Wine Industry Battles for Direct Shipping Rights

Yesterday, WineAmerica, a national wine trade association, filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in a case that could have profound implications for the future of the rapidly growing regional and local wine industry throughout the country.

Read it for yourself, this issue is a bit complicated. The issue is that some states allow in-state wineries to direct ship their wine to customers within that state. At the same time, they refuse to let wineries from other states direct ship wine into their state.

This would normally go against the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution. However, thanks to the constitutional meddling of a bunch of do-gooders and the politicians willing to pander to them, Prohibition was enacted. Decades ago, after an ocean of crime, blood and corruption... Prohibition was repealed, but its dark stain continues to blur the wisdom of our nation's most sacred document today.

WineAmerica's fight to open U.S. wine markets for direct shipping has had mixed results, so far. Some courts are finding that ending direct shipping of wine entirely is the simplest way to resolve the unfairness that the wine trade association is complaining about.

In New Jersey, this amounted to less choice for customers and less opportunity for their own state's emerging wine industry. According to U.S. Treasury Department data, the 50 largest American wineries account for 87 percent of the wine sold by volume. Some feel that the small wineries in WineAmerica's alliance are 'dancing with the elephants', and seeing predictable results.

If that debate is too much legal mumbo-jumbo for your taste, you can find some great wine industry insight on an excellent blog I've been reading lately. Visit H.J.'s World of Wine. Read his blog's credo quoted below:

THE HJWOW CREDO

I believe that wine is a beverage that should be enjoyed frequently, alone or with meals. I believe that wine, since it is made from a fruit, should produce a liquid reminiscent of that fruit, not cedar, moss, pipe tobacco, barnyards, manure, pencil lead, or band aids. As such, I believe that good wine can come from any country, but it must be labeled in such a way that the consumer doesn't need an atlas and a wine encyclopedia to figure out what's in the bottle. I believe that the United States should not trail the civilized world in wine consumption per capita and that neo-prohibitionists, wine snobs, and liquor distributors are all joined in a trilateral commission to hinder wine consumption. I believe that wine needs to lose its elitist image by embracing alternative packaging, alternative closures, non-vintage wines, stronger branding, and lower retail prices...

All I can say to that is...AMEN! Stop by and visit HJWOW and tell 'em Oklahoma Wine News sent ya!