Florida: The Whorehouse of Wine Laws

Brothel
$1,400,000. This is the price that Florida legislators are willing to take in order to allow wine wholesalers in that state to bend over and have at Florida’s wine lovers.

Over the past five years, the Florida alcohol wholesalers have contributed more than $1.4 Million to Florida legislators.

What does that buy? Besides politicians, it purchases a restriction that will prevent Florida consumers from purchasing wines directly from some of America’s largest wineries. If you ask me, that a piss poor return on $1.4 million. However, Florida legislators yesterday voted down an amendment to a bill that would have removed a restriction on a wine law that prevents wineries producing more than 250,000 gallons of wine from shipping directly to Florida residents.

Nevertheless, if you are a Floridian and you belong to the wine clubs of Robert Mondavi, Kendall Jackson, Bonny Doon, Beringer, Chateau St. Jean, Kenwood, Joseph Phelps, Beaulieu, Benziger, Bogle, Domain Chandon, Cline, Dry Creek Vineyards, Franciscan, Ironstone, Kunde Estate, Louis Martini, Merryvale, Montevina, Murphy Goode, Niebaum-Coppola Estate, Ravenswood, Renwood, Rodney Strong, St. Francis, Simi, Trefethen, Wente and others, it’s likely that you will soon have to give up your membership in these clubs.

I always like to look at the public reasoning for wanting to impose restrictions. In the case of restricting Floridians from purchasing wines from wineries that make more than 250,000 gallons of wine (roughly 100,000 cases), the reasoning is that if these large wineries are able to ship direct to Floridians, it will run Florida retailers out of business.

This is, of course, nuts. But worse than that, everyone making this argument knows it’s nuts.

Years ago when the direct shipping battles first emerged, Florida was the epicenter. They passed a law that would make it a felony for out-of-state wineries to ship into the state. I remember being at a meeting of Family Winemakers of California at which they took a vote as to whether or not to start a boycott of wine sales to the state. The organization turned down the idea by only 2 votes.

Nothing like that will happen this time around. However, it’s likely that someone will challenge the notion that a state can restrict shipping to consumers based on the size of the winery. That challenge may in fact happen in another state. This restriction is being instituted in other states as well as Florida. Florida has become high profile because it is a huge market for wine.

In the mean time, Florida’s politicians will continue to allow wholesalers and the state’s retailers to bend over their constituents and give it to them in order to keep getting "campaign contributions" from the wine wholesaler lobby. It’s a business transaction without which politicians don’t know how to function.


2 Responses

  1. Sgt Duncan Czar - May 28, 2006

    From Sgt Duncan Czar.
    US Army,2nd Battalion 502nd,
    Infantry Regiment, Iraq.
    Good day,
    I am Sgt Duncan Czar an American Soldier. I am serving in the US
    Army of the 2nd Battalion 502nd,Infantary Regiment, Iraq. As you know
    we are being attacked by insurgents everyday and car bombs. We managed
    to move funds belonging to Saddam Hussein’s family. The total amount is
    US$25 Million dollars in cash, mostly 100-dollar bills. We want to move
    this money to you, so that you may invest it for us and keep our share
    for banking.
    We will take 80%, my partner and I. You take the other 20%. no strings
    attached, just help us move it out of Iraq, Iraq is a war zone. We plan
    on using diplomatic courier and shipping the money out in one large
    silver box, using diplomatic immunity.
    If you are interested I will send you the full details, my job is to
    bind a good partner that we can trust and that will assist us. Can I
    trust you?
    When you receive this letter, kindly send me an e-mail signifying your
    interest including your most confidential telephone/fax numbers for
    quick communication also your contact details. This business is risk
    free.
    The box can be shipped out in 48hrs.
    Respectfully,
    Sgt Duncan Czar.

  2. ms. jones - February 15, 2012

    hello…do you have any new/recent info on wineclub regulations in florida?


Leave a Reply