Two bills in Oklahoma threaten winery direct shipping to wine lovers in the state.
House Bill 2640 and its companion, Senate Bill 796, recommend unnecessary and unworkable reporting requirements on wineries and the common carriers.
Subscribers to the Wall Street Journal may have seen wine editor Lettie Teague’s article March 2nd which, among other things, highlighted consumer support for Free the Grapes! and our role in helping to support legal, regulated direct wine shipments. Here’s a link to the article: [Paywall] https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-is-it-so-hard-to-get-wines-out-of-state-3a2e6825 She mentioned that several states are about to ... Read more
DTC WINE SYMPOSIUM 2023: IN-PERSON AND LIVESTREAMED Presented by and the chief fundraiser for Free the Grapes!, the 16th annual conference held in January brought the DTC community back together in person for the first time in three years. All Sessions were livestreamed, and their recordings are available to view on demand via the Whova ... Read more
STATES STEPPING UP COMPLIANCE CHECKS Many states are conducting sting operations and compliance checks to ensure wineries are following their DTC shipping rules. Missouri has sent cease and desist letters to several wineries for violating the 2 cases/month/person limit. While the vast majority of wineries are following these rules to the letter – assisted by ... Read more
Spring is a very busy time in many state capitols. Here’s an update on the “hot” states that could use winery help, plus additional states with legislative activity. LEGISLATIVE UPDATES: Hot States ALASKA: Reasonable Limits SoughtAfter it passed the Senate on 2/8, Senate Bill 9 was amended in the House to include spirits and beer, ... Read more
March 1, 2022 LEGISLATIVE UPDATES NEW JERSEY: Two Favorable Bills Introduced to Remove Capacity Cap Assembly Bill 2432 and Senate Bill 549 were introduced in the new, 2022-23 legislative session. Like last session’s Assembly Bill 1943, the new bills would create a license for wine companies whose aggregate production exceeds 250,000 gallons per year. In ... Read more
November 1, 2021 One can never say that DTC shipping legislation is boring. Here are some highlights from 2021 (so far): Ohio now allows DTC shipments for wineries producing more than 250k gallons/year; Alabama became the 47th state to allow winery-to-consumer direct shipping although the application process is challenging; New Jersey’s Commerce Committee heard a ... Read more
July 19, 2021 SAVE THE DATE: DTC Wine Symposium January 19-20, 2022 For the first time, the DTC Wine Symposium will be available as both an in-person conference and a livestream event! Attendees of the 15th annual conference can expect two full days of programming with thought-provoking keynotes, practical sessions, roundtable discussions on a variety of ... Read more
Alabama will become the 47th state to open for winery direct-to-consumer shipping, August 1, 2021. Here is a statement made May 14 by Wine Institute, a public policy association of California wineries and related businesses: “Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed legislation (H.B. 437), based on Wine Institute’s model direct shipping bill, on May 13, 2021. ... Read more
As previously reported, legislation was introduced that would have surreptitiously eliminated a Tennessee consumer’s ability to purchase and receive wines directly from a favorite winery. House Bill 742 would have limited Tennessee residents to direct shipments sent ONLY FROM THE VINEYARD and not through what are called fulfillment houses. Fulfillment houses are widely used by wineries to warehouse wine, pick and pack shipments, and then arrange for shipment using common carriers ... Read more
