bottles, you may need them
I’m almost at the point where I feel like I should stop reading about wine shipping.
Everything I read these days just makes me angry.
To see the depths to which wholesalers will sink to protect their own interests is unbelievable, even when their actions do not affect retailers.
Read all of It just makes me mad
Haven’t posted in a while for two reasons: I just got back from a brief, but relaxing vacation in
Maine; and the subject of my next major post is taking a bit more time to research fully.
Maine was great, had the opportunity to enjoy our
Peel Estate Verdelho with fresh Maine lobster, we also had a Riesling that I wasn’t as much of a fan of, and an oaked Chardonnay…unfortunately, like many American Chards, this one, for me, was way too oaky, so I stuck with the Verdelho and it went quite well with enough body to hold up to the sweet, buttery meat and a nice crisp backbone.
We also enjoyed the
Villard Sauvignon and the
Redgate Rosé as aperitifs, along with half a dozen or so other wines.
Read all of Wine in the Vacation Land and Maine Wine Shipping Laws
I found an interesting news article today, the summary of a
television story in
Wisconsin.
Apparently, Democrats in the state Senate quietly inserted a bill into their budget proposal that would severely inhibit shipments of wine to
Wisconsin customers.
The bill, a response to the 2005 Granholm decision, would:
1) prohibit local wineries from shipping directly to retailers;
2) require delivery drivers to ensure that the recipient is over 21 and not intoxicated; and
3) require all wineries to get a winery shippers license.
While we cannot ship to Wisconsin, as much as consumers there would like us to, there were several pieces of this legislation that interested and dismayed me.
Read all of Proposed Wisconsin Law Could Hurt State Consumers/Wineries
I received an interesting email today regarding shipping wines to North Carolina. The would-be consumer thought that it was legal for retailers to ship to consumers in the state, and had been for several years. He sent me a link to a
US Court of Appeals ruling from the 4th Circuit to support his argument. In the end, I think that our current policy is the correct one, but it did raise some interesting legal questions that I hope someone out there can weigh in on.
Read all of Thoughts on North Carolina's Wine Shipping Laws
The SWRA emailed again with more bad news this week saying that the bill HB 429 had passed through the House and would next go to the Senate. This bill would disallow out-of-state retailers to ship to residents within the state. It passed, in part, because wineries (both within Illinois and without) and Illinois retailers did not oppose the measure because they remain protected.
Read all of The Wine Institute, Two-Faced? Illinois shipping law passes House.
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