Archive for the ‘Shipping Wine’ Category
The state of Minnesota has long been the winner of the "most creative way to protect wine wholesalers and screw consumers" award. With a recent judicial ruling the state can no longer claim that title. In 1998 Minnesota enacted regulations that prohibited any winery in the country from advertising to Minnesotans that their wine was available direct from the winery and prohibiting Minnesotans from ordering wine via the Internet. Monday those regulations were determined to be unconstitutional. The ruling states…
We are in for years of wine-shipping and wine sales related litigation. Years! Maryland wineries and wine distributors have apparently agreed on a compromise that will allow that state’s wineries to continue to sell direct to restaurants and retailers and bypassing wholesalers and distributors altogether. The compromise was necessary when the state’s comptroller ruled last June that allowing Maryland wineries to do this violated the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution because out of state wineries did not have the…
A lawsuit was filed today in Texas claiming the state’s prohibition against consumers having wine shipped to them from out of state retailers is unconstitutional. This would be the case because Texas wine lovers are allowed to have wine shipped to them from in-state retailers. The recently formed Specialty Wine Retailers Association is behind the lawsuit and Ken Starr’s name is on the lawsuit. It’s bound to get attention for this reason alone. It’s hard to imagine on what grounds…
The battle in Florida over direct shipping is getting heated. Rather than explain it, wail, moan or get bitching and rant, you might want to read the words of those involved and in the state: TEENS MAY EXPLOIT WEB SALESFrom a local Police Chief (who should know better) CHRISTIAN COALITION: INTERNET SALES OF WINE RAISE CONCERNSFrom the head of Jerry Falwell’s organization (who I’m sure doesn’t know better) PROTECTING THE CHILDREN?(Editorial from the Lakeland Ledger…they get it)
Continuing FERMENTATION’s look at money, wine and politics, we turn in this post to the money spent on political campaigns at the state level. It is here, in the individual states, where nearly all legislation and regulations concerning alcohol, its production, its sales and its distribution is undertaken. Between 2004 and 2006, contributions to state level political campaigns from beer, wine and spirit concerns totaled $21,362,727. The overwhelming majority of this money comes from distributors and wholesalers of alcohol. This…
