A VICTORY for wine lovers!

[psyktek]

The US Supreme Court today ruled that states may NOT prohibit the direct shipment of wine to consumers within their borders!!! :thumbs:

The catch is that state legislatures have to pass laws that set up conditions for the wineries (hmmm, does this mean retailers, too?) to adhere to. There was referrence to a Model Direct Shipping Bill that was recommended by the National Council of State Legtislatures, but somehow I've got this feeling that Utah will try to delay, circumvent or just flat-out refuse to do anything until someone here brings suit.

I wonder if this umbrellas retailers who deal in hard liquor as well...>? :whistling:

 

[LouieD]

Unfortunately, this decision may not be as good as we would want.

Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority, "States have broad power to regulate liquor. This power, however, does not allow states to ban, or severly limit, the direct shipment of out-of-state wine while simultaneously authorizing direct shipment by in-state producers".

Some commentary I have read today indicates that if a state bans all shipment of wine, they will be within their constitutional authority.
The bottom line here is that the states don't want to loose the tax revenues.

We will be lucky if the states don't come after interstate shipment of tobacco products (read CIGARS)!!! :angry:

 

[Gonz]

While I was in Napa last week, several of the folks with me were from FL, and wanted their wine shipped to them. One of the vineyards would do it only because they were there in person buying it, and the other said they would not ship to FL regardless.

Hopefully this will end this nonsense. NorCal has a website regarding these laws, something like freethegrapes.com