Editor: Former Maryland retailer Paul Cudone opines for bringing legal, regulated direct shipping to New Jersey in this March 11, 2021 Op-Ed in NorthJersey.com.
Separated only by 18 miles of the Delaware Turnpike, Maryland and New Jersey are a lot alike. Both think their beaches — and crab cakes — are best. And, since Rutgers and the University of Maryland both joined the Big 10, the sports rivalry is getting interesting.
But I have to say that Maryland is far ahead when it comes to offering wine lovers free choice in what brands they can have shipped from wineries to their homes. The two states approved direct-shipping laws around the same time, but Maryland did it right and New Jersey — well, let’s just say it’s not too late to get the job done.
Both states were among the more recent ones to realize that Prohibition ended a long time ago. Maryland legalized direct shipping from wineries to consumers in 2011; New Jersey did so in 2012 — but with a gaping hole that deprives consumers of unfettered choice.
