Comments on: Sobering: wine shipping map

By: How an Internet sales tax affects wine | Dr Vino's wine blog

How an Internet sales tax affects wine | Dr Vino's wine blog — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:52:17 +0000

[...] Although wine e-commerce (hello, 1990s term!) has been growing, it is still hamstrung by regulations. Wineries can only ship to 36 states while retailers, who have much broader and more compelling offerings, can only legally ship to 12 states. [...]

By: Is Garagiste sui generis? The NYT profile of Jon Rimmerman | Dr Vino's wine blog

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 14:46:33 +0000

[...] would select today. Similarly, setting up a business selling wine via a virtual storefront when 39 states don’t legally allow wine shipments from retailers would seem a dicey proposition. And Jon’s swami-style (not a retailer but rather a [...]

By: Amazon wine, the less ambitious sequel | Dr Vino's wine blog

Amazon wine, the less ambitious sequel | Dr Vino's wine blog — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 19:10:27 +0000

[...] Since wineries can ship to about three dozen states if they have the proper paperwork on file, this has the potential to affect a lot of consumers. But there are a lot of drawbacks too since consumers would apparently have to order from one winery at a time since there is no warehouse fulfilling the orders. Also, wines will likely be at a higher price to justify the shipping charges and there will be no imported wines available. (Retailers, by contrast, can only ship to about a dozen states legally.) [...]

By: Randy Agness

Randy Agness — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 17:08:24 +0000

With the number of shipping and selling restriction in each state, it’s difficult for a small farm winery to enter and distribute their wine into many states. It wonderful to ship direct to consumers where possible, but you would ideally want the bottles on Wine Store shelves for the consumers convenience to reach a greater audience.

Cheers,

Randy Agness
Agness Wine Cellars

By: dr bob

dr bob — Sat, 08 Sep 2012 22:33:50 +0000

The map shows Alabama as a prohibited state, but it is, in fact, a permit state. Alabama allows import of wine from producers or retailers with an online form, as long as it is consigned to a state owned ABC store, where ID can be checked, and $3.42/per case in state taxes can be collected.

Think I’m full of shit? Check it out:

http://www.abcboard.state.al.us/(S(mkukufevz1k1zo4ufrxepdhj))/faq.aspx

and….

http://www.abcboard.state.al.us/(S(mkukufevz1k1zo4ufrxepdhj))/PDFs/DIAuthorization_form.pdf

Kindest regards,

Bob Wright
Tuscaloosa, Alabama

By: Chris Miller

Chris Miller — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 20:10:58 +0000

Tyler & Dermot,

Fun to see the banter about Mormons, wine and politics and adding in the wife…nice touch.

I think the real worrisome thing with Romney and really any politician and wine (aka freethegrapes) is that money follows and there is sooooooo much of it to put in the pockets from the likes of the big guys. $7-9 Billion in rev at Diageo on US and $9 Billion + in rev at Southern (and thats only 13-14 states I think!!!). Plenty of pockets can be filled for the right vote. Its not about taxes at the retail level its about corporate dollars. If wine flows directly from those that make it to those that drink it, then lots of dollars go away from certain pockets.

By: Dermot Nolan MW

Dermot Nolan MW — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 08:28:38 +0000

Hi Tyler,

How could I have forgotten that Romney is Mormon? Only one wife spoke…LOL

I may very well buy your book at some stage (good plug!) but I have a feeling that US wine politics is even more fraught than French wine politics LOL

All the best,

Dermot

By: Cody Rasmussen

Cody Rasmussen — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 04:53:48 +0000

What’s the distinction between With Permit states and No Permit Needed states? I imagine that retailers pay a one-time (or annual) fee to the state as pay-to-play?

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 01:56:12 +0000

Tom, you are right, I was wrong. It is illegal in IL. Is it enforced elsewhere? I get +/-15 cases of wine per year shipped from retailers around the country and have never had a problem.

By: Kinetico

Kinetico — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 20:35:17 +0000

I expected the west coast to be more lax than most other states, however Seattle is pretty strict with their alcohol laws, so no surprise there either.

By: Dr. Vino

Dr. Vino — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 20:12:53 +0000

Btw, Tom, yes, thanks for pointing out the importance of imported wine and how the winery-direct shipping completely omits this large segment of the market.

Chris – tax is certainly an issue and I’m sure there are ways of collecting the appropriate state revenues.

By: Dr. Vino

Dr. Vino — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 20:10:40 +0000

Hi Christopher,

I didn’t mean to imply that his faith would dictate his wine policy; rather, that because he’s not a wine geek, we at least don’t have his dyed-in-the-hermitage-blanc enthusiasm to drive policy. As such, he could be susceptible to moneyed influence, as members of Congress and state legislatures have been.

Still, it’s good that he took a hard line back in 2006, even if he has done some rather spectacular voltes face since that time on other policy issues.

By: Christopher

Christopher — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 19:46:57 +0000

Actually, despite the fact that Romney is Mormon, his history towards wine and alcohol laws during his time as governor of Massachusetts was pretty progressive.

W. Blake Gray did a nice write up during the Republican primary on his blog: http://blog.wblakegray.com/2012/02/wine-lovers-guide-to-republican-primary.html.

You may not agree with his politics, but I wouldn’t worry too much that his faith will dictate his approach towards wine.

By: Dr. Vino

Dr. Vino — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:27:28 +0000

Hey Dolan –

Thanks for stopping by and delving into that peculiar aspect of American wine: shipping.

Actually, shipping liberalization does not cleave along partisan lines. Indeed, the 2005 Granholm decision saw the justices scattering their usual positions and alliances, including a rare instance of Thomas not voting with Scalia.

Romney is a Mormon and does not drink alcohol. And the Republican-led House has introduced legislation (written by alcohol wholesalers) that would effectively roll back what liberties we do have now for retailer-to-consumer shipping.

If you would like a fuller, historical treatment, please see my book Wine Politics.

By: Terroirist: A Daily Wine Blog » Daily Wine News: France & California

Terroirist: A Daily Wine Blog » Daily Wine News: France & California — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 12:00:38 +0000

[...] Tyler Colman posts “a rather sobering map from the Specialty Wine Retailers’ Association” that breaks down retailer-to-consumer shipping. Tom Wark comments, explaining what we need to eliminate anti-freedom wine laws. [...]